Why an Autopsy is Crucial in a Wrongful Death Case

Transcript

[00:00:03.03] - Patrick A. Salvi II
The decision whether or not to get an autopsy is certainly one that occurs at a low point in one's life because it means that someone close to you has died. If that's the case, we have the deepest condolences to you and your family that you're searching for answers relative to what to do about getting an autopsy. But relative to a potential medical malpractice case, the reason why an autopsy is so important is because inevitably in a medical malpractice case, there will come a point in time during the litigation where there is a dispute over the cause of death. Now, one might wonder, how could there be a dispute? Please believe me, there will be.

[00:00:46.02] - Patrick A. Salvi II
The hospital will take the position that the cause of death is something other than the negligence. They will look for evidence as to any other cause of death that would exonerate them. So what an autopsy does, where a pathologist goes into the decedent's body in various cavities and looks carefully at various organs, as well as under a microscope with slides where they can look very, very closely at the cells within an organ system and determine with great accuracy what caused the person's death. And in certain cases, it is essential to have that through autopsy findings in order to prove the case. Now, of course, some folks wonder about how an autopsy will impact, for example, the ability to have an open casket.

[00:01:32.14] - Patrick A. Salvi II
And having an open casket still remains a possibility even if an autopsy is performed. Certain restrictions can be placed on an autopsy that the folks that survived the decedent feel comfortable with so that they know that the autopsy is being performed in a respectful way to the family's wishes. So in essence, I would encourage an autopsy if there's any concern that medical malpractice occurred so that you can get to the bottom of what caused your loved one's death. That is ultimately going to make a malpractice case much more easy to prove so that you can hold the wrongdoers accountable for what occurred. If this is something that you're going through in your life, if you have any other questions about this process or would like for us to investigate your malpractice claim, please call us.

[00:02:20.20] - Patrick A. Salvi II
It's what we do. We have tremendous experience in this area of the law. Thank you.