When working with medical malpractice lawyers in Charlotte, you’re likely already in the midst of your recovery. That doesn’t mean that your doctor is off the hook. Many people learn of medical malpractice during their recovery. If you are the victim of malpractice, then you need legal guidance. A medical malpractice attorney can help you explore legal options and take off some of the stress that comes with botched medical care.
A malpractice lawyer at Ted A. Greve & Associates might be able to help you identify if the mishandling of your care was isolated or part of a pattern. They also have access to resources that are nearly impossible for people to reach on their own.
If you were further injured, received the incorrect treatment or prescription or otherwise were harmed at the hands of medical professionals, take legal action with the help of a Charlotte personal injury lawyer. It is likely that even if your case was an isolated event, it was both preventable and outright avoidable. Use the resources you have available to make this situation right. Get help during your recovery and rely on professionals you can trust.
After experiencing medical malpractice, likely, you’re not just hurting physically but financially as well. Many times, the only chance of a full recovery is to pursue compensation to alleviate the stress of financial struggle as well. Call our offices today at (844)387-8677 and speak with our experts. We offer a risk-free consultation that will allow you to get answers to your questions in a no-obligation setting.
What is Medical Malpractice?
If your treatment doesn’t go as planned or promised treatment just doesn’t work that doesn’t mean that you’re the victim of malpractice. Malpractice relies on a few foundational problems that the patient must prove.
In a malpractice case, you must work with a lawyer to show:
- The doctor involved owed you a duty of care and that there was a patient-doctor relationship.
- The doctor failed or breached their duty of care.
- Your injuries, illness, or prolonged recovery link directly to the doctor’s negligence.
- Medical care led to damages.
Medical negligence does entitle you to compensation for cases of injuries and wrongful death. There is a divide between a medical mistake and negligence. Recently, John Hopkins University School of Medicine published that the medical errors likely account for a third of the leading causes of death in the U.S. it is possible that medical error accounts for more than 250,000 per year.
In general, injuries and harm relating to medical malpractice only have a three-year window for filing a claim. However, if you are the family of a person who has died because of malpractice, you only have two years to decide if you’re going to file a claim.
There are very few exceptions to this rule; they are:
- The patient was a minor when the incident of negligence took place.
- The injuries were delayed or took longer than the window of time to file a report to appear.
- The surgeon leaves an object in the patient’s body as part of a procedure.
How to Find the Best Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Charlotte
Medical care is not simple. Doctors and other medical professionals often make judgment calls based on the information they have at the time. However, most medical errors and the injuries you suffer from them are preventable. If a procedure goes wrong, or a prescription is not correct, then that is medical malpractice.
If you think that you are the victim of medical negligence, then contact our medical malpractice lawyers in Charlotte straight away. You can also get the help of an attorney for a family member. Taking that first step can often lead to a fair fight for the compensation that you or your family member deserves.
You should consider how much effort the doctor, hospital, or practicing board will put behind their defense. These cases are usually contested extensively and can become quite hostile. Why? These cases are high stakes for the medical professionals involved. It’s their livelihood. In even more complex cases, you’ll need a team of attorney’s working your case.
Another factor to keep in mind is that your damages are not going to stop the day you receive your settlement. Many medical malpractice cases must take into account the suffering and pain that will likely follow the victim through the years to come — working with a client-first approach we use economic and medical experts to calculate the goal compensation amount.
Experts are necessary to accurately identify and predict the costs of future medical care, rehabilitation, lost wages, and the many aspects of pain and suffering.
We construct cases seeking a full and fair amount of compensation for many different types of medical negligence. Among our cases are:
- Victims were experiencing severe brain injury or death from failure to intubate properly.
- A surgical error resulting in the loss of organ function or resulting in death.
- Infection from hospital negligence resulting in death.
- Failing to diagnose a patient or to treat a detached retina with the result being blindness properly.
- Medical errors which result in death or severe injury.
- Injuries related to falls and fractures, resulting from a lack of supervision from hospital staff.
- Improper nutritional care resulting in death from malnutrition, lack of hydration, or related issue.
- Medical staff failing to prevent or treat bedsores, which resulted in death.
- Failing to remove all foreign objects during or after a surgery which resulted in death or injury.
- Failing to diagnose or treat a heart blockage.
- Negligence during labor and delivery, which results in birth injuries.
- Negligence during post-partum care which results in injury or death.
What are the Different Types of Medical Negligence?
During our investigation and attempt to uncover errors in medical practice, we take on a wide variety of types of medical negligence.
Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis
A doctor can’t possibly treat you correctly if they don’t make the correct diagnosis. If a doctor missed your condition or delayed informing you and it resulted in delayed treatment, you may have a misdiagnosis case. For victims who received the wrong diagnosis, it’s likely that they underwent unnecessary and ineffective treatment, which resulted in more harm. Our lawyers are able to pursue full and fair compensation aggressively.
Medication Errors
From diagnosis to recovery, you can experience a medication error at any point in time. It is possible for a doctor to write the prescription incorrectly or write it for an inappropriate dosage. Then there is the risk of pharmacists making a mistake in filling the prescription. Additionally, a nurse may incorrectly administer the medicine. With medication, there is a lot of room for error, and these errors can result in injury and death.
Surgical Errors
It’s a terrible thought, and while these incidents should never happen, they do happen and often. Issues such as operating on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient happen. Examples of this include performing surgery on the left arm rather than the right arm.
Another regular example of surgical errors includes leaving surgical tools or equipment within the body. This often shows negligence not only on the surgeon but on the surrounding staff as well. Additional failure on the part of the medical staff can result in infection from surgery, which can be deadly. When a surgical failure results in death, you will likely need the help of a Charlotte wrongful death lawyer.
Errors in the ER
There is little room for error in emergency situations, but the urgency and critical nature of the patient often lead doctors to irrational decisions. When a medical professional makes a hasty examination and diagnosis, it can lead to an inaccurate treatment. There are other times when ill patients inappropriately discharge patients when they really should have been taken into the hospital.
Communication or Chart Errors
One of the more common types of error includes communication error. While doctors and nurses rely on medical charts for information, it is a commonplace for transposed numbers and sloppy handwriting. Transposing numbers on birthdate or weight can have serious effects. Other information such as allergies and medications the patient is taking can have a life-threatening impact. Medical care is so heavily reliant on communications that healthcare providers that rely solely on charts run the risk of causing more harm.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia is a requirement for most surgeries. However, it anesthesia needs proper administration and thorough monitoring to be safe. Otherwise, the patient will take on some injury and could die. Mistakes or errors with anesthesia include not reviewing or understanding the patient’s medical history.
A person’s medical history could make an aesthetician aware of an outstanding condition that makes anesthesia dangerous. Additionally, if the hospital failed to provide the patient with information about pre-operative practices, they put the patient at risk of reacting poorly with the anesthesia. Then there are more common issues with anesthesia such as providing too much, too little, or not monitoring the patient when they are unconscious.
Infections
Although hospitals are generally clean environments, there is the risk of contracting an infection while in a hospital and especially after surgery. Procedures that aren’t done well, or don’t follow particular rules can lead to a life-threatening infection. The most common type of infection found in hospitals is a urinary tract infection. Often this infection comes from catheter use. Other common infections include infection at the surgical site, entry site, and from central lines used to deliver medication.
How Much is a North Carolina Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
There is no static amount for an award of medical malpractice. You will need to work with a lawyer to identify what is fair and what would fully cover your financial setback that resulted from the malpractice. When you meet with a lawyer, they’ll help you explore and identify both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic
These damages will include financial obligations and losses such as medical bills and lost wages. Additionally, you’ll want to evaluate other costs of treatment, such as transportation. In some cases, you can factor in alternative losses, including the loss of future earnings.
Non-Economic
Non-economic damages include pain and suffering as well as the loss of reputation. In North Carolina, there is a cap for non-economic damages at $545,144, but those who are permanently injured or disfigured don’t have this restriction. These are for extreme cases, but often you’ll seek some extent of non-economic damage compensation.
Contact Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Charlotte, NC for a Free Consultation
At Ted A. Greve and Associates, our team members bring a balance of knowledge, skill, and resources into each case. They understand that each case is unique but that they come with similar difficulties, such as dealing with the medical board and injured victims.
Choose to work with an attorney or team of attorneys that will focus on your case. We know that this one incident has had a substantial effect on your life and that a check won’t reverse the damage.
The incident of medical malpractice will continue to impact you long after your case settles or closes. As a well-established law firm in Charlotte, NC, we have the resources to serve cases that are too complicated for a single lawyer to take on. Our medical malpractice lawyers in Charlotte regularly work together, and that teamwork often leads to a well-structured case.
Call now to schedule a free consultation. Ted A. Greve & Associates serves victims of medical malpractice throughout the Charlotte, NC area. We know that you want fair and full compensation for the pain you’ve experienced at the hands of a professional. During this free consultation, we can discuss the details of your medical care, case, and your compensation goals.
