When a surgical procedure goes wrong in Scranton, the consequences can be devastating for patients and families. Despite advances in medical technology and safety protocols, preventable surgical errors continue in operating rooms throughout Lackawanna County. If you or someone you love has suffered harm due to a surgical mistake, you don’t have to face the aftermath alone. The experienced Scranton medical malpractice attorneys at Munley Law understand the physical, emotional, and financial challenges you’re experiencing.
Our dedicated legal team has successfully represented surgical error victims throughout the Scranton area, securing the compensation they need for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We work with medical experts to thoroughly investigate your case and hold negligent parties accountable.
Contact us today for a free consultation about your surgical error case. Let us use our experience to help you during this difficult time.
The Common Types of Surgical Errors in Scranton
Surgical errors encompass a range of preventable mistakes that can occur before, during, or after a procedure. While most surgeries are performed without incident, understanding the most common types of surgical errors can help patients recognize when they may have been victims of medical negligence. These errors often result from communication breakdowns, inadequate preparation, fatigue, or failure to follow established protocols.
Wrong Site Surgery
This occurs when the surgeon performs the procedure on the wrong body part. Despite standard protocols like marking
the correct site, mistakes still happen. For example, a doctor may operate on the left knee instead of the right or even remove the wrong organ. Wrong-site surgeries can lead to unnecessary pain and can even require additional surgeries to correct the mistake.
Permanent Nerve Damage/Paralysis
During surgery, a small wrong move with a scalpel or improper technique can cause permanent nerve damage, leading to partial or full paralysis. This is especially common in spinal surgeries or procedures involving areas with many nerves. The damage may result in chronic pain, loss of sensation, or an inability to move certain body parts.
Instruments Left Behind
Leaving surgical instruments, gauze, or sponges happens with alarming frequency. These retained objects can cause severe complications, including infections, internal injuries, or even death if not discovered promptly. Correcting this error typically requires another surgery to remove the foreign object.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors can involve dispensing too much or too little anesthesia, and both mistakes have serious consequences.
Giving too much anesthesia can lead to brain damage or death. At the same time, too little can cause anesthesia awareness, where the patient is conscious during surgery but unable to move or communicate.
Anesthesia errors can also include a failure to monitor the patient’s vital signs by the anesthesiologist or other healthcare professionals or intubating the patient improperly, which can result in respiratory failure.
A Scranton Surgical Error Lawyer to Fight for Your Rights
While medical malpractice can take many forms, surgical errors can be among the most serious. In the United States, more than 4,000 preventable surgical mistakes happen each year, causing harm to those patients and their loved ones. Around 60% of these errors result in temporary injuries, while 33% cause permanent damage. Tragically, nearly 7% of these cases lead to the death of the patient.
If you’ve experienced a surgical error in Scranton, your medical malpractice attorney from Munley Law is ready to fight for you. A personal injury attorney who specializes in malpractice law is essential to helping you by:
Proving Liability
One of the toughest parts of a medical malpractice case is demonstrating that the healthcare provider’s medical negligence directly caused your injury. Your lawyer will provide the best legal representation by:
- Gathering Medical Records: We will review your medical history and consult with experts to assess whether the standard of care was breached during your surgery.
- Working with Medical Experts: Munley Law works with a team of experienced medical professionals who can testify about the surgical error and why it deviated from accepted medical care practices.
- Proving Causation: Your attorney will demonstrate clear evidence showing that harm to the patient’s body could have been avoided if your medical team had followed the proper standard of care.
Don’t rely on friends or the internet for legal advice. If you are considering a medical malpractice lawsuit, finding the right attorney-client relationship with a legal expert is essential. Talk to a personal injury attorney at Munley Law’s Scranton Law offices today.
Maximizing Compensation
Once liability is established, our focus shifts to securing the maximum compensation for your injuries by:
- Calculating All Damages: We account for all your damages, including medical costs, pain and suffering, lost income, and future expenses related to your injury.
- Negotiating Settlements: Many malpractice cases are settled by negotiation. We know how to fight for your maximum compensation.
- Trial Representation: If a fair settlement can’t be reached, we go to court and fight for your rights.
Contact the Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Munley Law
If a surgical error in Scranton has injured you, you want the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Munley Law 
on your side. We are experts in all types of medical malpractice. Your surgeon and medical center’s insurance company will have their lawyers working hard to protect their interests. Make sure you are protected, and your rights are preserved.
If you or a loved one is the victim of medical malpractice, call your Scranton medical malpractice lawyer at Munley Law today for your free consultation.
Don’t let the statute of limitations run down on your medical malpractice claim; call us today about your medical mistake injury case.
Reviewed by Bernadine Munley, Esq., Personal Injury Attorney at Munley Law, on August 8, 2025.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
227 Penn Ave.
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 865-4699
Get Directions
