Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error.
Studies estimate that as many as 440,000 Americans die each year from preventable hospital errors, making medical malpractice the third leading cause of death in the nation. Medical malpractice can result from any number of causes, including improper use of a medical device, surgical error, hospital-based infections, and misdiagnosis or failure to treat in a timely manner.
The complex nature of such cases underscores the need for hiring experienced medical malpractice lawyers to handle your case.
Types of medical malpractice may include:
- Failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis
- Misreading or ignoring laboratory results
- Unnecessary surgery
- Surgical errors or wrong site surgery
- Improper medication or dosage
- Poor follow-up or aftercare
- Premature discharge
- Disregarding or not taking appropriate patient history
- Failure to order proper testing
- Failure to recognize symptoms
Medical malpractice can include cases of:
- Birth injuries
- Pediatric meningitis
- Misdiagnosis
- Misdiagnosis of cancer
- Failure to diagnose
- Radiation injuries
- Anesthesia errors
- Surgical errors
- Emergency room errors
- Suicide from dangerous drugs
A malpractice claim exists if a provider’s negligence causes injury or damages to a patient. However, experiencing a bad outcome isn’t always proof of medical negligence. Sometimes health care providers will inform a patient that the person has received negligent medical care from a previous health care provider.
If you suspect you have been subject to negligent care you need to contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. A thorough review of the case details, this includes everything from securing pertinent medical records to interviews with the patient, family members and friends, should be conducted by the attorney to determine whether the case is actionable. The medical malpractice attorneys at SL Chapman have trial experience and a network of experts who help prove their cases. Contact our medical malpractice law firm about your case.
Statutes of limitations do apply. Statutes of limitations are deadlines by which a lawsuit must be filed or be permanently barred. These limitations differ from state to state, as do procedural requirements that must be met before a medical malpractice lawsuit is filed. It is best to seek guidance from an attorney licensed in the state where the alleged malpractice occurred.
Whatever the injury or the area of medicine, if you have questions about whether a medical error occurred, it can be difficult to get an answer from the physician or hospital. Do not hesitate to call us. We have the experience and resources to evaluate the case and give you an honest answer.
As many as 98,000 people die each year because of preventable medical errors. The problem is pervasive and includes hospital negligence, doctor negligence, pharmacy mistakes, lab errors, surgical errors and other medical malpractice.
If you have concerns about medical malpractice, hospital negligence or doctor mistakes call us today at 800-550-2106 for a free legal consultation. If you have a case, you can turn the burden over to an experienced medical malpractice attorney. At SL Chapman, we have years of experience in medical malpractice cases and can help you get the compensation you deserve. Our firm has been handling medical malpractice actions for many years and is willing to expend whatever it takes to properly conduct the discovery to determine what occurred and how it can be prevented in the future, and to effectively present the facts and law to a jury if the opposing side is willing to offer a fair settlement.
