Earlier this year in November, an 83-year-old grandfather of eight died after he was provided the incorrect medication by a pharmacist. According to a report by one local news source, the man attempted to fill a prescription for paracetamol to help with the pain that an ulcer on his foot was causing him. However, he was provided with Verapamil, a medication used to treat high blood pressure.
Evidently, after the man phoned in his prescriptions, the delivery driver for the pharmacy came to the man’s home to deliver the medications, but the man was not home. Later, the head pharmacist himself delivered the medication to the man’s home on his way home from work. However, on his way out the door he grabbed the wrong prescription.
When the pharmacist delivered the medication, the man took the medication without reading the labels. When the pharmacist realized the mistake he had just made, he drove back to the man’s home to tell him that there should be no adverse effect from taking the wrong medication. However, hours later the man woke up complaining of shortness of breath and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Upon arrival, hospital staff did not discover that the man had taken the medication because the pharmacist failed to log the error in his reports. Five days later, the man was pronounced dead after several of his organs shut down. The cause of death was listed as a negative interaction between the Verapamil and the kidney medication the man was also taking at the time.
Prescription Errors in Maryland Pharmacies
Each year, tens of thousands of people are provided the wrong medication by their pharmacists. Most of the time, the results of taking the un-prescribed medication are harmless, but in some cases they can be devastating.
When a pharmacy error occurs, and the patient is injured or killed as a result, the pharmacist may be held liable for the injuries or losses sustained. In addition, the pharmacy itself may be held liable in some cases. Both of these claims rely on the duty of care that pharmacists have to their patients, much like the duty that doctors have to their patients. To learn more about pharmacy error cases, and how you may be able to recover for the injuries or losses you have sustained, call a dedicated Maryland personal injury attorney.
Have You Been Provided a Dangerous Drug By Mistake?
If you have recently been provided a dangerous drug by mistake, and you have suffered as a result, you may be able to recover financially for any pain and suffering that you have been put through. You may also be compensated for past and future medical bills and lost wages. The dedicated lawyers at the Maryland law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have decades of collective experience litigating all kinds of Maryland personal injury actions, including those arising out of prescription errors. To set up a free consultation with an attorney today, call 410-654-3600.
More Blog Posts:
CVS Pharmacy Mixes Up Prescription, Man Sent to Hospital, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, December 15, 2014.
Pharmacist Overprescribes Blood-Thinner, Causing Man to Cough Up Blood, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, October 9, 2014.