Pennsylvania Pharmacist Malpractice Lawyer

Malpractice lawsuits against pharmacists result from failure to meet their legal obligation to provide the standard of care to patients. All prescriptions have a list of side effects, and sometimes, they can be severe or life-threatening for some. Prescribers and pharmacists must ensure patients understand the risks so they can weigh out the positives and negatives before taking the drug. Ensuring they fill the correct medicine and dosing is also essential.

When a pharmacist’s actions cause someone harm, they may have cause to file a malpractice lawsuit with help from a compassionate medical malpractice attorney. A Pennsylvania pharmacist malpractice lawyer can determine the potential worth of your legal action.

The Common Causes of Legal Action

Pharmacists are legally obligated to provide each customer or patient they serve with a professional standard of care. Some common causes of lawsuits include:

• Dispensing the incorrect medication
• Failure to provide adequate warnings
• Prescribing the wrong prescription dosage
• Dangerous medicine combinations leading to adverse drug interactions
• Providing patients with the wrong instructions or neglecting to disclose all the vital information
• Forgetting to check the patient’s medication allergies and dispensing drugs that cause them harm

Like other physicians and medical providers, pharmacists must provide each patient with a professional standard of care. When they fail to meet the standard, there could be cause for a lawsuit for malpractice. A Pennsylvania pharmacist malpractice attorney could investigate and conduct a thorough review of the case to determine if there is cause for legal action.

Deadline for Pursuing Compensation

Personal injury, also called tort, is a statute of limitations that sets a strictly enforced deadline for filing suits against medical providers for damages. Under 42 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes § 5524, the maximum time to file a lawsuit against a pharmacist for malpractice is two years.

However, specific circumstances could allow for extensions, such as plaintiffs who are minors when the injuries happen and those who do not discover the damages immediately. A pharmacist malpractice lawyer in Pennsylvania could review the applicable statutes and answer questions about the civil court process after reviewing the case.

Compensatory Damages

The civil court awards compensatory damages to reimburse the plaintiff for their losses and divides them into economic and noneconomic damages. The first category covers out-of-pocket expenses, while noneconomic damages are intangible losses that are more challenging to quantify. The award may include compensation for the following:

• Permanent disability
• Physical pain and suffering
• Prescriptions and medical devices, equipment, and transportation costs for medical appointments
• Mental and emotional pain and suffering, such as post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders
• Loss of the enjoyment of life and taking part in activities they enjoyed before the injuries
• Lost pay for the time the plaintiff misses from work to recover, including benefits and future earning potential
• Medical care, including the emergency room, hospital stays, doctor visits, rehabilitation, and ongoing medical services and treatment

The civil court jury considers the extent of the patient’s injuries and the effect the disability will have throughout life.

Speak to a Qualified Pharmacist Malpractice Attorney in Pennsylvania

Pharmacy errors are much more common than most would believe and can leave you with severe injuries, trauma, and financial losses. Unfortunately, medication errors can have catastrophic and lasting health consequences, which can lead to permanent disabilities.

If a mistake by the pharmacy caused you harm, you must hold them responsible. Speak to a seasoned Pennsylvania pharmacist malpractice lawyer to schedule a consultation and learn more.