Before you can determine whether or not a medical malpractice lawyer can help you, you should understand what they actually do. Once you have a good understanding of exactly what services malpractice lawyers provide, you can then decide if hiring one would benefit you. Check out the information below if you think you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Malpractice is defined as any act or omission by a medical professional during the treatment of a patient that differs from accepted norms of practice and causes an injury to the patient. Doctors, nurses, dentists, therapists and a host of other medical professionals can be sued for medical malpractice.
What Does a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Do?
Medical malpractice lawyers litigate lawsuits on behalf of their clients against medical professionals. These clients may be the patient who experienced the inadequate medical treatment or family members of a patient who died.
Malpractice attorneys perform much of the same work as civil litigators, since both lawyers take cases in which criminal charges are not brought forth. Daily tasks performed by malpractice attorneys can include:
- Taking depositions
- Developing case theory by working with medical experts
- Conducting relevant medical research
- Reviewing clients’ medical records, bills and other documentation
- Obtaining independent medicals examinations
These attorneys frequently specialize in specific types of medical malpractice. Common malpractice specializations include nursing home neglect, surgical errors, emergency room mistakes and child birthing injuries.
When Can a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Help?
If you have a valid claim for a medical malpractice suit, a malpractice lawyer like one from Andersen Morse & Linthorst may be able to help you. Before taking on your case, a malpractice attorney may need a lot of information from you. In order for the lawyer to determine whether he or she has a shot at winning a malpractice lawsuit for you, medical records, medical bills and other documentation could be requested.
Medical malpractice laws vary from state to state, but generally, there may be a statute of limitations for filing these lawsuits. This means you must file within a certain time frame after the malpractice occurred. Further, there are certain elements that need to be proven by a plaintiff in order to have a successful medical malpractice suit.
Oftentimes, these elements are duty of care, breach of duty, causation and damages.
Schedule an appointment with a medical malpractice lawyer today if you believe you have been the victim of medical malpractice.