Harrisburg Medical Malpractice Blog

Residents in Pennsylvania who hear about fatal accidents in which drunk drivers ruthlessly and negligently claim the lives of innocent people have good reason to be angry and want to see justice done. Some of the time, however, that path to justice may not be as direct or fast as people would like. An example of this can be seen in a case that has actually made its way to the State Supreme Court.

The case goes back to a ruling roughly two-and-a-half years ago in October of 2015 when a woman was convicted of seven different charges in the drunk driving death of a pedestrian. The then 84-year-old man was said to be on the side of a road working on a fence when the intoxicated driver hit him. The man actually lived for two days after the crash prior to succumbing to his injuries. A judge in Berks County sentenced the woman to prison for a term lasting between four and 10 years.

A generation ago, it seemed relatively rare to hear about someone having breast cancer. Today, a large number of people in Pennsylvania have either had breast cancer themselves or have personally known someone who has had this form of cancer. As many advances have been made in the detection and treatment of breast cancer, the fact remains that some cases may go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for too long. This may well contribute to the cancer spreading and becoming a more serious problem that if it had been able to be identified earlier.

According to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, routine screenings via mammography cannot be relied on to be foolproof methods of detecting all instances of breast cancer. In fact, women should know that they may want to ask health care providers about other forms of testing if they are concerned about a problem with their breasts.

Most Pennsylvania residents understand that to err is human. However, this sentiment becomes incredibly complex when a life is at stake. Althought medical mistakes can be common, those involving cancer diagnoses have little room for error. Below are some common types of cancer doctors miss most, as well as a number of factors that can play into a misdiagnosis. 

A 2015 report from Fox News uses the research of the Institute of Medicine to show that, every year, roughly 1 in 20 adults will experience a medical mistake. Furthermore, the study reflected a growing concern in regard to such mistakes, noting that most Americans will see some type of error while receiving medical care. What, most patients wonder, are the most commonly made mistakes? According to Fox, colorectal, lung and breast cancers are the three conditions most prone to an error upon diagnosis. Fox also pulls research from the Journal of the American Medical Association to point out that these delayed diagnostic errors make up about 10 percent of all mistakes reported by physicians.

When a doctor diagnoses a loved one with a terminal illness, life can change in an instant. Suddenly, routines, daily errands and even work shifts can become the complete opposite of what they once were. With all of the life changes that a serious illness can bring, discovering that the diagnosis was incorrect can be upsetting, to say the least. Pennsylvania families who have suffered as a result of an improper diagnosis may decide to seek justice.

ABC News is quick to point out in an article on cancer misdiagnoses that 1.3 million Americans see such scares every year. Who makes the mistakes? According to ABC's report, most errors come from pathologists in the labs, where they incorrectly analyze a patient's tests. Roughly one out of five cancer cases saw misclassification. Cancer experts note that most biopsy mistakes involve tissue from the skin, prostrate and female reproductive tract. In addition, the pathologists themselves may not also be reliable; ABC shares that some are not specialists in certain types of cancer altogether.