White Plains Colon Cancer Lawyers
According to a report by the National Cancer Institute, five-year survival rates for colon cancer are greater than 90 percent when the cancer is detected before it metastasizes. When the cancer is not detected before metastization, survival rates drop to below ten percent.
For patients who should have known about their cancer early on, but didn’t because of a medical professional’s negligence, the news of a too-late diagnosis can be too much to bear. If you or a loved one has suffered due to the failure to diagnose colon cancer, the attorneys at Meagher & Meagher, P.C. in White Plains are here to provide you with the strong advocacy and understanding guidance you need.
Understanding The Causes Of Misdiagnosis
We scrutinize every available piece of medical evidence to determine how a diagnosis of colon cancer was missed and to identify liable parties. In regard to colon and colorectal cancers, root causes of misdiagnosis include:
- Failure to order a colonoscopy
- Failure to conduct a stool blood analysis
- Misread medical tests
- Failure to follow up on warning signs such as weakness, fatigue, weight loss and abdominal pain
No legal action will ever replace the pain and suffering and loss of time resulting from such malpractice. Pursuing a malpractice claim can, however, provide you and your family with the resources you need to contend with additional medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering, and other hardships. Taking legal action also holds negligent parties accountable and thereby can make treatment safer and more effective for others.
What Compensation Can You Recover in a Colon Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawsuit in White Plains, New York?
A cancer misdiagnosis can delay essential treatment for colon cancer, colorectal cancer, rectal cancer and prostate cancer, and the consequences can be severe.
A well-crafted medical malpractice claim can help those harmed by diagnostic errors recover financial compensation. While this cannot reverse the harm caused, it can help victims and survivors cope in the wake of a misdiagnosis. Working with our experienced medical malpractice lawyers can make a positive difference in the outcome of medical negligence cases.
Victims of diagnostic failures often face a wide range of losses. New York allows them to pursue damages that reflect both the financial and human impact of the error. Potential compensation includes:
- Medical expenses: These address surgeries, chemotherapy, hospital stays, medications and treatments that become necessary when colon cancer or colorectal cancer progresses due to a delayed diagnosis.
- Lost wages: This category covers income a patient loses while undergoing treatment or recovering from complications that could have been avoided with timely detection.
- Loss of earning capacity: When advanced rectal cancer or related conditions limit a person’s ability to return to their prior work, lost earning capacity accounts for long‑term reductions in future income.
- Pain and suffering: These damages reflect the physical discomfort and ongoing challenges associated with late‑stage cancer, including invasive procedures and prolonged recovery.
- Emotional distress: Patients may experience anxiety, fear or psychological trauma after learning that a cancer misdiagnosis allowed the disease to progress, and this category addresses those impacts.
- Loss of consortium: This compensates spouses for the loss of companionship, support and household contributions that often occur when a loved one faces advanced illness.
- Costs of future medical care: This includes anticipated treatments, monitoring, rehabilitation and supportive care that become necessary because the disease advanced before proper diagnosis.
- Punitive damages: Courts may award these damages in rare cases involving extreme misconduct to punish particularly reckless behavior rather than compensate for specific losses.
Determining the value of a New York misdiagnosis case depends on several factors. These include the severity of the disease, the patient’s age, required treatment, the reliability of test results, long‑term prognosis and input from medical experts.
Our White Plains colon cancer attorneys will build a strong case and handle your claim while you focus on treatment and stability. You and your family can rest easier knowing you have an experienced lawyer’s guidance throughout your entire claim.
Get The Legal Help You Need
Our premier medical malpractice law firm is here to help you seek fair and just compensation for the losses you have suffered due to misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis of colon cancer. To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney in White Plains, contact our law offices online or by telephone at 914-246-2958.