Should I Get An Autopsy

Should I get an autopsy?

When a loved one dies in the hospital, the family members left behind suffer profound grief and sorrow.  Needless to say, it’s always tough to say goodbye to the people we love. Unfortunately, when one of our loved ones dies in the hospital, a host of practical decisions must be made immediately.  One of those decisions is whether to get an autopsy. We have seen that many people who are struggling with the loss of a loved one decide against an autopsy because they feel their loved one has already been through enough.  This is often a big mistake. Many times an autopsy is a very good idea. A sensible rule of thumb is this:  If you have any degree of suspicion — any degree at all — that your loved one who died in the hospital should not have died when or how they did, GET AN AUTOPSY!  We have had cases involving a failure to diagnose and treat a heart attack where the defense is that the person would have died of breast cancer anyways. An autopsy is the only way to know for sure what caused your loved one’s death and whether the death was the result of medical malpractice or medical negligence by a doctor or hospital employees.

If you have a situation where a loved one died in the hospital and you have questions,  please call us directly at 412-471-4300 or click here.