Hartford Failure To Diagnose Attorney
When you seek medical care, you trust your healthcare provider to identify your condition accurately and in a timely manner. A failure to diagnose can cause a delay in treatment, worsening your illness and reducing your chances for recovery. In the most severe cases, it can result in life-altering complications or even loss of life. At RisCassi & Davis, P.C., we represent patients and families in Hartford whose lives have been impacted by medical negligence, including cases involving a failure to diagnose.
Contact our Hartford failure to diagnose lawyer by calling (860) 245-2412 today!
Understanding Failure To Diagnose
A failure to diagnose occurs when a medical provider does not identify a condition that should have been detected based on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and diagnostic tests. This form of negligence can apply to many types of illnesses and injuries, such as:
- Cancer
- Heart disease and heart attacks
- Strokes
- Infections
- Blood clots
- Internal injuries from accidents
- Autoimmune diseases
Missing the correct diagnosis often leads to delayed or incorrect treatment, allowing the condition to progress and making recovery more difficult or impossible.
How Failure To Diagnose Happens
There are many ways a healthcare provider’s actions or inactions can lead to a missed diagnosis. Common causes include:
- Not ordering necessary tests or imaging
- Misreading or ignoring test results
- Failing to take a complete patient history
- Overlooking key symptoms
- Not referring the patient to the proper specialist
- Inadequate follow-up on abnormal findings
While not every missed diagnosis is the result of negligence, patients have the right to expect that their provider will follow accepted medical standards when assessing their condition. When those standards are not met and harm results, legal action may be appropriate.
Real Results. Real Justice.
Explore our most impactful outcomes, from multimillion-dollar settlements in serious accident and injury cases to record verdicts that underscore our commitment to justice.
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$425,000 Animal Bite
Arbitration decision for three family members injured when bitten by a neighbor’s dog.
Premises Liability -
$7.5 Million Automobile Accident
Nursing student who was rendered a paraplegic as the result of a motor vehicle accident.
Motor Vehicle Accident -
$6 Million Birth Injuries
Medical malpractice case that involved birth injuries.
Medical Malpractice -
$1.3 Million Birth Injury
Child suffered a brain injury due to failure to respond to fetal distress.
Medical Malpractice -
$1.4 Million Birth Injury
A settlement relating to birth trauma.
Medical Malpractice -
$ 1.2 Million Brain Injury
Settlement for Afghanistan war veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury when struck as a pedestrian while walking in the road during a snowstorm.
Personal Injury
The Impact Of A Missed Diagnosis
The consequences of a failure to diagnose can be devastating. For some conditions, early detection is critical for effective treatment. For example, cancers found in early stages often have far better survival rates than those diagnosed later. Similarly, prompt treatment of a heart attack or stroke can greatly reduce the risk of long-term disability.
When a diagnosis is missed or delayed, patients may require more invasive treatments, face higher medical costs, lose the ability to work, and endure prolonged pain and suffering. Families may also experience emotional distress and financial hardship as they support their loved one through extended illness.
Proving Medical Negligence
In Connecticut, proving that a failure to diagnose amounts to medical malpractice requires showing that:
- The healthcare provider had a duty to meet accepted standards of care
- The provider breached that duty by failing to make a timely or accurate diagnosis
- The breach directly caused harm to the patient
This process typically involves a detailed review of medical records, test results, and provider notes, along with the input of qualified medical professionals who can explain how the standard of care was not met.