How To Find The Best Malpractice Lawyers Near You

When you or someone in your family is ill or injured, you trust your doctors and their medical team to provide appropriate care in a safe, well-supervised environment. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even in the most reputable facilities, life-threatening or deadly mistakes can and do happen.

Medical malpractice is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. An estimated 250,000 deaths each year are caused by negligence or other preventable mistakes by doctors and health care providers.

How Do I Find an Experienced Malpractice Lawyer Near Me?

The first step is to realize how important it is to find a malpractice lawyer with expertise, experience and a long-standing history of winning cases similar to yours.

This is crucial because medical malpractice cases and the laws that govern them are extremely complex. There are numerous specific filing requirements and deadlines that must be strictly adhered to. One such requirement is an “affidavit of merit,” wherein a medical expert certifies evidence proving that malpractice occurred.

Look for a malpractice lawyer who thoroughly understands the law, with all of its exceptions and gray areas. You also want to choose a lawyer who will be sensitive to the hardships you and your family are enduring as the result of someone else’s mistake.

Types of Medical Malpractice

Some medical mistakes are the result of actual negligence, while others may be caused by an error in judgment, faulty medical records or an incorrect diagnosis.

Here are some of the most common types of medical malpractice:

• Medication errors, such as administering the wrong drug or an incorrect dosage of the right one
• Miscalculations or insufficient monitoring during anesthesia
• Failing to protect a patient from a fall or other injury on hospital property
• Birth injuries caused by failing to safely deliver a baby or properly monitor a pregnancy
• Failure of a nurse or other staff member to keep proper records or inform the treating physician of a patient’s condition
• Failure to diagnose a medical condition, resulting in worsening of the patient’s health
• Misdiagnosis of an illness, injury or other medical condition
• Failure to properly treat a diagnosed condition

Malpractice Risks Rise in Summer Months

During these final weeks of warm weather, it is helpful to know that summer is the riskiest time for surgery or hospital stays. This is mainly due to the influx of new medical school graduates who begin their internships in July. Although they work under supervision, these new (and usually sleep-deprived) doctors do not have the experience of more seasoned physicians. Studies have shown that surgical and post-operative mistakes increase during July—as do serious and life-threatening medication errors. This is especially true in teaching hospitals.

Because mistakes made during July may not become evident until weeks or even months later, it is important to contact an experienced malpractice lawyer as soon as possible if you suspect that an illness, injury or other medical condition was caused by a medical mistake.  

“If you or a family member is suffering because of negligence or a mistake on the part of a physician or hospital, call us immediately,” said Mark Bernstein of The Sam Bernstein Law Firm. “Our malpractice lawyers are experienced, knowledgeable and compassionate, and they will fight to obtain the compensation you deserve.”

Malpractice law is complicated, but finding the right medical malpractice lawyer is simple.

Call 1-800-CALL-SAM today for a free, no-obligation consultation.   

Sources:

• https://hub.jhu.edu/2016/05/03/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death/