Chest injuries can involve far more than bruised ribs or sore muscles. The chest protects the lungs, heart, major blood vessels, and other structures that control breathing and circulation. When an injury is overlooked, incorrectly diagnosed, or improperly treated, the consequences can become much more serious.
In Atlanta, a patient who suffers additional harm because of substandard medical care may have grounds to investigate a medical malpractice claim. Whether malpractice occurred depends on the care provided, the applicable medical standard, and whether a provider’s conduct caused or worsened the injury.
What Is a Chest Injury?
The chest, also known as the thorax, extends from the neck to the abdomen. According to MedlinePlus, it contains the ribs, breastbone, lungs, airways, heart, major blood vessels, esophagus, nerves, and other important structures.
An injury can affect one structure or several at the same time.
Examples include:
- Fractured or bruised ribs
- Pneumothorax, commonly called a collapsed lung
- Hemothorax, which involves blood collecting between the lung and the chest wall
- Damage to the trachea or bronchi
- Heart or major blood vessel injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Muscle and other soft-tissue injuries
A seemingly straightforward injury can coexist with a more dangerous condition. For that reason, the seriousness of a chest injury often depends on which structures were affected and whether complications were identified promptly.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Chest Injury?
Symptoms can vary considerably. Pain may be the first noticeable problem, but changes in breathing, circulation, or alertness can signal a more urgent condition.
Possible symptoms include:
- Chest pain or tenderness
- Pain that becomes worse when coughing or taking a deep breath
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid or shallow breathing
- Bruising or swelling
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Rapid heart rate
- Weakness
- Low blood pressure
Chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and other symptoms are possible signs of a hemothorax. Sudden breathing difficulty, severe chest pain, fainting, or signs of shock may require emergency care.
Recovery depends on the nature of the injury and how quickly appropriate treatment begins. Some people recover fully, while others develop complications that affect breathing, mobility, stamina, or day-to-day activities.
How Can Medical Malpractice Cause or Worsen a Chest Injury?
A bad medical outcome does not automatically mean malpractice occurred. Complications can happen even when a health care professional acts appropriately. The central question in a medical malpractice case is generally whether the provider departed from the applicable professional standard of care and caused additional injury.
Problems involving chest injuries may warrant closer review when a provider:
- Dismisses significant chest pain or breathing complaints
- Fails to investigate symptoms that suggest internal injury
- Does not order appropriate diagnostic testing
- Misinterprets or fails to respond to imaging results
- Misses a pneumothorax, hemothorax, or internal bleeding
- Delays necessary treatment
- Damages nearby tissue during a medical procedure
- Improperly places a chest tube, central line, or other device
- Fails to monitor a patient for known complications
Medical procedures themselves can sometimes cause chest injuries. A malpractice review considers whether the procedure and subsequent care met accepted medical standards.
What Is My Chest Injury Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
There is no preset value for a chest injury malpractice claim. Two patients with similar diagnoses may experience very different financial losses, recovery periods, and long-term effects.
Factors that can influence a case’s value include:
- The seriousness of the injury
- Whether the condition is permanent
- The need for additional hospitalization or surgery
- Past and anticipated medical costs
- Time missed from work
- Reduced future earning ability
- Physical pain and emotional effects
- Limitations on daily activities
- The strength of the medical evidence
- Whether the provider’s conduct can be linked to the additional harm
Medical records, diagnostic imaging, employment documentation, bills, and qualified expert opinions may all play a role in evaluating the consequences of an alleged medical error.
What Compensation Can I Recover for a Chest Injury in Atlanta, Georgia?
When medical negligence causes an injury, recoverable damages depend on the facts and evidence in the individual case. Medical malpractice victims can typically recover economic and non-economic damages.
Potential compensation can include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Disability or physical limitations
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
The type and amount of compensation available will depend on how the malpractice affected the patient and what losses can be established through evidence.
How Long Do I Have to File a Chest Injury Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Georgia?
Georgia law generally provides a two-year limitations period for an action alleging injury or death caused by medical malpractice. Georgia also has a five-year statute of repose that generally prevents a medical malpractice action from being filed more than five years after the negligent or wrongful act or omission. Exceptions can affect these deadlines, so the applicable filing period should be evaluated based on the specific facts of the case.
Georgia professional malpractice actions also generally require an expert affidavit to accompany the complaint. The affidavit must identify at least one negligent act or omission claimed to exist and provide the factual basis for that allegation.
Contact the Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyers at The Moses Firm: Medical Malpractice Lawyers for a Free Consultation Today
A preventable chest injury can leave a patient trying to understand two difficult questions at once: what went wrong medically and whether it should have happened at all. The attorneys at The Moses Firm: Medical Malpractice Lawyers have 50 years of combined experience and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for accident victims.
If you believe a medical mistake left you with a serious chest injury in Atlanta, bring your questions, records, and concerns to a team prepared to examine the medicine behind what happened. Contact us today at (404) 721-1050 for a free consultation with a medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta and an opportunity to have the circumstances surrounding your care carefully reviewed.