“First, do no harm.” That’s one part of the Hippocratic Oath. Every day, doctors all over the world heal people, helping them to feel better and get more out of life. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, the actions of doctors and medical professionals lead to the patient’s death. When this occurs through negligence on the part of the caregiver, it’s called “medical malpractice.” This is one of the more common types of cases that our wrongful death attorney team sees. Below, we’ll discuss what medical malpractice is, and what to do when a loved one suffers it.
When people hear the term “medical malpractice,” it’s natural to think of it as something from a movie or television show. Common images include an evil doctor, purposefully letting a patient die. The truth is often far more complicated than that. Many of the medical malpractice cases that we see are a misdiagnosis. The doctor thought the loved one had one issue, but they actually had another. Unfortunately, this lead to the patient’s demise. Similarly, many of the cases we see are a failure to diagnose, as well. That means that the medical professional didn’t see what the problem was, and thus the patient suffered for it.
These kinds of deaths are incredibly frustrating for family members. It’s normal and natural to feel utterly powerless when this happens. After all, your loved one went to receive medical care because they expected them to get better. When the exact opposite occurs, it can be one of the most difficult things that a person ever has to deal with. It’s hard enough to lose a loved one; losing them through medical malpractice can take a difficult experience and make it so much worse.
Errors in diagnosis are not limited to just the treatment; they can extend to medication, too. Should your loved one have been given a medication negligently, that was manifestly wrong for them, then it might be possible to bring this kind of suit against those responsible. Your loved one, in taking the medication, is just doing what they were told by the professionals. They were simply following the advice that was given to them. A suit from the LA Injury Group can give you a chance to fight back.
Surgical errors and injuries during birth are two forms of medical malpractice that are all too common. Again, these are moments when your life, as well as the lives of those you love, are in the hands of professionals who you should be able to trust. You place your absolute trust in them, and they have to live up to that. When their negligence keeps them from doing so, a suit might be the best way to make sure that you get what you deserve.
We understand if much of this seems vague and unclear. The rules around medical malpractice can be hard to parse. When you’ve just been through an awful experience in losing a loved one, it’s natural to not know whether or not you have this kind of suit on your hands. What can make it even more difficult is if you have people from the insurance company, your medical provider, or anywhere else telling you “no, it’s not medical malpractice. No, you can’t bring a case. All you’re doing is extending the pain,” etc. That’s not their determination to make.
As difficult as it can be, the best thing you can do is to reach out to us. Here at the LA Injury Group, we offer free consultations. There, we can sit down with you and go over your case. Our attorneys have been handling cases like yours for many, many years. We know what constitutes medical malpractice, our wrongful death attorney knows when you have a case, and we know what can be done about it.
The worst thing that can happen from one of our free consultations is that we can tell you unfortunately, we don’t think that you have a case. We understand that can be extremely difficult to hear, particularly in the wake of losing a loved one. However, it’s not worse than going through life wondering if you had a case if there was a way to bring a case against those whose negligence may have cost your loved one their life. That nagging feeling doesn’t go away. We’ve talked to many people over the years who wished they’d brought cases sooner. As with so many other things in life, the sooner you bring a case like this, the better.
Of course, not all deaths which are wrongful in the eyes of the law are a result of medical malpractice. Many automobile accidents are caused by negligence as well. When the other person’s negligence leads to the death of someone that you care about, bringing a case against them is the best thing you can do. “Negligence in an automobile death” doesn’t always mean the person that crashed into your loved one. It could also be that the vehicle they were in was defective or even recalled. Speaking of defective or recalled items which could lead to a loved one’s death, this happens with food more often than you think. When food is sold to someone that you love which causes their demise, something must be done.
This is why it’s important to have attorneys on your side who have dealt with these kinds of cases before. Here at the LA Injury Group, we’ve been through so many medical malpractice cases. Many lawyers in the area say that they’ll be able to handle these cases, but they don’t have much experience in actually winning for their clients. These cases can be more difficult than many of the personal injury cases that we deal with.
That’s due to a host of factors. Obviously, the fact that a loved one passed away is a major reason that they’re so much more difficult. Nothing, no amount of financial compensation, can make up for the loss of a loved one. We just do everything in our power to make sure that you get as much as possible, to try and give you a head start on the next phase of your life.
Another reason that these cases are so difficult is that they take on two enormous groups: insurance companies and medical providers. Many cases just involve insurance companies, but these kinds of cases involve two separate, well-funded and experienced groups. If you don’t have a law firm on your side with ample resources, they’re liable to get swallowed up. After all, between insurance companies and medical providers, that’s essentially endless resources at their disposal.
At the LA Injury Group, that’s where we come in. We have the resources to help you stand in there with medical providers, insurance companies, and anyone else. As we have the resources to match them, we can make sure that you’re on an equal footing with them at every step of the case. So, when they hire an investigator, we’ll have an investigator to match. The same goes for experts, accident reconstructionists, and basically anything else. We make sure that you can go toe to toe with them so that you have the best chance to get everything that you deserve.
After the death of a loved one, you have so much that you have to deal with. Between the funeral costs, medical bills and more, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why our wrongful death attorney are there to help. We can help you to get compensation for all of those bills as well as so much more. By taking your case, we can give you one less thing to worry about. Schedule a consultation by calling (818) 240-1800.