Fentanyl Pain Patches And North Carolina Wrongful Death Cases

In North Carolina, Randy Mace is fighting for justice. In 2005, his relative allegedly died because of a drug overdose caused by the fentanyl patch, and now he has filed a wrongful death lawsuit to collect damages. He believes that his loved one would still be here today if not for the deadly pain patch.

Mace is not alone – not by a long shot. In the past few years, hundreds of people have been shocked to learn that their parent, child, spouse, or other relative has died because of a painkiller overdose caused by the fentanyl patch. But despite the steady flow of wrongful death lawsuits and personal injury lawsuits, the manufacturer of fentanyl stands by their product and doesn’t believe that changes should be made to the medication or the medication’s warnings.

What is the fentanyl patch? It is an adhesive patch that is applied to the skin that is supposed to deliver a steady flow of opiate painkillers to patients. The patch is mean for those with very serious pain issues, a tolerance for pain medications, or those with chronic, long-term pain. However, doctors and other medical professionals have been prescribing the fentanyl patch in other cases as well, such as with patients who have a disability that makes other types of pain medication (such as pills) difficult.

What causes fentanyl patch overdoses and deaths? Fentanyl patch wrongful death cases come about in several ways. In some cases, the fentanyl patches are defective and begin leaking out large amount of medication all at once instead of over a period of time, causing an overdose. In other cases, doctors don’t realize how powerful the patch is and use it on a patient who simply can’t handle the high dosage of opiates, such as a child or a person with a disability.

If someone you love has died because of a fentanyl patch pain medication overdose, speak to a medical malpractice lawyer or defective medical products attorney in North Carolina immediately.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and we have experience handling wrongful death cases. We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg. 

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and listed in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. Our North Carolina injury law firm has also been named one of the Best Injury Law Firms in North Carolina for personal injury plaintiffs since 2010 by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. So call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call promptly.