Dangers of Missed Diagnosis of Broken Bone

Like most professional sports teams, the New Orleans Saints maintain a stable of team doctors to help them diagnose and treat injuries their players suffer on the field. Concussions have dominated the NFL news cycle for years, but football players are likely to suffer a variety of other injuries, including torn ligaments and broken bones. But even with a team of doctors dedicated to only one thing, the doctors missed Delvin Breaux’s broken leg.

Mr. Breaux continued to walk around on his leg for weeks before doctors realized their mistake. In the case of a broken bone, a quick diagnosis and proper treatment are important. Failure to promptly diagnose and treat a broken bone can have a variety of repercussions, including:

• The bone healing in an irregular position without being “set,” interfering with a person’s ability to use the body part, and often requiring the bone to be re-broken so it can heal properly
• Grinding away of bone causing more significant damage to the limb
• Leaking of fatty tissue into the bloodstream, which can result in a pulmonary or brain embolism

Proper diagnostics and treatment of broken bones are extremely important, but sadly missed diagnosis is all too common. The Saints have fired the orthopedists who missed Mr. Breaux’s diagnosis, but firing the team doctors doesn’t change the fact that Mr. Breaux’s health was at unnecessary risk for weeks before the broken bone was discovered.

If you have suffered a broken bone or other illness, and a doctor failed to make a prompt diagnosis, it is important you hold them accountable for their actions. Recovering from a missed diagnosis can be difficult, both mentally and physically. Please, speak with an experienced attorney to explore how you can proceed to build your case and obtain the compensation to which you are entitled.