In 2022, over 3,000 Illinois residents died from opioid overdoses. In Illinois Opioid deaths increased 8.2% year over year. There were more opioid deaths than car crash deaths. More opioid deaths than homicides. These numbers highlight the severe toll of opioid addiction. Many of these deaths stem from physician-prescribed opioids, where patients seeking pain relief often become dependent, leading to devastating consequences such as loss of employment, family, and, in some cases, death.
Chute O’Malley Knobloch & Turcy are holding healthcare providers accountable for negligence in opioid prescribing. They focus on cases where doctors or pharmacies fail to follow proper medical practices, contributing to opioid abuse and addiction. Medical malpractice may occur when healthcare providers prescribe opioids irresponsibly, fail to monitor their use, or prescribe them to patients who should not receive them due to past addiction or unnecessary treatment.
Opioid Abuse and Medical Malpractice
Opioids, including medications like OxyContin and Vicodin, are highly addictive and dangerous. Physicians have a legal duty to avoid overprescribing opioids and to monitor patients closely to prevent dependency. Failure to do so can be considered medical malpractice or negligence. In Illinois, patients must file malpractice claims within two years of the injury or when the injury was reasonably discoverable.
Key Elements of a Medical Malpractice Claim:
- Doctor-patient relationship: The doctor provided care to the patient.
- Negligence: The doctor failed to meet the professional standard of care.
- Injury: The doctor’s negligence caused harm to the patient.
- Damages: The injury resulted in financial or non-economic losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Potential Damages: Victims may recover compensatory damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and non-economic damages like pain and suffering, disfigurement, and reduced earning capacity.
Why Choose COKT? The firm has extensive experience handling complex medical malpractice cases, including those related to opioid abuse. They provide aggressive legal representation and work with medical experts to prove a healthcare provider’s breach of care. Their goal is to help clients seek justice for those harmed by negligent opioid prescriptions.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to opioid addiction from a negligent healthcare provider, COKT offers free consultations to discuss your case. With a two-year statute of limitations in Illinois, it’s crucial to act quickly.