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McGuire Law

Columbia Surgical Errors Personal Injury Attorney

Waking from surgery at Prisma Health Richland, Lexington Medical Center, or any Columbia, South Carolina hospital to discover something went catastrophically wrong—wrong-site surgery, retained surgical instruments, anesthesia errors, or preventable complications—transforms what should have been healing into a nightmare of additional surgeries, permanent disabilities, and lifelong complications.

Injured by Surgical Errors? Your Health and Future Are at Stake - Call Now
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Available 24/7 - Immediate Response for Surgical Malpractice Cases

Attorney Matt McGuire

Surgical errors in Columbia operating rooms occur not from inherent medical risks but from preventable negligence including surgeon fatigue, inadequate communication, rushed procedures, or hospital systems prioritizing profits over patient safety protocols. Whether you suffered nerve damage during routine surgery at Providence Hospital, organ perforation during a laparoscopic procedure, infection from unsterilized instruments, or wrong-level spinal fusion requiring corrective operations, these medical mistakes destroy health while hospitals and surgeons deny responsibility, blame complications on "known risks," or claim informed consent absolves liability.

Matt McGuire has represented surgical error victims throughout Columbia for over three decades, holding accountable negligent surgeons, anesthesiologists, surgical teams, and hospitals whose substandard care caused catastrophic and preventable injuries. Call (888) 499-5738 now for 24/7/365 representation.

The Legal Expertise of McGuire Law

Surgical malpractice litigation demands attorneys who can decipher complex medical procedures, identify protocol violations, and partner with top surgical experts to prove negligence caused your injuries.

Medical Record Mastery

Over 30 years analyzing operative reports, anesthesia records, and nursing notes to identify deviations from surgical protocols that caused preventable patient injuries.

Expert Network Access

Relationships with board-certified surgeons, anesthesiologists, and patient safety specialists who provide testimony establishing how your surgeon violated accepted standards of care.

Hospital System Knowledge

Understanding how Prisma Health, Lexington Medical Center, and Columbia hospitals function—including corporate negligence, staffing failures, and credentialing deficiencies.

Complex Litigation Experience

Three decades handling surgical malpractice cases requiring expert witnesses, comprehensive discovery, and aggressive litigation against hospital legal teams.

Maximum Recovery Focus

Pursuing all liable parties—surgeons, hospitals, anesthesiologists, and equipment manufacturers—to maximize compensation for victims of surgical negligence.

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Types of Surgical Errors

Surgical errors range from wrong-site operations to retained instruments—each representing preventable negligence that violates fundamental patient safety standards.

Wrong-Site Surgery

Operating on wrong limb, wrong organ, wrong vertebral level, or wrong side despite mandatory timeout procedures designed to prevent these catastrophic errors.

Retained Surgical Instruments

Sponges, towels, clamps, or other objects left inside patients requiring additional surgery for removal and treating resulting infections and complications.

Anesthesia Errors

Overdose, failure to monitor oxygen levels, inadequate patient history review, or delayed response to complications causing brain damage or death.

Nerve Damage

Improper positioning, surgical instrument contact, or excessive retraction causing permanent numbness, weakness, or paralysis from preventable surgical techniques.

Organ Perforation

Laparoscopic or endoscopic procedures puncturing bowels, bladder, or blood vessels requiring emergency repair and extended hospitalization.

Surgical Site Infections

Inadequate sterilization, contaminated instruments, or failure to follow infection control protocols leading to sepsis, MRSA, or necrotizing fasciitis.

Time-Sensitive Evidence

Medical records, operative reports, and incident reports must be preserved immediately. Hospitals activate risk management teams to protect institutional interests—you need legal representation protecting yours.

McGuire Law's Core Values

When hospitals and surgeons deny responsibility for surgical errors that changed your life, you need attorneys who combine medical knowledge with unwavering advocacy for injured patients.

Patient-Centered Advocacy

Understanding that surgical errors don't just cause physical injuries—they create emotional trauma, financial devastation, and loss of trust in medical systems.

Rigorous Case Investigation

Comprehensive analysis of every surgical record, protocol, and timeline to identify exactly where negligence occurred and who bears responsibility.

Transparent Communication

Explaining complex medical and legal issues in understandable terms so you can make informed decisions about your case and future.

Contingency Fee Commitment

No upfront costs for surgical malpractice victims—we advance all case expenses and only collect fees when we recover compensation for your injuries.

Accountability Mission

Holding negligent surgeons and hospitals accountable not only recovers compensation but improves patient safety for future surgical patients.

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Proving Surgical Malpractice

South Carolina medical malpractice law requires proving surgeon conduct fell below accepted standards of care—a complex burden requiring expert testimony and comprehensive record analysis.

Expert Witness Testimony

Board-certified surgeons in the same specialty establish accepted standards of care and how the defendant's conduct deviated from those standards.

Medical Record Analysis

Comprehensive review of procedure details, complications, post-operative care, and whether proper protocols were followed throughout your treatment.

Surgical Timeout Violations

Mandatory safety checklists verifying correct patient, procedure, and surgical site weren't completed—a fundamental protocol failure.

Informed Consent Deficiencies

Surgeons failed to disclose material risks, alternative treatments, or obtain proper authorization before performing procedures on you.

Hospital Credentialing Failures

Institutions granted surgical privileges to incompetent or impaired surgeons despite red flags in their records or performance.

Staffing Inadequacy

Overworked surgeons, inadequate nursing ratios, or unqualified personnel assisting in procedures contributed to your surgical injury.

The McGuire Law Difference

Surgical malpractice cases pit injured patients against hospitals with unlimited legal resources—Matt McGuire levels that playing field with three decades of medical malpractice expertise.

Three Decades of Medical Malpractice

Matt McGuire has represented surgical error victims throughout Columbia for over 30 years, recovering millions in compensation from negligent surgeons and hospitals.

Top Medical Expert Network

Relationships with surgeons, anesthesiologists, and patient safety specialists across the country who provide compelling testimony establishing negligence.

Resources to Fight Hospitals

Financial resources to advance expert fees, depositions, and litigation costs required to take on hospital legal departments and malpractice insurers.

Local Healthcare Knowledge

Understanding of Prisma Health, Lexington Medical Center, and Columbia hospital systems—their procedures, protocols, and where failures occur.

Aggressive Litigation Approach

Willingness to take surgical malpractice cases to trial when hospitals refuse fair settlements—sending the message that negligence has consequences.

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Immediate Steps After Surgical Errors

Taking proper steps after discovering surgical errors preserves your legal rights while protecting evidence hospitals may try to minimize or destroy.

Medical Steps

  • Seek immediate corrective treatment at Prisma Health, MUSC, or specialized centers
  • Obtain second medical opinions from independent surgeons
  • Document complications through photographs of surgical sites
  • Preserve all discharge instructions and medication lists

Legal Steps

  • Request complete medical records from all providers
  • Report concerns to hospital administration creating official records
  • Do not sign hospital settlement agreements without legal review
  • Call Matt McGuire immediately—before evidence disappears

Critical Warning

When surgical errors occur, hospitals activate risk management teams and legal departments protecting institutional interests while you're still recovering. You need representation protecting your interests immediately.

Damages Available

Surgical malpractice victims deserve full compensation for all harm caused by preventable medical negligence—both current damages and future needs.

Medical Expenses

Corrective surgeries, extended hospitalizations, rehabilitation, medications, and lifetime future treatment costs from surgical complications.

Lost Wages

Extended recovery periods, inability to return to work, or permanent disability preventing previous employment and career advancement.

Pain and Suffering

Physical pain, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, and diminished quality of life from preventable surgical injuries.

Permanent Disability

Lasting impairments including nerve damage, organ dysfunction, or mobility limitations requiring lifelong accommodation and care.

Loss of Consortium

Claims by spouses when surgical injuries affect marital relationships, intimacy, or household contributions.

Punitive Damages

Available in South Carolina when conduct was reckless, willful, or showed conscious disregard for patient safety.

Hospital vs. Surgeon Liability

Surgical malpractice cases often involve multiple liable parties—understanding hospital and surgeon liability maximizes compensation sources.

Vicarious Liability

Hospitals are responsible for employed surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and staff acting within the scope of their employment.

Corporate Negligence

Hospitals are directly liable for credentialing failures, inadequate policies, defective equipment, or dangerous staffing levels.

Captain of the Ship

Lead surgeons may be liable for entire surgical team's negligence during procedures they control in the operating room.

Informed Consent Liability

Surgeons who obtain consent bear primary responsibility, though hospitals share liability for systemic consent failures.

Joint and Several Liability

South Carolina allows recovery from any responsible party regardless of proportional fault when multiple defendants caused harm.

Equipment Manufacturers

Defective surgical instruments, da Vinci robots, or medical devices may create product liability claims in addition to malpractice.

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Statute of Limitations

South Carolina medical malpractice claims have strict deadlines—understanding these requirements protects your right to seek compensation.

Three-Year Filing Deadline

South Carolina provides three years from date of injury or discovery of harm to file medical malpractice claims against surgeons and hospitals.

Discovery Rule

Deadline may be tolled until patients knew or should have known injuries resulted from negligence, not unavoidable complications.

Notice Requirements

South Carolina mandates 90-day pre-suit notice to healthcare providers before filing malpractice lawsuits.

Expert Affidavit Requirements

Qualified medical expert statements supporting malpractice claims must be filed with complaints in South Carolina courts.

Minor Tolling Provisions

Statute of limitations may be paused for patients under 18 until they reach adulthood, extending filing deadlines.

Wrongful Death Deadlines

Separate two-year or three-year deadlines apply when surgical malpractice causes death, depending on discovery circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Surgical error victims and their families face urgent questions about proving malpractice, timelines, and compensation. Here are direct answers based on South Carolina law.

How do I know if my complication was malpractice?

Not all complications are malpractice—but errors like wrong-site surgery, retained instruments, or preventable infections clearly violate standards. Medical expert review determines if negligence caused your injury.

Didn't I sign consent waiving my rights?

Informed consent covers known risks—not negligence. Surgeons cannot obtain consent to perform surgery carelessly. Consent doesn't waive your right to competent surgical care.

How long do I have to file a claim?

South Carolina provides three years from injury or discovery. However, pre-suit notice requirements and expert affidavits take time—contact Matt McGuire immediately to protect deadlines.

Can I sue both the surgeon and hospital?

Yes. Multiple parties are often liable—surgeons, hospitals, anesthesiologists, and even equipment manufacturers. Pursuing all liable parties maximizes compensation sources.

How long do surgical malpractice cases take?

Typically 18-36 months due to complex expert requirements, discovery, and litigation procedures. Some cases settle faster; others require trial.

What if the hospital says complications were "known risks"?

Hospitals routinely blame complications on inherent risks. Expert analysis distinguishes unavoidable complications from preventable negligence—don't accept this excuse without investigation.

Can I afford to sue a hospital?

McGuire Law handles surgical malpractice on contingency—no upfront costs. We advance all expert fees and litigation expenses, collecting only when we recover compensation.

Should I get my medical records first?

Request records immediately, but don't wait to contact an attorney. Matt McGuire can help preserve records and prevent alterations while beginning case investigation.

Matt McGuire - Attorney

About South Carolina Attorney Matt McGuire

Matt McGuire South Carolina Attorney

With over 30 years of experience defending South Carolina, McGuire Law provides elite legal representation with national recognition. McGuire Law has grown from a small practice into one of the most trusted law firms in South Carolina. We understand that legal issues can be overwhelming, whether you're facing criminal charges, dealing with injuries from an accident, or navigating family law matters.

McGuire Law is committed to each client's unique situation, and we don't believe in boilerplate solutions. Every case requires careful analysis, strategic planning, and aggressive representation. Our firm combines over 30 years of experience with cutting-edge legal strategies to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.

McGuire Law serves all 46 South Carolina counties. We know these counties, their courts, their legal communities, and most importantly, the people who live here. This local knowledge, combined with our legal expertise, gives our clients a significant advantage.

Matt McGuire received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and his J.D. from the University of South Carolina.

Matt has served as a law clerk for a State Circuit Judge, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of South Carolina, and an Assistant Solicitor in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Matt is a proud husband, father of two, and a long-time resident of Richland County, South Carolina.

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Get Started Today

When surgical errors occur in Columbia, hospitals activate risk management teams and legal departments protecting institutional interests while you're still recovering from additional corrective surgeries.

South Carolina medical malpractice law requires proving surgeon conduct fell below accepted standards of care—a complex burden requiring expert testimony, comprehensive medical record analysis, and understanding of surgical protocols violated during your procedure. Matt McGuire holds negligent surgeons accountable. Call McGuire Law now.

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Columbia Office

2001 Assembly Street, Suite 102-B
Columbia, SC 29201

(888) 499-5738

Contact McGuire Law Today

Matt McGuire has represented surgical error victims throughout Columbia and South Carolina for over 30 years, recovering millions in compensation from negligent surgeons and hospitals. Call (888) 499-5738 immediately upon discovering errors, not months later after critical evidence disappears and legal deadlines approach.

"The more I practice, the luckier I get." — Gary Player