A medical malpractice claim is a serious legal matter and requires the expertise of an experienced attorney who can prove that your doctor or healthcare professional failed to follow a standard of care. Often, such claims involve expert witnesses who will help establish what that standard was and how their negligence directly led to your injury. A successful medical malpractice case can award you compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost income, loss of services, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more. In addition, punitive damages are sometimes awarded in cases of particularly egregious conduct to punish the defendant and send a message that such behavior is unacceptable.
Medical Negligence Lawyers
Doctors and other medical professionals take an oath to act in accordance with accepted medical industry standards. When they fail to do so, it can result in injury, illness or even death. Misdiagnoses, surgical errors and medication mistakes are just a few of the types of medical malpractice that can befall patients. But not all unsatisfactory medical outcomes are malpractice – only those that deviate from the acceptable standard of care and cause harm to the patient.
When you hire a Medical Negligence Lawyers Santa Cruz County, California, they will work to gather all the information available about your situation and conduct on-the-record interviews (called depositions) with the alleged negligent healthcare professional(s), their colleagues and other experts to understand exactly what occurred. They will then use this information to build a strong case that proves the medical professional(s) violated their duty of care, which caused you injury and damages.
It is important to work with a Medical Negligence Lawyer as soon as possible after you have been injured by medical negligence. In every state, there is a specific time limit within which you must file your lawsuit (the statute of limitations). Once this window closes, it becomes very difficult to file a claim.
In addition to assisting you with establishing that the medical professional(s) acted negligently and that this breach of duty caused you injury, your lawyer will also assist in proving that your injuries meet the requirements for a successful medical malpractice claim. For example, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills for the treatment of your injuries, lost income if you were unable to work as a result of your injuries and loss of companionship in the case of a death.
In addition, if your loved one died as a result of the negligent actions of a healthcare professional, you may be entitled to funeral and burial expenses. You can also seek compensation for loss of support and services, which includes a portion of your past and future losses due to your spouse or parents’ loss of the relationship with the deceased. This is an especially important aspect of medical malpractice cases in which a family member died as a result of the negligence of a health care professional. In some states, there are limits on how much you can recover for this type of loss.