A mother is reportedly suing her longtime pharmacy, claiming that a dosage error led to her daughter’s death.
The woman claims that her 6 year old daughter died after taking a dose of morphine 10 times higher than what she was prescribed. The little girl had been taking the liquid painkiller during the course of treatment for sickle cell anemia. Sadly, this tragedy comes on the heels of a report regarding similar errors in the administration of pain medications in young children.
The lawsuit alleges that the young girl died in April 2012, just one day after taking the hyper concentrated dosage. It further claims that the girl’s cause of death was officially ruled “morphine toxicity.”
The plaintiff’s lawyer stated that negotiations fell through and precluded settlement when the pharmacy’s insurance company blamed the little girl’s death on her blood disorder rather than a pharmacy error. He claims that the coroner’s report, pharmacy records, and other documents reflect the dosage discrepancy.
The plaintiff alleges that test results on the remaining contents of the morphine bottle revealed that it was formulated at a concentration of 20 milligrams per 1 milliliter rather than the prescribed 20 milligrams per 10 milliliters.
In many cases, mistakes such as this one are the result of situations in which the rules of double checking all prescriptions for accuracy before dispensing medications to the patient or customer are not followed by pharmacists, pharmacy clerks, pharmacy technicians, or other staff behind the prescription counter.
Sadly, the error of incorrect dosage of medicines is one that can be particularly unforgiving in the case of young children. Their bodies are simply incapable of processing large levels of over-concentrated medications. Errors such as this one can prove deadly for adults as well. Sometimes, individuals will be fortunate enough to survive these mega doses, only to be left crippled with life-altering debilitating conditions or injuries.
When a pharmacist or other healthcare professional makes an error that results in injury or death of a loved one, you may be able to sue them under a negligence cause of action. In this context, negligence means that the pharmacist or other professional failed to act in accordance with a reasonable pharmacist standard. Typically failure to observe a mandatory procedure alone, such as requiring a second reading of the prescription, could potentially satisfy this requirement. If successful, your negligence lawsuit could result in a financial award to compensate for all of the medical expenses you have incurred so far and those reasonably anticipated to occur in the future, an amount for pain and suffering, and in some cases potentially punitive damages.
If you or a loved one has been injured or died as a result of a medication or pharmacy dispensing error, contact the experienced Maryland pharmacy error injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. Our lawyers have extensive experience in advocating on behalf of individuals who have been harmed by medication errors, whether they were improperly prescribed, dispensed, or administered. Contact us today by calling us at (800) 654-1949 or through our website, in order to schedule your complimentary initial consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Study Examines Cause of Errors in Opioid Infusion Errors in Children, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published August 8, 2013
New Heparin Labels Intended to Reduce Fatal Overdoses, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, published July 25, 2013