How Do I Know If I Have a Medical Malpractice Case?
After going to the doctor or another medical care professional, you usually expect to be feeling better or starting a treatment plan that will help you get better. You trust your nurses, doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists to all be attentive and not make any mistakes when they’re taking care of you. But sometimes, a healthcare provider can act negligently and severely injure you. This could be from giving you the wrong medication, messing up a surgery, or not noticing crucial details on your chart. A Marion, IL medical malpractice lawyer from Prince Law Firm can help you with your medical malpractice claim.
Your injuries may be painful and prevent you from working. You may even need corrective surgery because of a doctor’s negligence. Medical malpractice cases are difficult to handle on your own. But you can rest assured that the lawyers at Prince Law Firm will do everything possible to get you the compensation you deserve. This could help cover any pain and suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages.
What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is a serious accusation where the healthcare provider acted negligently and their negligence caused the patient unnecessary injury and pain. It’s more than someone going to the doctor and not liking their experience. The following need to be proven to have a medical malpractice case:
- Negligence. You have to show that your doctor or nurse acted negligently even though they agreed to take care of you.
- Injury. You also need proof of their negligence causing your injury. Documents like medical records and photographs can help with this.
- Preventable. Finally, you need to show that your injury would have been prevented if you’d had a competent doctor treating you that day.
When you file a medical malpractice claim, you’re doing more than just standing up for yourself. You’re also bringing to light that a trusted medical professional made a mistake that caused you a lot of pain. They may have failed to notice an important detail on your chart or ignore results of tests. A successful settlement may do more than provide you with financial relief. You may bring change to how the hospital runs things or make the medical professional take responsibility for their actions, and prevent others in Illinois from getting hurt in the future.
Common Forms of Medical Negligence
Medical malpractice can occur in a number of ways. You may have a case if you’ve experienced the following:
- Failure to Diagnose/Misdiagnosis
- Surgical Error
- Misread Tests
- Failure to Provide Information to Patient
- Medication Error
There are other forms of medical malpractice than the list above. If you have questions about your case, or if you’re wondering if you have a case, get in touch with us and schedule a free consultation. You can speak with one of our skilled medical malpractice lawyers and discuss your options.
What Other Things Do I Need to Know About Medical Malpractice?
You may have your case together, but you have to act quickly. Personal injury cases usually have a statute of limitations, meaning you have a set amount of time to bring your case forward. Waiting too long will mean your case may not be heard. You may be depending on that claim for a settlement to help you with medical bills.
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases in Illinois is two years from the injury date. While extenuating circumstances may apply to extreme cases, it’s in your best interests to act well before that date. Medical malpractice cases can get complicated in a short amount of time. Your lawyer has to look at your side of the story, your medical records, the negligent party’s side of the story, and their records. Your lawyer may even need to dig into the hospital’s policies. They’ll also have to find expert witnesses who can say what a competent medical professional would have done and how yours acted negligently.
You’ll also be able to provide a more detailed account of what went wrong and how it’s affected you. Months from the injury, it may be difficult to describe how your injury felt or how it made it nearly impossible to accomplish everyday tasks. With all the details fresh and new in your mind, you give your lawyer more to work with. Above all, getting started on your claim as soon as you can will give you peace of mind that you’re doing everything possible to help your future.