Medical malpractice has many tragic consequences, some of which can be significant, long-lasting, and costly. When doctors and other medical professionals are negligent in their care, the results are often life-changing, catastrophic injuries—sometimes even death. They must be held accountable, and the injured patients and their families should never be forced to shoulder burdens caused by the preventable mistakes of others.
How Common is Medical Malpractice, and How Does it Happen?
Medical negligence or malpractice occurs when a medical professional fails to competently perform their duties and causes an injury to a patient. Medical malpractice is a result of the breach of the duty of professional care: an act or omission by a doctor or medical professional that directly causes the harm suffered by the patient.
Though one would hope that medical malpractice does not happen frequently, it is, unfortunately, a more common occurrence than it should be. In fact, medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the United States after only heart disease and cancer, according to a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine study.
Medical malpractice can happen in a variety of ways and settings. It can occur during surgery or anesthesia, in the emergency room, or even in your own physician’s office. Some examples include misdiagnosis or the failure to diagnose a disease or complication, surgical errors, birth injuries, nursing care-related injuries, wrongful death, and many others.
What Are Some of the More Common Consequences of Medical Malpractice?
There are many different consequences that can result from medical negligence. As one journal article reports: “Medical malpractice can negatively affect all aspects of an injured patient’s life, from physical and emotional damages to serious financial hardships. Results such as loss of work, permanent disability, loss of quality of life, and loss of future wages are a few examples of the possible negative impacts.”
To the patient, those consequences can be very serious, causing complications that may be painful, long-lasting, and life-altering. Medical negligence can result in any of the following:
- Infection of a surgical site
- Worsening of the original condition
- Unnecessary surgery or other medical treatments
- The development of a new medical condition
- Post-operative errors
- Failure to treat the original condition
The costs of medical malpractice to the patient can themselves be crippling. In many medical malpractice cases, both out-of-pocket, economic damages, and general damages are incurred.
Out-of-pocket costs include medical expenses, such as the costs of testing, treatment, imaging, doctor’s visits, hospital stays, and prescription medication costs you’ve incurred as a result of the doctor’s negligence. You may also experience lost income if you are unable to work as a result of your injuries. Additionally, you may incur general damages as a result of the negligence, including pain and suffering, the loss of enjoyment of activities that you can no longer do, scarring, and the overall decline in your quality of life.
What to Look for in a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
To prevail in a medical malpractice case, you must prove that the doctor or other professional was negligent, meaning that they failed to adhere to the professional standard of care that a reasonable medical professional would have used under the circumstances. You will also need to prove that the harm you suffered was a direct result of the negligence and that you’ve suffered actual damages.
How Can Janet, Janet & Suggs Help with Your Medical Malpractice Claim?
With JJS’s decades of experience, a team of knowledgeable lawyers and medical experts, and access to substantial resources, we can aggressively litigate against negligent providers and institutions. We work to get our clients the answers and fair compensation they will need to have the best quality of life possible after being seriously harmed by their medical providers.
Our team has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of victims of medical malpractice, including record-breaking verdicts in many states. We provide personalized attention and dedicated service to each and every case we represent. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation so we can learn more about your case.