medical malpractice

i live in arkansas and my 18 year old daughter was in a car crash that killed two of her friends..there were 6 in the car. the accident happened in missouri, about 25 miles north of where we live.4 out of the 6 were airlifted to a level one trauma center 60 miles south of us. my daughter was taken by ambulance to a hospital in missouri near the crash site. by the time we were notified, and not by the hospital, and arrived at the hospital(5 hours after the crash), they had done a cat scan and xrays and said only bruises were her concern, and to give her ibuprofen if needed. to make a rather long story short, we took her to our emergency room the day after she was released from missouri. by that night, they had found a torn liver(rating it a 4 out of 5 for severity)which was bleeding into her stomach, a damaged spleen(a 2 out of 5), a broken collarbone and broken ribs up high, a blood clot on her lower lung, and broken bones in her back. she was transferred to the trauma center where her friends were, and was in trauma intensive care for a week. she has to remain on a blood thinner for 3 months and is not able to hold a job at this point.
i feel that these doctors and that hospital were negligent in the care of my daughter, and if we had not taken her on our own, she may not be with us today...she could have bled to death!!
shouldn't someone have to pay damages to her?
thank you for your time.

[pele]

It sounds like you have a case to me, they missed a whole slew of things, not just one thing. You are very lucky, she could have died of the liver injury alone. I certainly would see an attorney. Best wishes to you and your daughter.

Dear Mom:

Thank the Lord, you took your daughter to another hospital!

Although your situation is rare, it does not automatically create a cause for damages. In other words, although the physicians and hospital were negligent, your daughter didn't die, or suffer any injuries as a result of their negligence. Had she died, or lost a limb, or bled internally, then you would have a cause for damages.

This does not mean that the first hospital should be let off the hook. If you know the names of the physician(s) who treated your daughter initially, file a complaint against them with the State Board of Medical Examiners. Also, contact the hospital licensing authority in your state and file a complaint against the hospital. You could be the one who SAVES another family from a terrible loss!

Best of luck and God bless you!

PamSJS