How to File a Medical Malpractice Case
A patient who discovers an object foreign to her, such as surgical clamps, remains inside her body following gall bladder surgery can file a medical malpractice lawsuit. A successful claim must demonstrate the elements of medical negligence: duty, deviation from the norm and direct reason.
Our clients must establish a direct connection between the breach of duty and the injury. This is referred to as the proximate cause.
Cause of Injury
A medical malpractice lawsuit can be initiated by the patient who was injured or a person legally designated to act on their behalf. Depending on the circumstances this may be the spouse of the patient or an adult child, parent, guardian ad Litem or the executor or administrator of the estate of the patient who died. The defendant in a suit for haledon medical malpractice Attorney negligence is the health professional. This could be a licensed doctor, nurse or therapist.
Expert testimony is usually required in cases of malpractice. Medical experts are required to provide evidence to prove that the doctor acted within the standard of care in his or her specific area of expertise. They must also testify regarding the injury caused by the physician’s actions or inactions.
The consequences of negligence and mistakes can be devastating. For example, a misdiagnosis of a medical condition could have life-threatening effects. Other types of injuries be caused by operating on an incorrect body part or putting surgical instruments in the patient.
In order to establish a malpractice claim the patient must demonstrate four legal elements: a duty that the doctor owed them; a breach of this duty; a subsequent injury and damages. In some states, such as New York, the law places a limit on the amount that can be awarded for a malpractice claim.
Causation
The injury element is known as the causation. It is one of the most important elements in a medical malpractice claim. To prove causation, the plaintiff must prove that they sustained the injury based on a balance of probabilities due to due to the negligence of the doctor. This can be a difficult task due to several reasons.
Many of the injuries that are the basis for a medical negligence suit result from chronic conditions that existed prior to when treatment started. Often the statute of limitations for a claim involving medical malpractice extends over a variety of years and the injuries may develop slowly.
In these instances it is necessary to prove that a medical professional’s violation of the standard of care that led to the injury is a challenge. The attorney could have gathered evidence, such as expert testimony and sebring medical malpractice lawsuit records that the patient who was injured may use.
During the discovery procedure that is part of the legal process preparation for a trial, your attorney can request that the lawyers of the defendants provide expert testimony and other documents. The doctor who is defending the lawsuit will then be required to testify in a deposition, which is the testimony under the oath. Your lawyer can challenge the doctor’s findings and cross-examine them. The jury will decide whether the plaintiff has proved the elements of the case including breach of duty and causation.
Negligence
If a medical malpractice lawsuit is filed the plaintiff must to convince the jury that it was more likely than not that the doctor committed a breach of professional duties and those breached duties caused harm. The plaintiff’s lawyer must show this through evidence gathered through pretrial discovery, which entails asking for disclosure of documents such as medical records from all parties who are involved in the lawsuit. Depositions, in which statements are made under oath and recorded to be used at trial, are also part of this procedure.
A doctor has breached their professional duty in the event that they did something reasonable and prudent doctors would not have done in similar circumstances. However it must be proved that the breach directly caused injury to the patient. This is called causation or proxy causes. A patient might go to the hospital in order to repair a hernia but instead end up having their gall bladder removed. This is lanett medical malpractice lawyer malpractice because the removal of the gall bladder did not benefit the patient.
Medical malpractice lawsuits must be brought within a legally prescribed period of time, also known as the statute of limitations, which varies by state. The person who suffered the injury must prove that the substandard treatment resulted in injury, and after that they must show what compensation they are entitled to.
Damages
You deserve to be compensated for any injuries that you’ve suffered as a result of medical negligence. Scaffidi & Associates can help you receive a fair and complete compensation for your losses.
The first step is filing and serving an order and complaint on all defendants named in the lawsuit. The parties then begin discovery, a procedure in which documents and statements are revealed under the oath. Medical records and the notes of the doctor are usually requested during discovery.
In the majority of states, to receive compensation for injuries sustained by negligence, you must to establish four elements including a duty of good faith that the healthcare provider is obligated to perform, a breach of this duty; a causal link between the breach and injury and damages that result from the injury. If your lawyer can prove all of these elements, then you’ve got an argument for financial recovery in a medical malpractice claim.
In certain cases the court might decide to award punitive damages which is intended to punish a wrongdoer, and deter others from engaging in similar acts. This is rare however, particularly in medical malpractice cases. The courts must be able to prove evidence of intent to commit a crime before they are able to award these extraordinary damages.