A Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer is a great asset to have by your side when filing a medical malpractice claim.
No one wants to suffer an injury or permanent disability after being treated by a doctor or visiting a hospital. In Jacksonville, Florida, anyone who has been injured as a result of a medical professional’s negligent actions may file a claim against the medical professional at fault in order to try and recover compensation for their injuries. If you have suffered an injury that was a result of a medical care provider’s negligent actions, talk to an experienced Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to know if you have a viable case.
What is Medical Malpractice? Medical malpractice (also known as medical negligence) is an act or omission by a medical care provider (i.e. doctor, surgeon, nurse, hospital and nursing home) that deviates from the generally accepted medical care standards, causing the patient to be injured or, in the worse cases, die. It is essentially professional negligence by a medical care expert or health care provider that results in an injury or complications on the part of the patient.
Examples of Medical Malpractice There are different ways a health care provider can be targeted for a medical malpractice claim. Here are some examples of mistakes that are considered forms of medical malpractice.
Misdiagnosis This usually occurs when a physician fails to diagnose a disease or patient’s medical status correctly. An undiagnosed patient often loses the chance to receive the correct treatment that could save them. Premature death or permanent disability is the common outcome of misdiagnosis.
Prescription Errors If the wrong drug or wrong dosage of a drug is prescribed by a doctor then it could be considered prescription error. Not only do mistakes in prescribing drugs put adult patients at risk but also endanger children who were given wrong medications.
Surgical Errors A surgical error can result in pain, scarring or even death. Common types of surgical errors include removal of the wrong body part (i.e. limbs, tissues or organs), surgery on the wrong area of the body and surgery on the wrong vertebral spine level. A surgical mistake can also result from poor sanitation and usage of unclean medical instruments.
There are other causes or forms of medical malpractice that can cause a claim to arise. The above examples are the most that are handled and dealt with by a Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer.
Jacksonville Medical Malpractice Claim Just like in other negligence claims, your Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer must prove that you have been injured as a result of a medical care professional’s failure to follow the prevailing standard of care. Before a physician, nurse or hospital can be considered negligent, an expert witness must show first that there was a breach of the accepted standard of care. Your Jacksonville medical malpractice claim should also prove that their client has suffered damages or losses, which resulted from the neglectful treatment. These may include all your injury related medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering.
Florida’s medical malpractice law is much morecomplicated than in other states. Since caps for medical malpractice awards have been imposed in the state, the amount of the damages you can recover is limited. The cap applied on pain and suffering can be extended up to 1.5 million dollars depending on who was at fault. To learn more about the different caps imposed on damages as well as on doctors, hospitals and other health care providers, a Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyer should be consulted.
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