Malpractice- When your loved one is a money machine!

Yes, when you look into suing after the death of a baby, all you want is money to make yourself feel better. It'll make you soooo happy, too. Amiright??

WRONG!!! Why should bereaved parents or bereaved people in general be reimbursed when a loved one has died a preventable death at the hand of a negligent individual??

A. To help cover medical costs of the loved one. We all know medical costs are insane. It sucks, but it's life. These can either be costs already incurred or costs that will be incurred due to an error that resulted in injury. This can mean constant doctor appointments, hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, and therapies. What if a 24 hour nurse is needed??

B. Lost wages. Parents have to take off work, that's if they even have the option. Not all employers offer 3 days of bereavement pay. My husband was given it, but he was still asked to come into work the next day. Loved ones normally don't get paid if they have to spend days out of work. Now, if this is a spouse whose wages went into the family budget, that's totally gone leaving the surviving spouse struggling alone. Add in dependent children and their life will be drastically altered. Can that single mom making $10 an hour survive with three kids under 5?? What about it being a single mom that has died and now her parents are having to care for her two children while retired and on Social security?? What if there is an injured child and a parent has to stop working so they can care for this child? Or if a spouse or parent becomes disabled and people have to quit working to become caregivers??

C. Funeral costs. For an infant, costs can be quite low if parents find a funeral home offering free services and a cemetary offing a free burial, but that still costs something. Over 18 months, they get even more expensive. It took my mom years to pay off my sisters services and she was cremated. Burial plots can be up there. Ours was the cheapest around and was still $600. I've seen places here charging up to $2500 for one plot. This reminds me, we still have to hurry up and pay for our plot so nobody else can be beside our daughter.

D. Injuries/Disability- I touched on future medical costs and lost wages. What about having to move to a house that the disabled person can get around in easier?? What if you have to have medical equipment in the home?? What if a home has to be modified for the individual?? What about the costs of a wheelchair/scooter?? What about vehicle modifications or if modifications cannot be done and a special vehicle has to be purchased. Once a child gets big enough, you have to also have a special car seat in your vehicle. Some families can get assistance or help securing these, but what about those who can't??

So, suing for malpractice does not mean you are out for money. It means you are trying to keep your head above water and help reimburse you for expenses that should not of/should not be occurring. How anyone can accuse people of using their loved one as a money maker when suing for malpractice is beyond me. I guess until you are in those shoes, you cannot fathom suing and for that, be glad you don't understand. I use to think suing wouldn't bring someone back so why do it. Then I learned how expensive it can be when someone is suddenly dead because of malpractice. Money doesn't magically make pain go away. For those who think like the image above, I have to wonder if they think it's ok to sue for doctor injuries/negligence or if it's midwifery injuries/negligence that nobody should be able to sue for as that comment was directed to people who were saying CPM's should be carrying malpractice insurance and I was the only one with a dead baby.