St Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyer
We all trust doctors will provide us with the best care in hospitals, medical facilities, and doctor’s offices. However, doctors can harm their patients in many ways, leading to medical malpractice or negligence.
A medical professional can make a mistake during the surgical procedure or fail to diagnose an illness or condition. The doctor or nurse could give the wrong medication or dosage or fail to warn a patient about the risks associated with a particular treatment.
Whatever the cause, medical professionals harming their patients in any way is medical malpractice when the condition could have been prevented had they followed established protocols and standards of care.
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Do you suspect that you’re the victim of medical malpractice or negligence? The personal injury attorneys at Injury Lawyer Team, sponsored by Rosenfeld Law Offices, are legal advocates for injured victims harmed through the negligence of others.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.
Nationwide Medical Malpractice Statistics
Medical malpractice can occur when a healthcare professional fails to meet the standard of care expected of them, leading to patient harm. Some common types of medical malpractice include surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and medication errors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), medical malpractice is a “serious public health problem” in the United States. Every year, an estimated 33,000 people die due to medical errors, making it the third leading cause of death in the country.
Medical malpractice accounts for more than $250 billion in annual healthcare costs. Other data reveals:
- A study by Johns Hopkins found that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer.
- According to the National Institute of Health, as many as 275,000 people die annually from preventable medical errors.
- The Journal of Patient Safety estimates that the number of people dying from medical mistakes is closer to 440,000 per year.
- One study found that medical mistakes account for more than $17 billion in annual healthcare costs.
- Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States.
- Almost 60% of medical malpractice lawsuits are dismissed or withdrawn before trial.
- Only 2% of patients injured by medical malpractice will file a lawsuit.
How Doctors Hurt Patients through Medical Malpractice and Medical Negligence
Medical malpractice occurs when healthcare providers or facilities fail to provide standard, adequate care and harm a patient.
Medical negligence or malpractice can result in significant injuries or even death for a doctor’s patients. This injury could be prevented by following established standard precautions and practices.
Some examples of ways in which doctors can harm their patients include:
- Failing to diagnose: a severe illness or injury: inaccurately diagnosing a problem or failing to diagnose the issue could cause significant harm if the patient’s condition deteriorates while untreated.
- Misdiagnosis: can occur when a medical provider incorrectly identifies the problem and prescribes the wrong treatment course, which could worsen the patient’s condition.
- Delayed diagnosis: if health care providers do not act quickly to diagnose a problem, it could result in severe harm or even death for the patient.
- Unnecessary surgery: performing an unnecessary medical treatment or surgery could put the patient at risk for complications and extreme pain and suffering.
- Improperly performed surgery: A surgeon making errors during an operation, like leaving surgical instruments inside a patient’s body, could result in serious injuries or death for the patient.
- Prescription errors: Healthcare providers prescribing the wrong medication or dosage could lead to serious side effects or even death.
- Medical record mistakes: Any patient’s medical record errors could lead to severe complications and unnecessary harm. Causing a medical error when transcribing a doctor’s orders, providing the wrong medication, or misreading the hospital records could significantly harm or kill the patient.
- Emergency room errors: if a patient is not seen promptly or proper care is not provided, it could result in severe harm or death caused by medical negligence.
- Mishandling a patient during surgery: if a patient is not appropriately handled during surgery, it could lead to severe injuries.
- Infections: if a doctor does not take proper precautions to prevent infection, it could result in a hospital-acquired condition that could cause severe harm or death.
- Giving negligent care to a newborn: Failing to provide proper care could result in birth injuries that could cause severe harm or death.
If you or a loved one has been injured due to medical negligence, it is essential to seek legal help as soon as possible. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you understand your rights and options and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Injuries Caused by Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice can significantly impact a patient, both physically and emotionally. Sometimes, it can take months or even years for the patient to recover completely.
In some cases, the patient may never fully recover from the injuries caused by medical malpractice. In some cases, medical negligence can even lead to the patient’s death.
Medical malpractice is an act or omission by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional that harm a patient. This type of injury can be acquired in numerous places, including hospitals, nursing homes, medical centers, doctor’s offices, and even during surgery.
The typical injury sustained from surgery, medication heirs, or an incorrect diagnosis could involve:
- Traumatic brain injuries: Depriving the brand of oxygen during a surgical procedure, birthing process, or after a car accident
- Cerebral palsy: Damage to the brain that can be caused during pregnancy, childbirth, or shortly after birth
- Hospital-acquired infections: When a health care professional does not properly sanitize their hands or equipment, this could lead to a hospital-acquired infection.
- Heart attacks and strokes: If a doctor does not adequately monitor a patient’s blood pressure, this could lead to a heart attack or stroke.
- Spinal cord injuries: If a doctor or surgeon makes an error during surgery, this could result in a spinal cord injury.
- Mental anguish: The emotional pain and suffering caused by medical malpractice can be just as devastating as physical injuries, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal thoughts.
- Preventable death: In some cases, medical malpractice can lead to a patient’s death. The death could result from an error during surgery, a misdiagnosis, or even exchanging one patient’s chart with another.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical negligence, it is essential to seek legal help as soon as possible. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help you understand your rights and options under the law.
Filing a Medical Malpractice Case
Medical malpractice cases are complicated and can be difficult to file. To file a medical malpractice case, you must first prove that the doctor, medical professional, hospital, nurse, or others financially accountable for their negligence were responsible for your injuries.
Successfully resolving the cases is challenging, as you must provide evidence that they were negligent in their care of you. You must also prove that your injuries directly resulted from their negligence and that you have suffered damages.
A Time-Consuming, Expensive Process
Filing a medical negligence case can be expensive and time-consuming. You will likely need a lawyer to help you with your case.
Your St. Louis medical malpractice attorney must review your case and gather evidence to support your claim. Typically, expense medical malpractice lawyers, like those from Injury Lawyer Team, will work on a contingency fee agreement, postponing your payments until the case is resolved, which could take months or years to complete.
Successfully resolving your medical malpractice lawsuit involves proving that your claim fulfills all four elements of civil tort law, including:
- The defendants (hospital, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals) owed you (the plaintiff) a duty of care to your health and well-being by providing a standard of care that any medical provider would ensure you receive
- The defendants breached their duty of care.
- That breach caused your injuries, damages, or the death of a loved one
- All your damages are provable in court.
Proving the medical provider’s negligence can resolve a medical malpractice claim, resulting in your financial compensation, typically paid by the defendant’s insurance company.
If you have suffered an injury or the death of a loved one and think it was due to medical malpractice, you should consider contacting an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
A St. Louis medical malpractice attorney can discuss all legal options.
How a St. Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help
Typically, medical malpractice claims are complex. The courts require the plaintiff (injured party) to show how the action of the defendant (responsible party) led to the victim’s damages.
Proving medical negligence claims typically requires hiring financial and medical experts and other professionals to identify the extent of the victim’s injuries, the costs of future care, and how much the case is worth.
Our experience St. Louis medical malpractice attorneys have years of experience in resolving complex cases involving mistakes made in the medical community. We understand how to investigate complicated medical malpractice claims and prove to the insurance company or a jury that our clients should be compensated for their injuries.
Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers have the experience and resources necessary to take on big insurance companies and hospitals and will not let them take advantage of our clients. We level the playing field by providing aggressive and effective representation.
Legal Options Available To the Surviving Family Members: Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
When a loved one dies due to medical negligence or malpractice, the surviving family members can feel overwhelmed and devastated. They may not know where to turn for help, their legal options, or how to recoup their losses.
Qualifying family members could include the surviving spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, sibling, or other relatives. If the decedent never identified a legal representation for their estate, the court will likely do that.
Typically, the legal representative is the only family member who can file a medical malpractice lawsuit on the family’s behalf.
A Complex Process
Filing a medical malpractice claim citing a preventable death is one option that may be available to the family. The family can seek damages from the medical providers, hospital, and others who may have been responsible for the medical mistake that led to their loved one’s death.
Damages in a medical malpractice claim can include compensation for past medical bills, hospital medical expenses, funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. The family can also seek punitive damages designed to punish the party responsible for the death if their actions were egregious.
Filing a wrongful death lawsuit or medical malpractice claim can be difficult, but it may be the only way to hold those responsible for your loved one’s death accountable. The medical malpractice attorneys at our St. Louis, MO, law office can help you understand your legal options and guide you through the process of filing a lawsuit.
Hiring a St. Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyer Specializing in Personal Injury Claims
Do you suspect that hospital negligence or mistakes made by the medical team led to your condition or the loss of a loved one? The St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers at Injury Lawyer Team are legal advocates who can help you through the legal process to hold them financially accountable.
Our affiliate legal team accepts all medical malpractice claims through contingency fee agreements. This arrangement postpones payments to medical malpractice lawyers for legal services until we resolve your case to a negotiated settlement or jury award.
Contact our St. Louis medical malpractice lawyer today to schedule a free consultation. Our personal injury legal team can discuss all your legal options for resolving your claim.
All confidential or private information you share with our medical malpractice lawyers remains private through an attorney-client relationship.