The VA is getting some heat for the negligent filling of veterans’ prescriptions. According to a recent report by the Washington Times, one VA employee was terminated from his employment and in response filed an appeal, claiming that any errors he may have made were made by others in the Administration. Be that as it may, he then claimed that he was targeted for other, impermissible reasons.
The terminated employee pointed to several errors made over the course of the last few years, specifically a 2001 incident when a chemotherapy patient was given a fatal dose of his medication. To be exact, it was a dose that was five times what it should have been. The dismissed employee also submitted interviews with other VA employees, one of whom claimed that “errors might be pointed out, but in a global sense, nobody is going to be publicly identified and held out to dry for a mistake.”
This has led to a strong public reaction against the VA for failing to adequately discipline those employee’s who were negligent in the performance of their duties. However, even if the VA is unwilling to reprimand these employees, any victim of a pharmacist’s error may hold the responsible party liable by bringing a civil suit for damages.
Pharmacy Error Cases
Pharmacists are bound by a legal duty to accurately fill all prescriptions. When someone is injured due to a mistake made by a pharmacist, they have the opportunity to be heard by a court of law. If they are successful in convincing the court that their injuries were caused by the negligence of the pharmacist, they are entitled to recover monetary damages from the responsible party.
Recovering in Pharmacy Error Cases
Pharmacy error cases can be tricky to bring, since they reside somewhere in the middle of negligence law and medical malpractice law. There can be complex issues involved in these cases, including determining what the generally accepted standard of care for a pharmacist is, and whether some knowledge regarding the plaintiff’s situation can be attributed to the defendant pharmacist.
In any case, it is advisable to speak with a dedicated pharmacy error attorney before you decide to proceed with your case.
Have You Been Injured After Being Provided the Wrong Drug?
If you have recently been injured by a pharmacist’s error, you may be entitled to monetary damages from the responsible party. Each year, thousands upon thousands of people are seriously injured or killed by errors made by local pharmacists. Given the frequency with which pharmacists are named in lawsuits, they generally are able to retain dedicated defense counsel. Therefore, it is important that you too have counsel on your side to ensure that you are treated fairly throughout the trial process. If you have any questions for an attorney, call 410-654-3600 to set up a free consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Woman Hospitalized for “Poisoning” After Pharmacist’s Error, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, February 23, 2015.
California Costco Pharmacy Mis-Fills One Patient’s Prescription Twice in One Year, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, January 22, 2015.