Phoenix Infection Misdiagnosis Attorney

We trust our doctors to provide the best care and meet the correct standard of treatment for injuries and illnesses. When a medical provider misses or misdiagnoses signs of infection, the results can quickly become dangerous or deadly. Misdiagnosed medical conditions cause about 800,000 deaths in the United States each year, and one of the most commonly misdiagnosed conditions is infection.

A delay in correctly diagnosing an infection has serious consequences. If you or a close family member suffered a worsened medical condition, catastrophic injury, or wrongful death due to a misdiagnosed infection, call the medical malpractice attorneys in Phoenix at Knapp & Roberts and let our years of experience in these cases work for your family to achieve justice and accountability.

Why Choose Us for Your Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Phoenix?

The medical malpractice attorneys in Phoenix at Knapp & Roberts specialize in catastrophic injuries and wrongful death cases because we have deep compassion for the impacts of serious, preventable injuries on victims and their families. For over two decades, we’ve focused all of our attention and resources on providing skilled legal counsel and assertive representation for those harmed by the negligence of others, including the medical practitioners we trust with our lives. Our team of Phoenix medical malpractice lawyers provides the following benefits to your misdiagnosed infection case:

• We offer free case evaluations and contingency-based payment so you pay nothing until after we secure your settlement or win your case
• Our over 20 years of practice in Phoenix gives you access to the best medical expert witnesses and a team of skilled investigators
• We spend time getting to know each client and their family so we gain a better understanding of the impacts of the injury or wrongful death on the family and present a clear picture to medical malpractice insurers or a jury
• Our Phoenix medical malpractice attorneys diligently handle every step of the process from compiling evidence to carefully calculating your family’s damages in order to present a powerfully compelling case for compensation

Founding Partners, Craig A. Knapp and Dana R. Roberts are recognized by Best Lawyers for their work representing victims of catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Recent notable wins include a $1 million settlement for a missed diabetic shock death and a $3 million settlement for a pressure sore infection death. Our firm holds careless medical providers and negligent nursing home facilities accountable and helps clients obtain the compensation they deserve for the harm done to them and their families.

What Is An Infection?

Infections occur when microscopic pathogens enter the body and disrupt normal function. When the body’s cells become damaged by the pathogens, the body fights back through a storm of reactions, including fever, inflammation, and the secretion of bodily chemicals to counteract the pathogen. Unfortunately, the body’s defense system isn’t always enough to prevent the infection from causing significant damage. In some cases, the storm of defensive measures results in a cascade of other problems including deadly sepsis, which damages major organs and causes death when misdiagnosed or left unchecked.

Sadly, infection is one of what’s known in the medical industry as the “Big Three” or the top three misdiagnosed medical conditions along with cancer and heart disease.

Why Do Medical Providers Misdiagnose or Delay Diagnosing Infections?

Medical providers have a duty to carefully monitor patients for developing infections after surgery or during illnesses and hospitalizations. When a doctor fails to recognize and promptly treat an infection or misdiagnoses an infection as another illness and treats it inappropriately or ineffectively, the results can be life-altering or deadly for the patient. Common causes of infection misdiagnosis in Arizona include the following:

• Doctors fail to identify the infection site
• Medical providers fail to properly monitor patients after surgery
• A patient is given inadequate discharge instructions after surgery
• Improper care or neglect in nursing homes and other facilities
• The infection presents symptoms similar to other illnesses
• Inadequate or inaccurate patient records
• Failure of communication between caregivers and medical providers
• Inadequate documentation of symptoms 
• Understaffing in hospital emergency rooms
• Failure to order proper diagnostic tests
• Lack of proper staff training

A 2022 study revealed that 12% of infection patients experienced misdiagnosed infection sites.

What Happens When Doctors Fail to Accurately Diagnose an Infection in Arizona?

Misdiagnosed infections lead to sepsis, a deadly medical emergency caused by the body’s aggressive defense against infection. Sepsis triggers massive inflammation which then causes organ failure, shock, and death if not promptly and correctly treated. When the site of infection goes undiagnosed or there is a delay in diagnosing an infection, it may also lead to an amputation or excising of diseased tissue, leaving serious permanent scarring, loss of limb, or loss of an organ system in survivors. 

Understanding Liability for Infection Misdiagnosis in Phoenix

When a doctor, hospital medical staff, or nursing home caregivers fail to accurately diagnose and promptly treat infection, the disease can spread rapidly and cause illness, amputation, sepsis, and death. Doctors have a special duty of care toward their patients. Neglecting this duty leaves them liable for damages. Proving liability in a medical malpractice claim requires demonstrating the following:

• That a doctor (or other provider)-/patient relationship existed at the time the malpractice occurred
• The doctor owed a duty of care to treat the patient at the standard of care approved by the medical community
• They breached their duty of care through an act of negligence
• The negligent breach of duty directly caused injury or death
• The injury victim or their family suffered economic and non-economic damages from the injury

The Phoenix infection misdiagnosis attorneys at Knapp & Roberts are ready to document evidence of liability, consult with medical experts to prove malpractice, and calculate your current and future damages.

What Compensation Is Available in an Infection Misdiagnosis Case?

Serious injuries quickly become costly with medical costs and missed time from work. In some cases—such as with amputations due to misdiagnosed infections—extensive rehabilitation, prosthetics, and permanent disability results. Common compensation for damages in infection misdiagnosis malpractice cases includes the following:

• Medical expenses
• Future medical costs
• Lost income
• Future income loss
• Diminished future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Diminished life quality
• Loss of limb, organ system, or one of the senses
• Scarring/disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Wrongful death

In wrongful death compensation claims after a misdiagnosed infection, additional damages are available including funeral expenses and lost income and benefits for the number of earning years the victim would have had remaining to them had they not died from the infection.

Call the Infection Misdiagnosis Lawyers at Knapp & Roberts In Phoenix

It’s painful knowing that the harm from an infection could have been avoided if only a doctor had taken the proper steps, ordered the correct tests, and promptly addressed the infection in the industry-accepted standard of care. You and your family deserve compensation. Contact the Phoenix misdiagnosis lawyers at Knapp & Roberts today so we can formulate a personalized strategy for your case and take action.