Pinellas County Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When you go to a medical professional, you trust they will give you the care that you need and deserve. All too often, patients get substandard care that leaves them worse off than they were before. If this has happened to you or a loved one, you are entitled to compensation.
It is crucial that you contact an injury attorney about this as soon as you can, so that they can start gathering the evidence you will need to make your case.
Medical professionals are liable for malpractice if the care they gave you fails to meet the accepted standards of care and diligence in that area of practice. Medical professionals hold themselves out as highly trained experts, and people trust them with their lives. They should be held to a high standard of professionalism.
A Pinellas County medical malpractice lawyer can help you if you are a victim of their negligence.
Types of Damages
Some of the damages that can be won in medical malpractice cases include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages or other income
- Loss of consortium (the deprivation of the benefits of a family relationship, if a loved one was the person injured)
- Emotional distress
It is not just physicians who can be found liable for these damages. Patients are sometimes injured by the negligence of nurses, technicians, hospitals or nursing home managers.
Severity of Medical Errors
Medical errors in the United States can produce incredibly seriously consequences. In the most severe cases, medical malpractice can lead to life-long ailments or even death. Other serious medical errors can lead to paralysis or excessive pain, and loss of oxygen to the brain.
Sometimes the crucial error occurs at the start of treatment, when a physician fails to correctly diagnose a medical condition even though the patient presented symptoms that a competent medical professional would have recognized.
Improper dosage of medication is another tragically common mistake. Sometimes a doctor or nurse will carelessly read a label and give a patient far more medication than was called for. The difference between 10 milligrams of a medication and 100 milligrams can be a life and death matter, especially in cases involving children. Because of the severity of such errors, it is imperative that an individual contact a Pinellas County medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible.
Bringing Forward a Case
Under Florida law, in a lawsuit, the injured party has the burden of proving, by the greater weight of evidence, that the alleged actions of the health care provider represented a breach of the prevailing professional standard of care for that health care provider.
That means that the burden will be on the individual to show that the care they received constituted malpractice. Because of this, the process of gathering evidence must begin as quickly as possible. This process can be properly handled using a knowledgeable Pinellas County medical malpractice lawyer.
Getting a thorough medical examination is the most important part of that process, so that a record can be established of just how much harm was done to the patient. But other types of evidence are also important, so the effort must begin before people’s memories start to fade.
Contacting an Attorney
Physicians and hospitals are sued frequently, so they already have tough lawyers on their side to protect their interests. You will need an experienced a Pinellas County medical malpractice attorney on your side to fight for your rights. It is important to not waste any time at all before getting the advice that you need.