Infection and Sepsis Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Pennsylvania

A serious infection should be treatable. When it isn’t recognized, taken seriously, or treated in time, the consequences can be life-changing.

What begins as a manageable condition can quickly become sepsis, organ failure, amputation, or death. These cases often involve missed warning signs, delayed testing, or a failure to act when a patient’s condition is clearly worsening.

Ross Feller Casey has recovered nearly $3.5 billion in verdicts and settlements and is widely recognized for handling complex, high-stakes medical malpractice cases, including those involving sepsis, delayed diagnosis, and catastrophic infections. The firm represents individuals and families across Pennsylvania and New Jersey in cases where preventable infections caused severe, often permanent harm.

When an Infection Becomes Medical Malpractice

Not every infection is preventable. But there are clear situations where the medical standard of care is not met.

Unfortunately, we routinely see cases where healthcare providers fail to:

• Recognize symptoms that require urgent evaluation
• Order appropriate tests or follow up on abnormal results
• Start antibiotics or escalate care when needed
• Monitor a patient whose condition is deteriorating
• Follow established infection or sepsis protocols

Infections can progress quickly. When providers fall behind the timeline, patients suffer.

The Most Serious Consequences

When infections are not properly managed, the damage can be permanent:

• Sepsis and septic shock
• Organ failure
• Brain injury
• Amputation
• Permanent disability
• Wrongful death

Sepsis, in particular, is one of the leading causes of preventable harm in healthcare. Early recognition and treatment can make the difference between recovery and a life-altering outcome.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to an infection becomes uncontrolled, triggering widespread inflammation that can lead to organ failure and, if not treated quickly, death.

How These Cases Typically Occur

Most infection-related malpractice cases fall into three overlapping patterns:

Failure to Diagnose

Symptoms are present but not recognized or taken seriously.

Delayed Diagnosis

The infection is eventually identified, but only after critical time has been lost.

Failure to Treat

Treatment is not started promptly, is inadequate, or is not escalated as the patient worsens.

These breakdowns occur across healthcare settings, including emergency rooms, hospitals, urgent care centers, home health care, and primary care offices.

Types of Infection Cases We Handle

Ross Feller Casey represents clients in a wide range of infection-related malpractice matters, including:

• Sepsis and septic shock
• Meningitis and brain infections
• Pneumonia and respiratory infections
• Bloodstream and catheter-related infections
• Surgical and post-procedure infections
• Pregnancy and neonatal infections
• Missed or untreated infections in emergency or urgent care settings

Serious infections can arise in many forms, but the common thread in these cases is a failure to recognize or respond appropriately when it matters most.

Proven Results in Infection and Sepsis Cases

While no two cases are the same, the firm has secured significant results in complex infection-related malpractice claims.

Most recently, founding partner Joel J. Feller made a major $35 million recovery involving a young woman whose uterine infection was mismanaged, leading to multiple amputations. The case required extensive medical testimony and established that earlier intervention would have prevented the outcome.

Additional results include:

• $23.1 million verdict involving infection leading to double leg amputation
• $20.8 million verdict for a patient who lost a foot due to an untreated infection
• $19.25 million recovery for failure to diagnose meningitis resulting in brain injury
• $17.8 million recovery in a sepsis case involving amputation
• $16 million recovery in an infection-related case involving an infant
• $14 million recovery involving amputation caused by delayed diagnosis
• $12 million recovery for paralysis tied to untreated infection
• $9 million recovery for a child left with permanent mobility limitations
• $8 million recovery involving the delayed diagnosis of infection

Why These Cases Require a Different Approach

Infection cases move quickly, and proving them requires a detailed understanding of how care should have unfolded.

Ross Feller Casey has an in-house team of Ivy League-trained physicians who review medical records, identify failures in diagnosis and treatment, and help build the medical foundation of each case. This allows the firm to take on highly complex matters and present them clearly.