If a loved one died while receiving medical treatment, whether in a hospital or not, it’s worth considering the possibility of medical malpractice. Negligence from a doctor, pharmacist or other medical professionals could lead to serious injury or death. New Jersey allows you up to two years to file a wrongful death claim.
Request an autopsy
If you suspect medical malpractice was the cause behind your loved one’s death, you should obtain an autopsy and a medical professional’s insight on the results. Simply knowing the cause of death may not be enough to know if it was medical malpractice. Negligence by a healthcare provider could have caused a heart attack, stroke or another seemingly unrelated issue.
Don’t rely on the hospital or your doctor to handle the autopsy. You need an unbiased party who won’t have a motive to cover up medical negligence. The county medical examiner could miss something because their only role is to determine the cause of death and whether the death was natural or accidental. They don’t conduct a thorough investigation like a private coroner would.
Research their medications and medical treatments
Unsafe medications and medical treatments could lead to death. If the doctor didn’t correctly disclose the risks to their patient, then they could be liable for their death. In some medical malpractice cases, the doctor prescribed the wrong medication, mixed up their documents with those of another patient or made some other medical error.
Inaction
Healthcare providers who fail to take appropriate action to promptly diagnose and treat patients could be responsible. If you felt unhappy with the doctor not taking your loved one’s symptoms seriously, then this could mean medical negligence occurred.
Your suspicions of medical malpractice could turn out to be true. You should investigate if you are feeling uneasy or notice warning signs that your loved one’s doctor played a role in their death, whether through direct actions or inaction.
