What Is the MRSA Compensation Process?

Staph bacteria live on the skin or in the nose. Around one out of every three Americans carry staph bacteria, and they do not even know it. As staph bacteria grow in number, colonization happens that can eventually cause an infection.

Staph bacteria live in the following parts of the body:

• Nose
• Groin
• Armpits
• Buttocks

After years of intensive studies, researchers in the healthcare industry have come up with two broad categories of staph infections.

Community Associated (CA)

This type of infection develops outside of a healthcare environment. The two most common places where we see CA outbreaks are at homes and schools.

Hospital Associated (HA)

HA infection outbreaks for staph occur strictly in healthcare environments like nursing homes and medical clinics. One or more patients bring in the bacteria unknowingly, and the bacteria quickly spread to more vulnerable people.

The type of staph infection outbreak is one of the factors that determine how the MRSA compensation process unfolds.

You might have read or watched a news story that addresses a staph outbreak. The outbreak took place in a setting where dozens of people had congregated, such as a community swimming pool. Although MRSA infections can develop in people of all ages and both genders, certain segments of the population are more vulnerable to contracting the potentially deadly infection.

• Intravenous drug users
• Athletes
• Prison inmates
• Healthcare professionals
• Members of the armed forces
• Students
• Employees at schools and childcare centers

Many carriers of staph never become ill. The bacteria colonize on the skin and in the nose, without triggering the symptoms of an infection. However, if a wound develops near the colonized MRSA, the rapid development of an infection occurs that can lead to the bacteria targeting deeper areas in the body.

You can have staph colonize on you by direct contact with an infected person or animal. Staph bacteria thrive on surfaces for hours, possibly weeks at a time. Simple contact with the infected area can cause the development of an infection.

Here are some of the contaminated items that can transfer MRSA bacteria:

• Clothes
• Towels
• Bedsheets
• Utensils
• Sports equipment
• Medical devices

One of the keys to getting MRSA compensation is to demonstrate that you have developed symptoms of the bacterial infection. You also have to submit medical evidence in the form of the results of diagnostic tests.

Initially, a staph infection can produce a skin rash that looks similar to a mild spider bite. Red, slightly swollen bumps might feel warm and tender to the touch. When the infection turns serious, mucous oozes from the rash. It is at this stage that staph requires medical intervention.

Failing to act on the mild symptoms of an MRSA infection can generate infections that run much deeper in the body. Severe staph infections enter the bloodstream to produce what is referred to as a bloodstream infection. The symptoms of a bloodstream infection include intense chills and a high fever.

Getting the symptoms of a staph infection diagnosed involves your healthcare provider taking a small sample of skin or the discharge from an open wound. You might have to undergo a blood test as well.

Healthcare providers have two ways to treat a staph infection.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics treat minor symptoms of a Staph infection. Your healthcare provider might also use an antibiotic to complement more aggressive treatment for later stages of an infection’s development. The antibiotics enter your bloodstream intravenously to reach the infected area quickly.

Source Control

Going straight to the source involves decreasing the number of staph bacteria at the location of the infection. For a skin infection, your physician might drain the areas around skin rashes. A deeper MRSA infection might require complicated surgery.

One of the most important reasons why staph infections warrant MRSA compensation is the incredibly high cost of healthcare. Simple diagnostic tests can run into hundreds of dollars. More serious cases of the bacterial outbreak lead to prolonged hospitalization and/or outpatient care that costs thousands of dollars. A staph infection can also cause you to miss a significant amount of time at work. No income to cover mounting medical bills is the recipe for financial disaster.

If you suffer from an MRSA infection, the first thing one of our personal injury attorneys will do involves determining the source of the infection. Knowing where you picked up staph bacteria can help us decide whether a party is legally liable to pay you MRSA compensation.

Let’s say one of our clients got infected with staph at a local medical center. Our team of personal injury lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation that should reveal whether the medical center should be held legally liable for allowing the staph infection to spread. Another common source of MRSA infections happens in the workplace, which means workers’ compensation might cover the costs of diagnosing and treating the bacterial infection.

If your staph infection developed outside of the workplace, we might find enough evidence to file a civil lawsuit for negligence. The MRSA compensation process starts with the filing of a lawsuit. Then, we meet with the legal representation of the plaintiff to negotiate a settlement. If we cannot agree to the terms of a settlement, we represent you during a civil trial. 

Most of the civil lawsuits that we have filed for MRSA infections center around medical malpractice law.

A Delay in Proper Treatment

A medical facility might not have caused a staph infection to develop in a patient, but the facility might be liable for not diagnosing and/or treating the infection promptly. The medical malpractice lawyers at Morgan & Morgan will conduct an exhaustive investigation that includes scouring over medical records to determine whether you received diagnostic tests and treatment in a timely manner.

Surgical Error

When a patient requires surgery to fight back against a staph infection, the following mistakes can lead to the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit.

• Debris made contact with an open wound
• Hemoglobin made contact with an open wound
• Weak blood supply to the affected area
• Dead space collected bacteria

A surgical error can also include failing to sterilize the affected area properly.

The legal term for MRSA compensation is called monetary damages, which fall under two broad categories. You might qualify for special and general monetary damages.

Special Monetary Damages

Special monetary damages are MRSA compensation for the expenses associated with a staph infection.

• Medical bills
• Cost of future medical care
• Daily living expenses
• Lost income
• Loss of future income

General Monetary Damages

General monetary damages do not establish a direct link between expenses and a staph infection.

• Mental anguish
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship

Punitive Damages

A plaintiff infected with an MRSA infection can win punitive damages if the plaintiff’s legal counsel proves willful negligence on the part of the defendant. These types of damages are not as common for medical malpractice cases because willful negligence is difficult to prove. However, if a medical institution has a history of mistreating patients, one of the highly-rated medical malpractice attorneys at Morgan & Morgan will look into willful negligence.

Receiving a favorable decision and receiving MRSA compensation are two different events. When you hire the team of medical malpractice attorneys at Morgan & Morgan, you can expect us to be aggressive when it comes to ensuring you receive full MRSA compensation. We will not accept bankruptcy or any other reason for the failure of the defendant to pay what you deserve.

Our lawyers have established a record of recovering just MRSA compensation for our clients. We conduct an extensive investigation that uncovers evidence of negligence, sometimes willful negligence. If you suffer from the negative physical consequences of a staph infection, you deserve the best legal representation to get you fair MRSA compensation.

Schedule a free case evaluation with Morgan & Morgan.