Have you or a loved one's health recently been affected by the negligence or misconduct of a physician or medical staff? If so, you may be eligible to file a medical malpractice lawsuit in order to recover damages for your medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Medical malpractice can take many forms, such as failing to diagnose a serious medical condition, misdiagnosis, adverse reactions, and anesthesia, surgical, and medication errors. It is important to note that not all medical errors constitute medical malpractice; thus, it is crucial that you speak with an experienced malpractice lawyer to determine if negligence has taken place and what your legal options are.
Who Can File a Lawsuit?
Malpractice lawsuits can be filed
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This is known as the rule of collateral source.
In cases involving joint or several liabilities, each person who is deemed negligent is required to pay the entire amount that is determined by the judge. If one person is unable to pay, the other person must pay the entire amount.
In order to win your Massachusetts medical malpractice lawsuit, you must show that the other party was negligent or engaged in misconduct. It is important to hire a medical malpractice lawyer who has successfully handled cases similar to yours. An experienced attorney will know how to investigate your case in order to prove liability. If you win your case, you may be compensated for loss of income, medical bills, mental anguish, and other expenses related to your injury.
How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help
Insurance companies and hospitals will often attempt to settle quickly in order to avoid costly legal fees, however, the amount of compensation offered is usually far below what those injuries will cost you and your family in lost wages and medical treatment, not to mention the significant loss of quality of life that usually accompanies the serious medical conditions that often result from
“Medical malpractice occurs when a hospital, doctor or other health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, causes an injury to a patient. The negligence might be the result of errors in diagnosis, treatment, aftercare or health management.” (Admin) One of the most common type of claims that pharmacies face are negligence claims. Negligence is one of the categories that falls under the area of law called Torts. In the Hundley v Rite Aid case, a tort was filed for injuries that were sustained by Gabrielle Hundley after she took medication from an incorrectly filed prescription. The case involved a jury trial verdict involving Gabrielle Hundley, a minor child, against Howard Jones, the pharmacist, and the Rite
Medical malpractice lawsuits are an extremely serious topic and have affected numerous patients, doctors, and hospitals across the country. Medical malpractice is defined as “improper, unskilled or negligent treatment of a patient by a physician, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional” (Medical malpractice, n.d.). If a doctor acts negligent and causes harm to a patient, malpractice lawsuits arise. Negligence is the concept of the liability concerning claims of medical malpractice, making this type of litigation part of tort law. Tort law provides that one person may litigate negligence to recover damages for personal injury. Negligence laws are designed to deter careless behavior and also to
Broadly speaking, malpractice is the failure of a medical professional to fulfill his or her obligation to treat you properly. Unlike other personal injury claims, the juries and judges in malpractice cases must look at the standards set for reasonable medical care. While personal injury cases are based on the responsibilities of a normal person, malpractice cases are based on the responsibilities of a healthcare professional.
Medical malpractice, the negligence of a health professional in diagnosing, treating, and or caring for a patient, is a specific tort law under the negligence torts. In the medical field, the tort reform has affected many people including doctors, lawyers, insurance company owners and workers, patients, and including other citizens. While large corporations, doctors, and other defendants are benefitting from caps on damages, that is limiting the amount of money that can be granted in court, plaintiffs, lawyers, and citizens are affected differently. Doctor Sage stated in an interview that he has, “never felt that caps on damages had a major effect on patients one way or the other” (“Could Malpractice”). This remark makes those injured question about
For a plaintiff to triumph a claim of medical malpractice for negligence, four elements must be established. The first element is proving the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff. The second is to show that the defendant breached the duty to the plaintiff. The third is to show that the plaintiff was harmed and experienced damages. Finally, the fourth is to show that the plaintiff was harmed by the actions of the defendant (Greenberg, 2009).
Medical Malpractice consists of negligence committed by a medical professional. There are many possible events that can occur in the practice of medicine. When physician make a medical error it could possible result in an injury. We often put our faith in doctor to make the right medical decision for us. However, medical malpractice does not always hold up since some patient can take advance of the system. There are some defenses that exist when talking about the medical malpractice.
The consequences of medical malpractice can be devastating: paralysis, brain damage, cognitive deficits, loss of limbs, organ failure, permanent disabilities, and death are some of the outcomes.
In other words, carelessness or unintentionally commissioned act that a reasonable person would do under the same circumstances. For instance, a patient goes to the emergency room with chest pain, but the doctor fails to diagnose the condition and sends the patient home. As a result, the patient later suffers a massive heart attack. In this example, the doctor did not intent to cause harm, however, he or she did fail to exercise a reasonable level of care to properly make a correct diagnose. Furthermore, it would be very difficult to prove the doctor acted negligently, but injury and cause can be proven in this case. Malpractice and negligence fall under the same umbrella, which makes it synonymous and difficult to comprehend; accordingly, many lawsuits are filed to encompass both
Findings from a 2012 Study of Medical Negligence Claiming in Scotland revealed that patient support and advice groups find that when a complaint is made to the NHS in relation to a medical injury a defensive attitude tends to be adopted in response to such complaints. According to Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, Chairman of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, this defensive attitude is what leads to claims being raised against the NHS. He stated that the current clinical negligence regime is what prompts defensiveness within the NHS and that this problem will persist as long as the fear of litigation and stigma of settlement remains. In the literature reviewed there seems to be a general consensus that the requirement for the claimant
Lawsuits of medical malpractice may be the greatest threat to justice in the legal system. Tort cases are constantly filed against medical practices which cause health care prices to dramatically increase in states lacking caps. Medical practitioners are forced to undergo an unnecessary amount of costly tests and procedures in order to defend themselves from frivolous lawsuits. The expenses of these precautions cause hospitals and other medical facilities to charge more for the care given to the patients,
Medical malpractice claims have risen dramatically over the past 40 years alongside the financial claim awards (Kessler, 2011). Currently, America’s medical tort system is regulated and enforced primarily by the states (“Medical Tort System,” 2016). The main focus of tort law is to preserve the peace between two parties, to determine fault and discourage wrong doing (Pozgar, 2016). Most physicians today carry medical malpractice insurance to protect themselves from the high defense costs of claims and potential financial awards (Kessler, 2011). As the number of medical claims increase and jury awarded punitive damage skyrocket, medical malpractice insurance premiums have also risen dramatically (Kessler, 2011). Malpractice insurance
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Amongst all the personal injury cases, proving medical negligence is one of the toughest. For these types of cases, you will always require the help of an experienced, knowledgeable and skilled Personal Injury Lawyer Vaughan to fight your case. You can file a case if you feel that you have suffered injuries due to the incompetence, unprofessionalism or carelessness during diagnosis or treatment of your medical condition. Depending upon the provider, you can file your case against the nurse, hospital, doctor, laboratory, clinic or any other related medical provider.
Begin your search for an attorney you can trust. Limit your search for attorneys that specializes in medical malpractice for optimal assistance. One method you can use to find medical malpractice attorneys is to find attorneys you trust and ask for referrals. Medical malpractice attorneys are able to tell you if you have a case and whether or not your case is worth bringing before a judge. Medical malpractice is a highly specialized area of law. In each state lies different sets of medical malpractice laws that might affect your chances of getting success in a court room. Some states may contain laws that outline a clear pathway into the courtroom, and in others, you may have to deal with more complicated laws. Find an attorney that will give
Medical malpractice happens when a hospital, doctor or other health care professional, perform negligence through their practice and causes an injury to a patient, it may be the result of mistakes in diagnosis, management and after care or health management. (Podgers, 2007)