Top Rated Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Pittsburgh, PA
What to look for when hiring a medical malpractice lawyer?
Malpractice arises when a lawyer fails to perform his responsibilities in a competent manner. Attorneys are expected to provide competent legal services to their clients. If an attorney fails to do so and causes his client to suffer damages as a result, this may be considered attorney malpractice. A consumer can sue an attorney for malpractice.
We can classify what constitutes medical negligence in three categories:
There are three common types of medical malpractice lawsuits – failure to make the correct diagnosis, birth injuries and medication errors. In this blog, we discuss these medical errors in order to help you determine whether you have suffered an injury as a result of medical negligence.
The injured patient must show that the physician acted negligently in rendering care, and that such negligence resulted in injury. To do so, four legal elements must be proven: (1) a professional duty owed to the patient; (2) breach of such duty; (3) injury caused by the breach; and (4) resulting damages.
CausationIn Medical Malpractice, “Causation” is Often the Most Difficult Element to Prove. Stated simply, medical malpractice, or medical negligence, is medical care or treatment that falls below the accepted standard of care and causes actual harm to a patient.
In no particular order, the following are types of the most common medical malpractice claims:Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.Failure to treat.Prescription drug errors.Surgical or procedural errors.Childbirth injuries.
6 Steps To Hire A Medical Malpractice AttorneyCheck the statute of limitations.Initiate your medical malpractice claim.Find a qualified medical malpractice attorney.Determine how much the attorney will charge.Prepare questions for the consultation, and get answers.More items...•
Malpractice can have devastating consequences for victims and their families, such as causing serious injury or death for the patient. To protect yourself from medical malpractice and seek justice whenever needed, it is vital to be aware of the four D's: duty, direct cause, damages, and dereliction of duty.
Complex medical evidence and juror bias toward doctors and hospitals make medical malpractice cases tough to win. Updated by David Goguen, J.D. Medical malpractice cases are notoriously difficult for patients to win.
It is fair to say that the causation element of a claim in medical negligence claim is often the more difficult to prove. Causation in medical negligence claims is complex as there can be instances where injury, loss or damage can take place even if negligent treatment had not occurred.
Medical negligence is substandard care that's been provided by a medical professional to a patient, which has directly caused injury or caused an existing condition to get worse. There's a number of ways that medical negligence can happen such as misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or surgical mistakes.
Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis. Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis account for a large percentage of medical malpractice claims. ... Medication Errors. Medication errors harm thousands of people in the United States every year. ... Childbirth Injuries. ... Surgical Mistakes. ... Anesthesia Errors. ... Talk to a Medical Malpractice Lawyer.
5 Common Medical Errors That Lead To Medical Malpractice ClaimsMisdiagnosis And Failure To Diagnose. According to CBS News, approximately 12 million people who receive outpatient care are victims of some form a misdiagnosis each year. ... Prescription Errors. ... Surgical Errors. ... Anesthesia Errors. ... Childbirth Errors.
Recognizing the Signs of Medical Malpractice: What You Should Look Out ForFailure to Diagnose. ... Misdiagnosis. ... You Received the Wrong Medication or Dosage. ... A Lack of Informed Consent. ... Your Doctor Admits to Making a Mistake. ... A Family Member Dies During or After a Medical Procedure. ... Know When to Contact an Attorney.
Medical malpractice takes place when a healthcare provider provides treatment that falls below the accepted standard of care in the medical communi...
Patients can be victims of medical malpractice in a variety of different ways. Below are some examples.Anesthesia ErrorsAnesthesia errors are one a...
You might be asking yourself, “How do I know if I have a medical malpractice case?” or “How Can I Prove a Medical Malpractice Case?” If you’re cons...
Although we touched on medical malpractice damages above, here is some more detailed information on the type of damages in a medical malpractice ca...
If you’ve determined that you might have a medical malpractice case, you probably have some questions: How do I choose a good attorney and what can...
Under laws in certain states, a statute of limitations limits the amount of time under which an injured patient may pursue a medical malpractice la...
Our attorneys at Morgan & Morgan have recovered millions of dollars for injured patients, because we’ve been doing this a long time. We know what t...
Medical malpractice generally refers to the failure of a medical professional to treat a patient properly. Any act or omission by the medical profe...
While medical malpractice may often severely injure or even kill victims, these claims are almost always civil offenses. Only in rare cases may med...
When deciding whether you should sue, it is crucial to begin by remembering that not every medical negligence case will justify a lawsuit. There mu...
If you have been injured due to medical malpractice, you will need a skilled personal injury attorney with years of experience. Medical negligence...
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional provides treatment that deviates from accepted standards of care within the medical community, thereby causing injury to a patient. If a doctor, surgeon, hospital, or another party was medically negligent, they may be liable for any ensuing losses.
Some examples of negligence by an anesthesiologist include: Administering the wrong type of dose of anesthesia. Administering anesthesia too late.
An injured patient or the family of a patient who has passed may be awarded damages for the harm caused by a negligent medical professional, hospital, or other party. These damages are intended to compensate the victim for losses they’ve suffered, and may include: Medical expenses: - Medical expenses may cover hospital stays, doctor visits, physical therapy, prescription drugs, assistive devices, and other past and future costs associated with your injury. - Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity: If you’re forced to take time away from work to recover from your injury, you may be eligible to collect compensation for lost wages. If you’re unable to earn the same amount of money as you did prior to your injury, you may be awarded compensation for diminished earning capacity. - Pain and Suffering: Pain and suffering damages are designed to compensate the victim for physical pain caused by their injury, as well as emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, fear, depression, and other mental suffering). - Loss of Consortium: Surviving family members may be awarded compensation for the loss of aid, companionship, and other benefits of a family relationship. - Other Damages: You may be awarded other various damages including loss of life’s enjoyment, disfigurement, and punitive damages (intended to punish severe negligence or recklessness).
Failure to meet these and other standards may be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. In addition, hospitals can be held vicariously liable if an employee or staff member causes injury to a patient, provided the employee was acting within the scope of their employment at the time the negligent act took place.
Failing to order tests: A doctor can be found negligent for failing to order standard tests after observing certain symptoms. Failing to interpret test results correctly: Medical professionals are responsible for interpreting test results correctly.
Medical devices such as MRIs are used routinely to diagnose, treat, and prevent illnesses. However, they can be misused and result in serious injuries or even death. In addition, manufacturers can be liable for manufacturing defects, design defects, and inadequate warnings.
Unfortunately, that trust isn’t always rewarded. In some instances, the actions (or lack thereof) of a healthcare professional may rise to the level of malpractice.
Medical malpractice lawsuits are cases brought by patients or their families after being harmed by the actions or inactions of a physician, another type of medical professional, or a medical institution, such as a hospital. When a doctor or other professional does not provide a reasonable degree of medical care, patients can suffer.
Medical malpractice lawyers are legal professionals who specialize in personal injury and negligence cases. Medical malpractice is a special type of negligence or personal injury, and many lawyers specialize even further and take only personal injury cases related to medical negligence and malpractice.
If you feel like you may have a valid malpractice claim, it is important to act quickly. The statute of limitations, the time you have to file a lawsuit, varies by state. If you wait too long to get advice and assistance from a professional, you may miss the deadline.
Probably the best place to start is by asking for personal recommendations. Even if your family and friends don't know any medical malpractice lawyers, chances are someone you know has had a good experience with some kind of lawyer, and can put you in touch. Maybe that lawyer has an established relationship with an experienced medical malpractice in their network, or they can otherwise point you in the right direction, and you can go from there. It might not result in a successful match, but it's a good start.
The complexity of medical malpractice cases makes it essential to have a lawyer on your side. Proving that a health care professional provided sub-standard care is difficult, and most states have placed a number of procedural hoops in the path of medical malpractice plaintiffs, in an effort to discourage the filing of frivolous claims.
Contact your state bar association or visit the bar association's website to find out if the lawyer is in good standing.
Ask about the firm's practice of delegating work to administrative assistants, clerks, paralegals, and other support staff . You'll want to know how much of the firm's work on your case will actually be done by the attorney.
Medical malpractice law is something of a specialized field, owing to the overlap of medical and legal issues, as well as the unique procedural challenges that often come with these kinds of cases. Most lawyers who specialize in medical malpractice will either:
Medical malpractice generally refers to the failure of a medical professional to treat a patient properly. Any act or omission by the medical professional which fails to meet the accepted and applicable medical standard of care may constitute medical malpractice.
While medical malpractice may often severely injure or even kill victims, these claims are almost always civil offenses.
Not all medical malpractice cases may require a lawsuit to pursue compensation, while other potential issues may not be sufficient to justify a lawsuit. When deciding whether you should sue, it is crucial to begin by remembering that not every medical negligence case will justify a medical malpractice lawsuit.
If you have been injured due to medical malpractice, you will need a skilled personal injury attorney with years of experience pursuing medical malpractice cases. Medical negligence cases are often incredibly complicated and require extensive research, investigation, and consultation with expert witnesses.
In order to bring a medical malpractice suit, a doctor-patient relationship must exist. Don’t worry about being expected to know the answer to this question right when you walk in the door, but a medical malpractice lawyer will ask questions to find out whether a doctor-patient relationship did in fact exist.
This is an equally important guided question because mistakes don’t always equate to negligence . A medical malpractice attorney will need to determine whether there was a breach of the standard of care required for such sought treatment.
In order for negligence to be proved, medical malpractice cases require proof the doctor’s negligence caused the specific injury stemming from the medical malpractice suit. Pre-existing conditions could affect the varying degree of fault on behalf of a health care provider, so be prepared to answer questions regarding these pre-existing conditions.
Even if negligence is found on behalf of the medical provider and even if it’s found the negligence caused injury, a patient still needs to prove the injury led to specific damages.
As with any case, timing is important. Medical malpractice claims, more often than not, need to be brought fairly quickly. Depending on the state, this can be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. If a medical malpractice suit is not brought within the appropriate statute of limitations, the case will be dismissed, regardless of the facts of the case.
Be able to provide a list of all your health care providers, including any providers that treated any pre-existing conditions that are relevant to the case at hand. A medical malpractice attorney will need to request records from each provider that you saw for the treated health condition.
In addition to all the medical records your attorney will ultimately need to request, your medical malpractice attorney will also want to see any other pertinent documents.
A medical malpractice lawyer executes general civil litigation roles and consult with medical practitioners, review medical records, and conduct medical analysis. A medical malpractice lawyer near me can help you sort out a lot of problems that otherwise would have felt like a burden for you.
The specialty for malpractice lawyers has grown in the 21st century beyond malpractice and lobbying for the interests of medical practitioners. The demand for trained medical malpractice lawyers has also grown as the profession has developed to tackle a larger range of fields of law.
After a Juris Doctor, the Master of Laws degree is the second level law degree that an individual receives. By completing a full-time program for one year this degree is obtained. In order to obtain experience in a certain field of law, such as international law, corporate law, tax law, or family law, a legal practitioner or law student will usually pursue a master’s degree in law. The majority of law firm favor applicants who have a degree in law.
Job shadowing is a valuable career tool that requires a brief amount of time, usually one or two days, walking in the footsteps of another professional. By watching a medical malpractice lawyers on the career, job shadowing helps you to understand more about the complexities of the legal industry.
Medical malpractice arises when the incompetence, recklessness, or malicious action of a doctor causes a negative medical outcome for a patient. When they provide patients with medication, all healthcare practitioners must take caution.
The Juris Doctor permits a citizen within the United States of America to practice law. It is the first degree in law that can be earned by a person becoming a lawyer. It takes three full years for a Juris Doctor to complete and is begun after a person has received a college bachelor’s degree.
An annual income of $67,700 is paid by starting medical malpractice lawyers. That raises to $92,000 at mid-career, then $110,000 for a greater experience. The medical malpractice lawyers will earn 128,000 dollars at the end of their careers. The preference of specialization, boss, and position all determine the pay level of medical malpractice .
Like any professional, doctors must perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. Unlike other professionals, when doctors make mistakes or do not perform to standards, the outcomes can ruin their patient's lives. Some patients who were injured by their doctor choose to sue their doctors to pay for the extra medical costs and lost wages.
Health Care Law: The rules that govern who can receive healthcare, and who should pay for it.
Privacy Law: Most patients have a strong privacy interest in their medical records.
Medical Malpractice is a popular area of law, but it actually is considered a part of Accidents and Injuries law. Many accident and injuries cases, including medical malpractice cases, claim that one party was "negligent" in their practices. For medical malpractice cases, this means that the patient has to prove the doctors are generally have a duty to practice medicine a certain way, that the doctor did not fulfill (or "breached") his duty, and that the breach of duty caused the patient harm.
A rapidly growing field of malpractice lawsuits stems from a category known as “mental health malpractice.”. A mental health malpractice claim may arise when a mental health practitioner (e.g., a psychiatrist) treats their patient in a negligent manner or abuses the power that they have over them as a professional.
As is the case with many malpractice lawsuits, mental health malpractice claims are proven by using a negligence standard. The patient (i.e., the plaintiff) must be able to prove the following elements:
There are certain rights that patients have in a mental health facility. One of the primary rights that patients should know about is the right to refuse treatment. Regardless of whether the patient was committed to a mental health facility voluntarily or involuntarily, according to the law, a patient always has a right to refuse treatment. However, there may be some exceptions.
One of the primary rights that patients should know about is the right to refuse treatment. Regardless of whether the patient was committed to a mental health facility voluntarily or involuntarily, according to the law, a patient always has a right to refuse treatment. However, there may be some exceptions.
If you are not sure about which route to take, speaking with a lawyer can help make the decision easier because they will be able to explain the potential outcomes of each action taken.
Alternatively, if you do not wish to bring a case, you may also file a complaint with a human rights officer who is located in your area, the ethics board that licensed your mental health practitioner, or with the mental health practitioner or facility’s human resources department.
For example, a doctor who fails to treat their patient properly and as a result, ends up making the patient worse, could be sued for medical malpractice .
When you are wondering “What kind of legal action is a malpractice suit,” you may be unsure about whether you have a strong case.
So what kind of legal action is a malpractice suit? Most malpractice lawsuits are cases involving legal negligence. The legal concept of “negligence” involves the breach of a certain explicit or implicit duty.
Each legal malpractice claim is distinct. However, some categories of legal malpractice are more common than others. Attorney negligence can happen in a range of different contexts.
There are many ways that a lawyer can be negligent and cause financial harm to their clients. Some of the most common types of malpractice cases include:
When you have questions like “What kind of legal action is a malpractice suit?” look no further than the experts at Morgan & Morgan. Our compassionate attorneys have been fighting hard for victims of legal negligence since 1988.