New York City Surgical Error Attorneys Seeking Justice For Botched Surgeries

Last updated on July 17, 2026

Our attorneys at Rich & Rich, P.C., have over 75 combined years of experience litigating surgical malpractice cases. They conduct in-depth investigations into the cause of surgical injuries, consulting with qualified experts in surgical technique and hospital protocols.

They are known for their aggressive style in the pursuit of justice and the high level of personal attention they give every client. If you sustained an injury during an operation or postoperative care, our team can deliver the skilled, straightforward representation you need to recover damages for your injuries.

Rich & Rich, P.C. has been serving victims of surgical and medical malpractice for more than 35 years. Our team is prepared to fight for your rights and your recovery in one of numerous types of surgical error cases, including the following:

• Adjacent-to-site injury: A slip of a scalpel can lacerate or puncture tissue adjacent to the site of the surgery. This can result in nerve, muscle or internal organ damage.
• Anesthesia errors: An anesthesiologist may deliver too little anesthesia, enabling the patient to awaken during surgery, or too much anesthesia, depriving the patient of oxygen, which can induce hypoxia and cause brain damage.
• Objects left in body cavity: Hospitals refer to surgical mistakes that are 100% preventable as “never events” because they should never happen. Leaving a foreign object in a patient is an all-too-common never event, causing pain and additional damage to the surgical site and requiring another procedure to remove the object.
• Plastic surgery errors: Our attorneys have obtained compensation for harm from a variety of these types of procedures, including breast augmentation and liposuction.
• Postoperative infections: Cross-contamination due to unsanitary conditions can cause serious, life-threatening infections.
• Wrong-site surgery: This refers to a procedure on the wrong body part, most commonly because a hasty surgeon operated on the wrong side of the body.
• Wrong-patient surgery: This occurs when patients are brought into surgery at the wrong time or files are switched, and surgical teams neglect protocols designed to make sure they properly identify the patient in the operating theater.

Harm can also come when a healthcare provider neglects to perform surgery. We’ve successfully recovered financial compensation in cases where an obstetrician’s delay in performing a C-section resulted in birth injuries.

‘Never Events’ That Show Surgical Malpractice

As mentioned above, “never events” are particularly serious surgical errors because they should not happen when hospitals and staff follow proper safety steps. These may include surgery on the wrong body part, the wrong procedure, a sponge or tool left inside the body, or a failure to confirm the correct patient before surgery.

A New York City surgical error case may involve more than the surgeon. Nurses, anesthesiologists, surgical techs, residents, hospitals and outside facilities may also be part of the case. Each person may have a role in preparing the operating room, checking the patient, counting tools and watching the patient after surgery. When one step fails, the result can be infection, internal injury, nerve damage, organ damage, more surgery or permanent disability.

Retained tools and wrong-site surgery can be warning signs of preventable medical negligence. Still, these cases need careful review. Questions include not only whether something went wrong, but also how it happened, who was responsible and whether the mistake caused more harm. These issues may arise in a New York medical malpractice claim involving Manhattan hospitals, Long Island surgical errors or care in another part of the state.

Steps That Protect A Surgical Malpractice Claim

After a suspected surgical mistake, focus on your health first. Get follow-up care. Report new symptoms. Do not ignore pain, fever, swelling, numbness or signs of infection. You should also save as much information as possible about what happened before, during and after surgery.

Important records to keep may include the surgical report, anesthesia record, nursing notes, consent forms, imaging results, discharge papers and postoperative instructions. In a retained-object case, sponge and tool counts may also matter. In a wrong-site case, body markings, consent forms and operating room checklists may help show where the safety process failed.

You should not rely only on what the hospital tells you verbally. Ask for copies of your records. Keep notes about talks with doctors, nurses and hospital staff. If the injury occurred after a Brooklyn surgical error or another hospital procedure in New York, a lawyer can help identify records that may be missing or incomplete.

At Rich & Rich, P.C., our attorneys can review the medical facts, investigate what went wrong and help you decide whether a New York botched surgery claim may support financial compensation in your situation.

Don’t Wait. Reach Out To Rich & Rich, P.C., Today.

Call 212-407-5570 or contact us today for a free consultation about your New York surgical error case. We have two offices located in Manhattan and on Long Island.