Hospital Malpractice Attorney FL
Over 35 Years Experience

Florida Hospital Negligence Lawyer: Holding Hospitals Accountable for Patient Harm

Experienced Legal Representation for Victims of Preventable Errors in Hospitals, Emergency Rooms, and Clinics Across Florida.

  • Over 35 Years of Medical Malpractice Experience
  • Investigating Errors by Doctors, Nurses & Hospital Staff
  • Fighting for Maximum Compensation for Your Injuries
  • No Fee Unless We Secure a Recovery for You
Schedule Your Free, Confidential Consultation

When a Hospital Stay Leads to Unexpected Injury

When you are admitted to a hospital, you are at your most vulnerable. You and your family place your complete trust in the entire system of care – the doctors, nurses, technicians, and the hospital administration – to provide a safe environment and competent treatment. While most hospital visits are successful, preventable errors and systemic failures can and do occur, leading to devastating consequences for patients.

Hospital negligence is a form of medical malpractice that occurs when a hospital, as an entity, or its employees (doctors, nurses, staff) fail to meet the accepted standard of care, resulting in patient injury or death.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious harm due to a mistake or negligence during a hospital stay in Florida, you have the right to seek justice. Experienced Florida hospital negligence lawyer Lisa Levine is dedicated to investigating these complex cases and fighting for the rights of injured patients.

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Understanding Hospital Liability in Florida

ER Malpractice Lawyer Florida

While individual doctors can be held liable for their own negligence, hospitals can also be held directly or vicariously responsible for patient harm. A hospital may be liable for:

  • Negligence of its Employees: Hospitals are generally responsible for the negligent acts of their employees, such as nurses, technicians, and resident physicians, when they are acting within the scope of their employment.
  • Negligent Hiring and Supervision: Failing to conduct proper background checks, verify credentials, or adequately supervise staff, leading to a dangerous or unqualified employee harming a patient.
  • Inadequate Staffing: Not having enough qualified nurses or staff on duty to safely care for the number of patients, leading to monitoring failures and errors.
  • Faulty Equipment or Unsanitary Conditions: Injuries caused by malfunctioning medical equipment that was not properly maintained, or by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) due to unsanitary conditions.
  • Failure to Establish Proper Policies and Procedures: Not having adequate protocols in place for patient safety, medication administration, or communication, leading to systemic errors.

Common Types of Hospital Negligence

Negligence within a hospital setting can occur at any point during a patient’s stay. Some of the most common and serious forms of hospital errors include:

  • Medication Errors: Administering the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, giving a drug to the wrong patient, or failing to note a known drug allergy.
  • Anesthesia Errors: Mistakes made before, during, or after surgery that can lead to brain damage, organ failure, or death.
  • Surgical Errors: Preventable mistakes in the operating room, such as wrong-site surgery, retained instruments, or post-operative infections. Learn more about Surgical Error claims.
  • Failure in Patient Monitoring & Supervision: Not closely monitoring a patient’s vital signs or condition after surgery or a procedure, leading to a failure to respond to a critical change in status. This includes issues with faulty monitoring equipment.
  • Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs): Patients contracting serious infections like sepsis or MRSA due to unsterile instruments, unsanitary conditions, or staff failing to follow hygiene protocols.
  • Patient Falls: Failure to implement proper fall-risk protocols for vulnerable, elderly, or medicated patients, leading to serious injuries from falls.
  • Laboratory and Imaging Errors: Misreading X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, or misinterpreting lab results, leading to a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Read about Failure to Diagnose.
  • Blood Transfusion Errors: Administering the wrong blood type.

Failure in Patient Monitoring & Supervision: A Critical Form of Hospital Negligence

One of a hospital’s most fundamental duties is the continuous and vigilant supervision of its patients. A patient’s condition can change rapidly after surgery, during recovery from an illness, or in response to medication. The failure of hospital staff to properly monitor a patient and respond immediately to signs of distress is a serious and preventable form of negligence that can lead to catastrophic harm or death.

This “failure to rescue” can happen in several ways, and our firm knows how to investigate these critical lapses in care:

  • Inadequate Staffing: When a hospital is understaffed, nurses are often overworked and unable to give each patient the attention they require, leading to missed symptoms and delayed responses.
  • Failure to Respond to Alarms: Ignoring or silencing alarms from heart monitors, ventilators, or other vital equipment without properly assessing the patient.
  • Poor Post-Operative Monitoring: Failing to closely watch a patient’s vital signs, surgical site, and overall condition after a procedure, which can lead to undiagnosed internal bleeding (hematomas), infections, or other complications.
  • Communication Breakdowns: A nurse or aide noticing a negative change in a patient’s condition but failing to promptly and effectively communicate that information to a doctor who can intervene.
  • Faulty or Improperly Used Equipment: Injuries caused by malfunctioning monitoring technology that the hospital failed to properly maintain, or staff using the equipment incorrectly.
  • Negligent Supervision of At-Risk Patients: Failing to implement proper protocols for patients at high risk for falls, strokes, or other acute events.

Proper patient supervision is not optional; it is a core component of the standard of care. If you or a loved one suffered a preventable injury in a hospital because a change in condition went unnoticed or was not acted upon in time, it may be due to negligent patient supervision. Lisa Levine has the experience to investigate these complex cases and hold hospitals accountable for such critical failures.

Emergency Room (ER) Malpractice in Florida

Nursing Negligence Lawsuit

The fast-paced, high-stress environment of an emergency room is no excuse for negligence. ER doctors and staff are trained to handle urgent situations, but critical mistakes can still happen. Common ER errors include:

  • Delayed Diagnosis or Misdiagnosis: Failing to correctly diagnose and treat time-sensitive, life-threatening conditions such as stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or meningitis.
  • Paramedic or EMT Negligence: Mistakes made during transport, such as improperly securing a patient, which can worsen injuries.
  • Patient “Dumping”: Improperly discharging a patient who is unstable or in need of further care.
  • Failure to Order Proper Tests: Not ordering necessary scans or lab work based on a patient’s presenting symptoms.
  • Medication Errors: Critical errors in administering emergency medications.

Are Nurses Liable for Hospital Negligence in Florida?

Yes. Nurses are on the front lines of patient care and play a vital role in patient safety. A nurse’s negligence can cause significant harm. Examples include:

  • Improperly Administering Medications: Giving the wrong drug, wrong dose, or to the wrong patient.
  • Failing to Monitor a Patient: Not noticing or reporting a significant change in a patient’s condition to a doctor in a timely manner.
  • Improperly Performing Procedures: Mistakes made during tasks like inserting IVs, catheters, or conducting tests.
  • Failing to Follow Doctor’s Orders: Not carrying out a physician’s prescribed treatment plan correctly.
  • Patient Care Errors: Providing a patient with harmful food (e.g., giving a diabetic patient a sugary drink) or failing to assist with mobility, leading to a fall.

When a nurse is a hospital employee, the hospital can typically be held vicariously liable for their negligence.

Proving Negligence in a Hospital Malpractice Case

To succeed in a hospital negligence claim in Florida, we must prove that the hospital or its staff breached the accepted standard of care, and this breach directly caused your injuries and damages. This complex process involves:

  • Extensive Investigation: Obtaining and meticulously analyzing all relevant hospital records, policies, and procedures.
  • Expert Witness Testimony: Collaborating with highly qualified medical experts (doctors, nurses, hospital administrators) to establish the standard of care and identify the specific failures.
  • Demonstrating Causation and Damages: Clearly linking the hospital’s negligence to your specific injuries and calculating the full extent of your losses.

Proven Results in Medical Malpractice & Failure to Diagnose Cases

$2,500,000

jane doe
v. surgeon and hospital

Following a laminectomy where she sustained an intraoperative injury, Jane Doe (66) developed immediate CES signs. A hematoma was untimely diagnosed, and surgery to evacuate it occurred 4 days post-op, leaving her with permanent severe pain, gait issues, saddle anesthesia, and bowel/bladder dysfunction.

$2,500,000

estate of john doe
v. hospital

Our client, a 40-year-old father of 2 minor children, entered the hospital for pain management because of kidney stones. He was given Demerol for pain management. Demerol is a respiratory suppressant and the patient needs to be monitored closely. He died within 24 hours due to hospital’s failure to monitor the patient.

See More Case Results

Disclaimer: Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique.

Why Choose Our Florida Hospital Negligence Attorney?

Hospitals and their large insurance companies aggressively defend against malpractice claims. You need an attorney with the experience and determination to level the playing field. Families across Florida choose Lisa S. Levine, P.A. because:

  • Over 35 Years of Medical Malpractice Experience: Lisa Levine brings decades of experience specifically handling complex medical malpractice cases, including those against major hospitals.
  • Thorough Investigative Approach: We know how to navigate hospital systems to uncover evidence of negligence and systemic failures.
  • Access to Elite Medical Experts: Our network of experts is crucial for establishing breaches in the standard of care in a hospital setting.
  • Proven Record of Success: Our firm has a history of securing significant case results for victims of hospital and medical negligence.
  • Personalized and Compassionate Representation: We understand the trauma of a hospital injury and provide direct attorney access and supportive guidance.
  • No Upfront Fees – Contingency Basis: We represent clients on a contingency fee basis. You pay no fees unless we win your case. (Our Fee Structure)
Hospital Error Attorney

Compensation for Hospital Errors in Florida

If you were harmed by hospital negligence, you may be entitled to recover compensation for:

Additional Medical Expenses

– Costs for corrective surgeries, extended hospital stays, rehabilitation, and future care.

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

– If your injuries prevent you from participating in activities you once loved.

Wrongful Death Damages

– If hospital negligence led to the loss of a loved one.

Pain and Suffering

– For the physical pain, emotional trauma, and distress caused by the hospital’s error.

Lost Wages and Diminished Earning Capacity

– For time missed from work and long-term impact on your career.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospital Negligence Claims

Florida’s statute of limitations for medical malpractice generally requires you to file a lawsuit within two years of the incident or discovery, with a four-year absolute limit (statute of repose), subject to limited exceptions. It is critical to contact an attorney immediately to protect your rights.

Sometimes, yes. Even if the doctor is an independent contractor, the hospital may still be liable if it appeared to the patient that the doctor was a hospital agent (apparent agency) or if the hospital was negligent in granting them staff privileges. These are complex legal issues an attorney can evaluate.

The value depends on the severity of the injury, total medical costs, lost income, the extent of pain and suffering, and the strength of the evidence. An experienced attorney can assess the potential damages in your case.

We handle these cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no upfront fees. Our fee is a percentage of the compensation we successfully recover for you.

Get Help from an Experienced Hospital Negligence Lawyer

If you or a family member has suffered due to the negligence of hospital staff in Florida, do not wait to take action. Contact Lisa S. Levine, P.A. to protect your rights and explore your legal options.

Your initial consultation is free and completely confidential. We are here to listen to your experience, review your case, and explain how we can fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

Schedule Your Free, Confidential Consultation