Trusting your medical provider to help you get through your illness or injury is second nature. We rarely think treatment from a medical professional could result in more harm. When this happens, you may not know who to turn to. If you or a loved one had a medical provider that made a mistake and it resulted in injury, a Columbia, MD medical malpractice lawyer from Belsky & Horowitz, LLC may be able to help you with your claim.
The losses from medical negligence can be physical, financial, and emotional. While you’re trying to get your health in order, taking on a claim may feel like you’re adding too much. That’s where we can help. Our lawyers understand the difficult time you’re going through and will answer any questions you have about your case. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
Medical Mistakes and Their Consequences
A medical professional can make a mistake that affects your life forever. Our firm has helped victims of medical malpractice with their recovery. While there are many ways a medical care provider can act negligently, common examples of medical negligence include the following:
- Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose
- Birth Injuries
- Medication Error
- Surgical Error
- Anesthesia Error
- Emergency Room Error
A misdiagnosis occurs when a person’s health care provider looks at their symptoms but doesn’t diagnose the correct illness. They may start treatment for an illness they do not have. If someone is presenting symptoms of an illness, a doctor may not recognize these symptoms and fail to diagnose the patient. For example, someone may be presenting symptoms of cancer, but the doctor could think it was something else. The patient could lose critical time where they could have started treatment.
If a medical provider acts negligently, they could harm the mother or the baby. Certain medications during the mother’s pregnancy could affect their child. Not recognizing that a Cesarean section is necessary or incorrectly using birthing tools could injure the child.
Patients may depend on medication to help them heal. If they’re not given the correct medication, are given the wrong dosage, or aren’t given their medication at the right time, the patient’s health could suffer. Allergic reactions to the wrong medication are possible, which could create more health complications.
A surgical error can include performing surgery on the wrong limb, performing a surgery that wasn’t necessary, or not informing the patient of the possible risks of undergoing the procedure. It’s also possible for tools or sponges to be left inside the patient that could cause pain and infection, which would require additional corrective surgery.
When patients undergo surgery, they’re often given anesthesia. If they receive the incorrect dose, they could wake up during surgery or have trouble waking up after. Brain damage can also occur.
There are myriad reasons why someone may go to an emergency room. However, if certain patients aren’t prioritized, their lives could be in danger. For example, if someone showing signs of a stroke or heart attack isn’t seen as soon as possible, those critical health events could result in a fatality.
If one of the examples above happened to you or a loved one, you should get in touch with a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. Our firm can help you stand up to negligent medical care providers and show them their actions were unacceptable.
Medical Malpractice in Maryland
Columbia citizens deserve to have legal professionals by their side who have years of experience in medical malpractice cases. These cases are complex and require certain elements to be considered valid.
For a medical malpractice case, the plaintiff’s case must show the following criteria:
- The doctor did not follow the standard of care.
- Their deviation caused your injuries.
- You suffered damages from the injuries.
Your case will also need the testimony of an expert witness. They’ll need to be familiar with the standard of care and how it applies to your case.
There are different types of standards of care you should know about:
- Strict Locality. With this rule, the plaintiff’s expert witness needs to be familiar with the standard of care of the defendant’s community. It’s likely the expert and defendant will practice in the same community.
- Similar Locality. This rule states the expert’s testimony of the standard of care can be in a similar locality as the defendant. So, if a doctor practiced in a small town in one state, they could provide testimony in a small town in another state.
- National Standard. This gets rid of location familiarity. An expert will be a reasonably competent practitioner in the same class as the defendant and can speak to how they should have acted given the circumstances.
Your Columbia, MD medical malpractice lawyers will know what requirements your case will need. The expert witness will be able to look at your case and provide information on how your health care provider failed to meet the standard of care.
How Our Team Can Help You
When a medical professional acts negligently and causes your injuries, we’ll work tirelessly to show that your injuries could have been prevented. As we gather evidence and consult with experts, we’ll also make sure the paperwork involved with your claim is filed properly and on time.
The laws surrounding medical malpractice cases vary from state to state. It’s important to have Columbia attorneys on your side who know how the law will apply to your case and what actions you need to take for your claim to have its best chance of success.
Facing down hospital bills as well as recovering from your injuries is a lot to deal with at once. With us at your side, we’ll fight for you to get compensation so you don’t have to worry about the bills you owe. You can have peace of mind that you won’t have to worry about affording the care you need and putting food on the table. You’ll be able to focus on your recovery.
When you get in touch with us, we’ll offer a free case evaluation so you can learn more about your case and figure out your options.