Wagar Hickman

09/02/2026

When a patient dies as a result of medical negligence, Louisiana law provides a path for certain family members to pursue a wrongful death claim. Understanding who has the right to file and what that process involves is an important first step for families seeking accountability.

Under Louisiana law, the following individuals may have the right to bring a wrongful death claim:

-A surviving spouse
-Surviving children of the deceased
-Surviving parents, if there are no surviving spouse or children
-Surviving siblings, if there are no surviving spouse, children, or parents

There are also survival action claims, which allow the estate to pursue damages the deceased would have been entitled to had they survived.

These cases are among the most emotionally difficult and legally complex in medical malpractice law. Louisiana's Medical Review Panel process applies, strict filing deadlines exist, and establishing causation requires detailed medical and legal analysis.

Families in this situation deserve experienced counsel who understands both the law and the weight of what they are going through.

If you lost a loved one and believe medical negligence played a role, contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.

Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

08/31/2026

Discharge from a hospital or medical facility can feel like a signal that everything is fine. That the care was complete. That the providers were satisfied with the outcome. That assumption can be a dangerous one.

Some of the most serious failures in medical care happen at the point of discharge. Patients are sent home without proper follow up instructions, without critical test results being reviewed, or without a condition being fully stabilized. In some cases, the decision to discharge a patient at all is the error.

Being released from care is an administrative decision. It is not a medical clearance and it is not proof that the standard of care was met.

If you were discharged and your condition worsened shortly after, or if you were never given a clear explanation of what happened during your care, those are questions worth asking.

Contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.

Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

08/28/2026

The Joint Commission estimates that wrong site, wrong procedure, and wrong patient surgeries occur thousands of times each year in the United States. These are classified as "never events," meaning they are errors so serious and so preventable that they should never happen at all.

Protocols exist specifically to prevent these errors. Surgical checklists. Pre-procedure verification. Site marking requirements. When those protocols are bypassed or ignored, the consequences for patients can be permanent and life altering.

A never event is not an unfortunate complication. It is a failure of the most basic standard of care.

If you or someone you love was the victim of a wrong site or wrong procedure surgery, contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.

Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

08/26/2026

Surgery carries inherent risks. Patients are informed of those risks before they consent to a procedure. But there is an important distinction between a known risk that materializes and an error that should never have happened.

Surgical errors that may rise to the level of malpractice include:

-Operating on the wrong site, wrong side, or wrong patient
-Leaving surgical instruments or materials inside a patient
-Damaging surrounding organs, nerves, or tissue through improper technique
-Administering incorrect anesthesia dosages
-Failing to monitor a patient adequately during or after a procedure
-Performing a procedure the surgeon was not qualified to perform

The presence of a complication does not automatically mean malpractice occurred. What matters is whether the surgeon and care team met the accepted standard of care and whether a failure to do so caused the patient harm.

If you or a loved one experienced a serious complication following surgery and you have never received a clear explanation of what happened, that question deserves an answer.

Contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.

Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

08/12/2026

So proud to sponsor a tournament that is so near and dear to our hearts! Chip was one of the fathers of the tournament and Sarah grew up playing in it! It's now one of the biggest fall tournaments in the state! And legendary for its costumes and fun late night games!

So honored to be a part of MSC and this great event!

🎃⚽ 𝗠𝗜𝗗𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗔𝗟𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗬 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝟱𝟬% 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟❗

The countdown to Mandeville Soccer Club’s Midnight Madness Halloween Tournament is on — and teams are claiming their spots FAST. 👻🔥
⏳ Secure your spot before it’s too late!
REGISTER HERE:
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A huge thank you to our tournament sponsor, Wagar Hickman Attorneys at Law, for supporting Midnight Madness and Mandeville Soccer Club!

07/31/2026

If you have been carrying questions about a medical outcome, wondering whether something went wrong, whether someone should have caught it sooner, whether your family deserved better, you are not alone.

Most people who contact a medical malpractice attorney are not certain something went wrong. They are simply uncertain enough that they cannot move forward without knowing.

That is exactly what a consultation is for.

At Wagar Hickman, we review potential cases with both legal and medical insight. You do not need to come to us with proof. You need to come to us with questions.

The conversation is confidential. The first step is simply making the call.

Contact Wagar Hickman today.
Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

07/29/2026

This assumption stops more people from seeking answers than almost any other. The belief that a serious medical error would be obvious, that someone would have told you, that the signs would be clear.

The reality is that many of the most serious forms of medical negligence are invisible to the patient.

A missed finding on an imaging report. A failure to follow up on an abnormal lab result. A medication error that compounded an existing condition. A delayed referral to a specialist. None of these look like mistakes from the outside. They often look like an unfortunate progression of an illness or injury.

Patients and families are rarely in a position to identify these failures on their own. That is precisely why medical and legal review of the records matters.

If something about your outcome has never felt fully explained, that instinct is worth exploring.
Contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.
Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

07/27/2026

In the immediate aftermath of a serious or unexpected medical outcome, most families are focused on care, grief, or simply trying to understand what happened. Legal considerations are rarely the first thought. But the steps taken in those early days can have a significant impact on whether a potential claim can be effectively pursued.

Here is what matters early:

-Request a complete copy of all medical records as soon as possible
-Write down everything you remember about the care that was provided, including conversations with providers
-Preserve any discharge paperwork, prescriptions, and written instructions given to you
-Avoid signing any documents presented by the hospital or provider without legal review
-Contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney before too much time passes

Louisiana has strict deadlines for filing malpractice claims. Waiting too long can permanently affect your ability to pursue a case regardless of its merit.

You do not need to have all the answers before reaching out. That is what the consultation process is for.

Contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.
Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

07/24/2026

It is a natural assumption. If you are being treated at a large, well-known, highly rated medical center, the risk of serious error must be lower. The data tells a different story.

Some of the most significant medical malpractice cases in the country have originated at prestigious academic medical centers and highly rated regional hospitals. Size and reputation do not eliminate the human factors that lead to serious errors. Miscommunication between care teams, overworked staff, documentation failures, and lapses in protocol happen across all levels of healthcare institutions.

The quality of a hospital's marketing is not a measure of the standard of care delivered to every patient.

If you experienced a serious, unexpected outcome at any healthcare facility, the reputation of that institution is not a reason to stop asking questions. Contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation. Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740

07/22/2026

Why Birth Injury Cases Require a Different Level of Legal and Medical Experience.

The birth of a child should be one of the most carefully managed medical events a family experiences. When something goes wrong during labor or delivery, the consequences can be permanent and life altering. These cases are also among the most technically complex in all of medical malpractice law.

Here is what makes them particularly difficult to pursue:

-Multiple providers are often involved, including obstetricians, nurses, anesthesiologists, and hospital staff
-Establishing which provider breached the standard of care requires detailed medical analysis
-The window of time in which errors occur is often very narrow, making documentation critical
-Causation is heavily contested, as some birth injuries occur regardless of the care provided
-Louisiana's Medical Review Panel process applies and must be navigated before litigation can begin

Families dealing with a birth injury are often simultaneously managing the long-term medical needs of their child while trying to understand what happened. That is an enormous burden.

These cases require attorneys who understand both the medicine and the law at a detailed level.

If your family is dealing with a serious birth injury and you have questions about what happened, contact Wagar Hickman for a confidential consultation.

Wagar Hickman | 985-888-8740