Atlanta Georgia Medical Malpractice Lawyers

When visiting a doctor, you want to be confident that you will be getting a high-quality service. But this doesn’t always happen, and a trip to the doctor can leave you worse off. If you have experienced this, you aren’t alone. Sadly, thousands of patients across Georgia are affected by these incidents each year. The good news is that victims can file a medical malpractice lawsuit to get the compensation they deserve.

Defining Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor deviates from the standard of care that is typically offered to patients. This occurs when a medical professional is negligent in their duties.  Often, these accidents can cause significant harm to patients, affecting both their mental and physical health.

To give you a better idea of what medical malpractice is, here are a few common examples:

• Incorrectly diagnosing a condition, or failing to diagnose a condition
• Prescribing the wrong drugs, or giving the wrong quantity of drug
• Failing to supervise patients during recovery
• Leaving surgical items inside the patient
• Not sterilizing medical equipment, leading to an infection
• Using defective medical products

It should be noted that you might also have a medical malpractice legal case if your family pet was affected by medical negligence by the vet. If you think this is the case, you should talk to an attorney.

There are a few reasons why medical malpractice occurs. Sometimes, the medical professional will be tired, making a mistake at the end of a long shift. At other times, they might not be aware of the hospital’s policies. It’s also possible that accidents can occur after a communication breakdown within the medical center or a failure to properly listen to a patient.

Proving Medical Malpractice

Due to the complexity of these situations, you will need a talented Atlanta medical malpractice attorney to prove that you were the victim of medical malpractice. To do this, there are a few things that we will need to establish.

First, we will need to prove that you were owed a duty of care by the medical professional. Often, this means establishing that you were a patient that the medical facility has agreed to treat.

Next, we need to show that the care provider breached their duty of care. This means collecting evidence that they failed to follow industry standards or didn’t provide you adequate care. This might require medical malpractice lawyer in Georgia to conduct an investigation, to determine the reason why the accident occurred.

Thirdly, we’ll need to show that this breach is what is responsible for your injury. This might require you to be examined by an independent third party, to determine the reason your injuries occurred.

If you prove these elements, you will be able to sue for damages. But you will need to show that these damages were directly caused by the injury you received. We’ll discuss the types of things you can sue for a little later.

There are a few techniques that your Atlanta personal injury law firm will use to prove your case. First, they will be able to investigate what happened. This can include looking at who accessed your patient record, at what time, and what changes were made. They might also interview witnesses or use text and email records. Sometimes, an expert witness can help testify about what happened and whether it breached the expected level of patient care.

Wrongful Death After Medical Malpractice

One of the most tragic outcomes of medical malpractice is the loss of life. If your loved one passed away, you might be able to sue for wrongful death. There are a few people who can make this claim, they are:

• Spouse
• Children, if there wasn’t a spouse
• Parents, if there isn’t a spouse or children
• The executor of the will, if there aren't any spouses, children, or parents.

There are a few things that you will be able to claim in these circumstances. First, you will be able to claim the pain and loss associated with the loss of your loved one. You can also claim for funeral expenses and loss of companionship.

What Compensation Are Victims of Medical Malpractice Entitled To?

If your Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer can establish that the malpractice occurred, you will be able to claim damages. There are a few categories that these damages can fall into.

First, you will be able to claim economic damages. Some of the most prominent examples are; lost wages, hospital bills, medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and mobility equipment. Sometimes, you will also be able to get compensated for future medical bills that you are expected to incur. These will need to be adjusted to account for the expected inflation rate.

You will also be able to claim non-economic damages. These can be a little harder to quantify. It can include the pain and loss you experienced after the accident. You can also claim for the mental anguish. If you were left with a disability, you might be able to claim a loss of enjoyment of life.

In most of these cases, the case will be settled outside of court. The two malpractice lawyers will negotiate, deciding on a reasonable amount of damages. However, you will need to turn to the best personal injury firms in Georgia. They will be willing to go to court to fight for your rights.

How Long Do You Have To Bring A Case?

The next thing to decide is how long you have to bring a case before the court. In most circumstances, you will have two years from the date of the negligence. However, if you discovered a foreign object after surgery, you would only have one year to bring the charges.

Because these cases can be so complex, it’s recommended that you contact Georgia medical malpractice lawyers as soon as possible. This will ensure that you give them plenty of time to gather the evidence needed to present a strong case. 

Conclusion

Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure when visiting a medical professional. Sadly, though, this doesn’t always happen, and medical professionals can make life-altering mistakes. If you have been affected by medical malpractice, you deserve compensation. It’s recommended that you talk to an the best medical malpractice lawyers in Georgia today to find out how they can help.