Michigan Radiology Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Our Michigan radiology medical malpractice lawyers can help if you or someone you care about was harmed by a radiologist’s mistake. Radiology errors—mistakes in interpreting medical imaging like CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can have devastating consequences, including delayed treatment, missed diagnosis, or even incorrect treatment, all of which can result in significant patient harm. Radiology errors are among the most common types of medical malpractice claims today.

If you or a family member has suffered harm due to a radiology error, you should contact the award-winning attorneys at The Buckfire Law Firm now. It is essential to understand your legal options. A free consultation with a malpractice attorney can help you determine whether you have grounds to seek compensation for your losses.

• Who Can Be Liable for a Radiology Error?
• Common Types of Misread Radiology and Imaging Mistakes
• What is the Compensation in a Misread Radiology Case?
• Speak With Our Misread Radiology Malpractice Lawyers Today

Can I Sue for a Misread Radiology Study?

A misread X-ray, CT scan, MRI, mammogram, or ultrasound can transform a treatable condition into a life-threatening emergency. What should have been an early-stage diagnosis becomes advanced disease. What should have been a straightforward recovery becomes permanent disability—or worse. A patient who suffers harm from a radiologist’s mistake may be able to sue the doctor, imaging center, and hospital for medical malpractice.

Misread radiology cases are complex because they sit at the intersection of medical imaging standards and state medical malpractice laws. A dedicated misread radiology medical malpractice lawyer understands both—and knows how to coordinate the medical and legal investigation needed to build a compelling case.

If you suspect an MRI, CT scan or X-ray was misread, contact our office today. There are strict time deadlines in these cases, and the sooner we can review your medical records and imaging, the better positioned we are to protect your rights.

What Is a Radiology Error and When Is It Malpractice?

A radiology error is a mistake that occurs during the acquisition, interpretation, or communication of results from an imaging study. This includes X-rays, CT scans, MRI, PET scans, ultrasounds, mammograms, and fluoroscopy studies. The error might happen when the technician positions the patient incorrectly, when the radiologist misreads the images, or when critical findings never reach the treating physician or patient.

Not every bad outcome qualifies as medical malpractice. Medicine involves uncertainty, and even competent radiologists occasionally disagree about borderline findings. An error becomes malpractice when the radiologist or physician falls below the accepted standard of care for imaging interpretation or follow-up—meaning they did something a reasonably careful medical professional in similar circumstances would not have done. Not all errors are considered malpractice; only those that meet the legal criteria of deviating from the accepted standard of care and causing harm are considered malpractice. This distinction is important because only errors that amount to medical negligence—where the provider’s actions breach the legal duty of care—can form the basis of a malpractice claim.

When radiology errors occur, they can mislead the entire care team. The referring physician relies on the radiology report to guide treatment. If that report says “normal” when it should say “suspicious lesion requiring follow-up,” the patient’s condition goes unaddressed, potentially allowing the underlying health issue to worsen. This is how a single misread scan leads to a missed diagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or no diagnosis at all.

Who Can Be Liable for a Radiology Error?

Radiologists have specific duties when interpreting medical imaging. They must systematically review all structures visible on each study—not just the area mentioned in the clinical question. They should compare current images to prior radiology studies when available, looking for changes over time. And they must clearly document significant findings and recommendations in their radiology report, using language that leaves no ambiguity about what needs to happen next. These duties exist to protect the best interests of the patient, ensuring their well-being and safety are prioritized.

Ordering doctors also bear responsibility in the imaging chain. Whether it’s an ER doctor, primary care physician, surgeon, OB-GYN, neurologist, or oncologist, the referring physician must read the radiology report, communicate important findings to the patient, and order timely follow-up tests or specialist referrals when recommended. A report that sits unread in an electronic health record helps no one.

In medical malpractice cases, we work with board-certified radiology experts who re-read the original imaging and explain precisely how the standard of care was violated. Expert testimony is essential because juries need a qualified physician to bridge the gap between what the images showed and what a competent radiologist should have reported.

Common Types of Misread Radiology and Imaging Mistakes

Radiology malpractice can involve nearly any body part and any imaging modality. However, certain categories of misreads appear more frequently in malpractice claims—and tend to cause the most devastating harm. Cancer, stroke, and trauma imaging account for a disproportionate share of high-stakes radiology errors. These errors can result in serious harm to patients, including permanent disability, life-threatening complications, or even death.

Missed fractures on ER X-rays represent one of the most common types of radiology mistakes. These often involve the failure to identify a broken bone or misdiagnosing abdominal findings.

Missed or mischaracterized tumors on CT scans, MRI, PET scans, or mammograms form another major category. What might have been a localized, curable cancer is now Stage IV. Breast cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer are among the most frequently missed malignancies in radiology malpractice claims.

Missed stroke signs on head CT or MRI can cause permanent neurological devastation. Early intervention—clot-busting medication or mechanical thrombectomy—might have preserved brain function, but the window closed while the misread scan sat in the system.

Other dangerous misreads include abdominal CTs that miss appendicitis or bowel perforation, leading to sepsis and emergency surgery; chest CTs that overlook aortic aneurysms until rupture; and spinal MRIs that fail to identify cord compression requiring urgent decompression surgery.

Missed Spinal Cord Findings on a CT or MRI can lead to permanent spinal cord injuries, including paralysis, if a condition is not diagnosed and surgery is not timely performed.

Proving a Misread Radiology Medical Malpractice Case

Medical malpractice claims require proving four legal elements: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. In radiology cases, this means showing that the radiologist (or other responsible physician) had a duty to interpret the imaging correctly, that they breached that duty by falling below the accepted standard, that this breach directly caused harm to the patient, and that the patient suffered actual damages as a result. Imaging cases almost always require expert testimony to establish these elements.

We also obtain prior and subsequent imaging for comparison of images. For example, a cancer tumor that appears on a 2026 CT but was present on a 2024 CT tells a powerful story: the disease was visible for three years before anyone acted. Conversely, imaging from after the misread helps document how the condition progressed during the delay.

Independent radiology experts then re-read the original images without seeing the prior interpretation. These board-certified specialists explain, in terms a jury can understand, exactly what a competent radiologist would have seen on the scan and what they would have documented in their report. They address whether the abnormality was visible, whether it should have been recognized, and what recommendations should have followed.

What is the Compensation in a Misread Radiology Case?

A successful radiology malpractice case can provide financial compensation for multiple categories of loss. The specific damages available depend on state law and the facts of each case, but the following categories apply in most jurisdictions.

Medical expenses encompass all healthcare costs resulting from the delayed or missed diagnosis. This includes past hospitalizations, surgeries, chemotherapy or radiation treatments, rehabilitation, medications, and medical equipment. It also includes projected future care costs—the ongoing treatment, monitoring, and care the patient will need for the rest of their life.

Lost income and earning capacity compensates patients for the wages they missed during treatment and recovery, as well as their diminished ability to earn in the future. If a patient can no longer perform the work they did before the injury—or must retire early due to disability—they deserve compensation for that lost earning capacity.

Non-economic damages are for pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, scarring, disability, and the impact on relationships. A spouse may claim loss of consortium for the damage to their marital relationship.

Wrongful death damages apply when a misread scan contributes to a patient’s death. Surviving family members may recover funeral and burial expenses, the financial support the deceased would have provided, and compensation for their own grief and loss of companionship.

Speak With Our Misread Radiology Malpractice Lawyers Today

Contact the medical malpractice lawyers at The Buckfire Law Firm today for a free, confidential case consultation. We will obtain your imaging studies and medical records, explain your rights under Michigan law, and outline possible next steps.

It costs no money to start your case, and there is only a fee if you win a settlement. If your case is unsuccessful for any reason, you owe us nothing!

Legally reviewed by:

Lawrence J. Buckfire, J.D., Lead Trial Attorney at Buckfire Law
Lawrence J. Buckfire, J.D. has over 30 years of experience specializing in personal injury and wrongful death cases. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended Wayne State University School of Law. Lawrence has been named a Super Lawyer, U.S. News Best Lawyer, and in The National Trial Lawyers-Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
Date of Review: Jan., 2026