When you seek medical attention or undergo a medical procedure, you expect to be in good hands. You trust that your physician and the medical staff assisting him or her has the appropriate experience and skill to ensure your safety and prevent injury. The problem is, even a doctor you have good reason to trust can be careless or fail to take appropriate action, resulting in you suffering a serious or even life-changing injury. If you have been injured from medical malpractice, you may have legal options.
Talk to a Brunswick medical malpractice lawyer from Roden Law today to find out what your next steps might be. During a free consultation, one of our skilled attorneys will be able to assess your situation, determine the cause of your medical malpractice injury and guide you on to the next steps of the legal process. Your consultation is absolutely free and there is no obligation to continue with the legal process. If you decide to take your case further, you will not be charged legal fees unless we successfully obtain compensation for your claim. We take cases involving many types of malpractice that occur at facilities throughout the city, including the Brunswick campus of the Southeast Georgia Health System and Wolfson Children’s at Southeast Georgia Health System, among others.
Call us today at 1-844-RESULTS or fill out a Free Case Evaluation form.
Wondering what to do if you suspect medical malpractice? Access our free checklist for actionable guidance and next steps.
Common Examples of Medical Malpractice
Medical procedures are tedious and complicated, much like making a proper diagnosis of an illness. Unfortunately, errors are common, even in common situations doctors deal with on a regular basis.
Medical malpractice can occur in various situations throughout the patient’s treatment, from appointments to hospital stays. Medical malpractice can also involve a variety of medical professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Some common medical malpractice errors include:
Failure to Obtain Patient Information
Doctors have an obligation to gather all pertinent information about their patients. This includes listening to the patient, obtaining patient consent and taking down a patient’s medical history. The doctor should also take note of any allergies the patient may have and consider this when prescribing medications.
Medication Errors
It is common for the doctor to prescribe medication to relieve pain or help eliminate medical problems. Medication errors can put the patient’s life at risk or cause serious health problems. Common medication errors include:
- Prescribing a drug the patient has an allergic reaction to
- Prescribing a dangerous combination of drugs
- Prescribing the incorrect dosage of a drug
- Prescribing the wrong medication to the patient
Misdiagnosis
Doctors need to conduct adequate research to properly identify the patient’s medical condition. However, sometimes errors occur, including:
- Misinterpreting test results
- Prolonging diagnosis of a health concern
- Failing to diagnose the patient’s illness
- Diagnosing the patient with the wrong illness
Birth Injuries
When medical professionals fail to take appropriate actions or make poor decisions during child labor, babies are at risk for severe birth injuries. Some examples of birth injury negligence include:
- Improperly using tools to aid in the baby’s delivery
- Failing to properly monitor the mother and baby for signs of distress
- Failing to notice and properly respond to signs of the baby’s distress
- Failing to call for a C-section at the appropriate time
Hospital Negligence
Medical errors can also occur in hospitals during a patient’s recovery. Failure to properly monitor or medicate the patient can cause further injury. Also, poor sanitation could cause the patient to develop an infection.
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are preventable mistakes that can take place before or during surgery. Many surgeries involve risks, but when errors are made because of the carelessness or negligence of the doctor, patients can suffer severe consequences. Surgical errors include:
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Performing an operation on the wrong patient
- Leaving a piece of surgical equipment inside a patient (e.g. sponges, instruments)
- Administering too much or too little anesthesia
- Injuring a nerve
Some common reasons surgical errors occur include:
- Poor communication
- Fatigue
- Incompetence/inexperience
- Insufficient planning
- Drugs/alcohol
- Neglect
If you have been injured due to any of the above forms of medical malpractice, contact a Brunswick medical malpractice lawyer to guide you through the legal process.
Get started by calling 1-844-RESULTS.
How to Prove Medical Malpractice
If you have been injured because of a medical error that could have been prevented, you may be wondering how to prove a doctor or medical professional is at fault for your injury. There are four elements you must establish:
- Existence of a doctor-patient relationship – You will need to show that the doctor or health care professional in question provided you care and treatment. This relationship can also be established when you visit a physician and he or she agrees to care for you, diagnose you or prescribe treatment. Once this relationship is created, the physician has an obligation to provide you with competent care.
- Proof of the health care provider’s negligent Care – You will need to establish that the physician or medical professional failed to provide you with care that fits within accepted medical standards. Malpractice victims usually need to have expert witnesses testify. Expert witnesses are often doctors or health care providers in same field as the professional in question. Experts are brought in to demonstrate how the situation should have been handled according to appropriate medical standards.
- Link between your injury and health care provider’s negligence – You will need to show that the doctor or health care provider’s actions caused you harm. You must be able to prove a direct link between negligent actions and you suffering an injury.
- Proof that the health care provider’s negligence caused you to suffer measurable damages – You will need to prove that the health care provider’s negligence caused you to suffer financial damages, such as expenses from additional medical treatment or lost wages from the inability to work because of your medical condition.
A skilled Brunswick medical malpractice lawyer can guide you through the entire legal process and gather evidence to prove the four elements of medical malpractice. At Roden Law, our attorneys have many years of combined experience fighting for the rights of injury victims. Get your free consultation today to learn more.
Contact us by calling 1-844-RESULTS.
Compensation Awarded for Medical Malpractice Cases
Your medical malpractice lawyer will be able to assess your case and determine what you lost as a result of your health care provider’s negligence. There are two main types of damages in medical malpractice cases:
Economic Damages
These types of damages are quantifiable. They are typically the result of the plaintiff’s financial losses and have a specific value. These damages include:
- Corrective surgery
- Additional medical treatment
- Past and present medical bills
- Medication
- Medical equipment
- Lost wages from inability to work
- Lost earning capacity because you have to work in a different field
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages are more difficult to justify as there is no monetary value. These types of damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of reputation
- Loss of enjoyment of life
In many states, there is a cap or limit on noneconomic damages a plaintiff is entitled to receive. However, that is not the case in the Peach State. The Supreme Court of Georgia finds limits on pain and suffering to be unconstitutional, and therefore, plaintiff’s can receive the full value of their noneconomic damages.
If you were injured due to medical malpractice, it is important that you seek legal help from a skilled lawyer. Our Brunswick medical malpractice attorneys at Roden Law have your best interest in mind. We will aggressively pursue the compensation we know you deserve.
Contact us today and let us work towards getting your life back on track. Call 1-844-RESULTS.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Claim?
It is crucial that you seek legal help as soon as you discover that you were injured in a medical malpractice incident because there is a time limit to take legal action. In Georgia, you have two years from the date on which you discover that your injury was caused by medical negligence to file a claim.
However, Georgia law specifies that “in no event may an action for medical malpractice be brought more than five years after the date on which the negligent or wrongful act occurred.” This means that a person cannot seek compensation if the medical malpractice incident took place more than five years from the treatment. The one exception to this law is where a “foreign object” has been left in the patient’s body, in which case the patient can file a claim within one year from when the object is discovered.
Failure to file a lawsuit within the applicable time limit will cause your lawsuit to be dismissed by the court and you will be barred from receiving compensation for the damages your medical malpractice injury caused.
Contact a Brunswick medical malpractice lawyer right away so that we can get your case filed on time. All you have to do is call us and we will handle the many aspects of the legal process, working to ensure your case is filed before time runs out.
Schedule your free consultation by calling 1-844-RESULTS.
Speak to a Brunswick Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
Medical malpractice cases are often complicated, mainly because it is difficult to prove malpractice occurred and is the reason for your injuries. Our attorneys at Roden Law firmly believe that the doctors and other medical staff should be held responsible for their negligence when it results in patients getting hurt.
Our attorneys will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve so that you can focus on your recovery and health. Call us today and learn how we can help. If you are worried about how you will afford a lawyer, rest assured that you will not pay us anything unless we recover compensation on your behalf. We are here to help. Contact us today.