Medical Malpractice
Each day, hundreds of patients seek medical treatment from physicians, surgeons, and other medical professionals. Patients place their health, trust, and lives into the hands of their doctors and nurses. In return, doctors assure their patients that they will provide the best medical care and attention possible. Unfortunately, even the most experienced medical professionals can make critical mistakes. These mistakes can leave a patient with permanent irreversible damages.
Medical malpractice is the failure of medical professionals to exercise caution and provide adequate medical care to patients who can result in wrongful death and personal injury. Instances of medical malpractice includes surgical errors, medication errors, infections from hospitals, delayed diagnosis of cancer, cerebral palsy, paralysis, pulmonary embolus, spinal cord injury, strokes, heart attacks, brain injury, breast cancer, and birth injury.
Medical professionals and their staff are required to exercise a certain degree of skill and care when treating patients. If medical professionals fail to exercise caution, and a patient is injured, the professional is responsible. It is only by holding doctors, hospitals, and nurses accountable for their conduct that patients can improve the overall safety of patient care.
According to the Journal of American Medical Association, “Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States.” It is estimated that 225,000 people die each year due to negligent medical treatment. Fortunately, personal injury laws protect victims and their families by allowing them to seek monetary recovery to pay for their medical expenses, loss of income, loss of earning capacity and emotional pain and suffering. By filing a medical malpractice claim, victims and their families protect their financial wellbeing and security. They also help insure that the mistake that occurred to them will not happen again.
Before a medical malpractice victim can file a claim they must obtain an Affidavit from an physician and/or other medical provider that indicate the relevant medical records have been reviewed, that they are familiar with the standard of care for the type of care and treatment the injured person received, that the medical care was below the standard of care and caused injury to the patient.