Why You Need a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

A medical malpractice lawyer aids injured victims receive compensation for their losses. The legal system that regulates medical malpractice cases is based on common law.

In common law, doctors must follow the standard of care when treating their patients. If a doctor does not adhere to the accepted medical standard and results in a death or injury the doctor could be held accountable for negligence.

Duty of Care

Medical professionals must adhere to a set standards accepted by the medical industry as being prudent and reasonable in providing medical care. Patients may be in a position to file a lawsuit for medical malpractice if those standards aren't met and the failure causes injuries or health complications.

The first part of a malpractice claim involves establishing that you had a doctor-patient relationship with the healthcare provider in question and that the entity or person was bound to act in a reasonable manner. The next step is to prove that the breach occurred. This is typically done an expert witness that can provide an objective analysis and evaluation.

An expert witness can determine whether the defendant's actions fell less than the accepted standard in your case. The expert will look over your medical records and then interview or testify against you in order to make this determination.

You must also be able to establish that the breach of duty caused you to experience injuries. This is known as causation and it is the third element of a malpractice claim. In the majority of instances, you'll need to have a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the breach of duty and medical malpractice law Firm subsequent injury. For instance, a misdiagnosis could lead to the wrong medication or treatment being administered and can result in an adverse reaction, like heart attacks.

Breach of Duty

Like all doctors, doctors have a legal obligation to exercise diligence and care. However doctors are held to an even higher standard since they are medical experts and deal with life and death decisions. The obligation of care can be found in the regulations and medical malpractice law firm laws for specific types of treatments and procedures.

One of the first things that must be established in a negligence lawsuit is that the defendant was bound by a duty of care to the plaintiff. It must be proved that the defendant breached this duty of care. This means that the doctor failed to meet the standard of care in the specific circumstance. The standard of care is typically determined by what an ordinary person would do under similar circumstances. For instance an honest driver would not stop at an intersection with a red light.

In a malpractice case experts are usually needed to testify about the standards of care and how it was violated. They can also explain how the injury occurred and what could have been done to prevent it from happening.

Damages

In the United States, physicians are required to have malpractice insurance to cover any loss that may result from medical negligence. In order to file a claim, the plaintiff will need to show both financial losses (such medical expenses and lost wages) as well as noneconomic losses (such suffering and pain).

The amount of compensation received from a successful malpractice suit is contingent on the way in which your New York medical malpractice lawyer presents the case for your losses. Your lawyer can establish your medically necessary expenses by examining your medical records, the testimony of experts as well as the assistance of economic experts. Your medical malpractice law firm malpractice attorney must prove your lost earnings by proving the number of days you have missed from work due your medical complications, and the reason for these absences were a result of the defendant's negligence.

The non-economic damages may be more difficult to prove. You may need assistance from an expert witness who can provide details of your physical, mental and emotional distress as a direct result of the defendant's negligence. Loss of consortium is a second kind of non-economic loss. This is the inability to maintain a romantic, sexual connection with your spouse or another significant person in the same way you used to. The defendant's lawyer will challenge your non-economic damages through the use of depositions and interrogatories and also requests for documents and sworn statements.

Statute of limitations

As in every state, New York has a statute of limitations that must be fulfilled prior to a medical malpractice lawsuit negligence case can be filed. If not the court could dismiss the case. An experienced New York medical malpractice lawyer is well-versed in these details and will ensure that your claim is filed prior to the deadlines established by law.

In the majority of cases, victims of medical malpractice has to make a claim within two and a half years of the date that the act or omission of a health care provider caused the injury or death. Like all laws, this rule is not without exceptions. If, for example, the error committed by the health professional was part of a ongoing treatment plan, then the "clock" of 30 months will not start until the treatment is completed or the patient has been informed of the diagnosis.

Additionally, in some cases like when the foreign object remains in the body following surgery or treatment, it may not be possible for a patient or patient's family to determine the issue until much later. To tackle this issue, the majority of states have adopted what is known as the discovery rule. This allows injured victims in certain circumstances to extend their deadlines. Your lawyer is aware of the rules of your state and will scrutinize the timeline of your case carefully to avoid mistakes in the administration that can derail your claims.