Tampa Medical Malpractice Attorney

When you visit a medical practice, licensed specialist, or other healthcare professionals, you have every right to expect that the professionals who are in charge of your treatment are taking all of the appropriate steps to ensure that you are getting a reasonable standard of care. This standard of care is the basis of all medical treatment and holds medical professionals responsible to make decisions based on minimizing risks (especially unnecessary risks) to you during your care. Most often, patients receive the care that they expect and deserve. However, there are times when a patient receives care that causes them more harm, and in certain instances, this can be considered to be medical malpractice.

If you are the victim of medical malpractice in Tampa, then you have rights as a victim that will allow you to seek compensation in the form of a medical malpractice lawsuit. Working with a Tampa medical malpractice attorney is the best way that you can maximize your chances of having a successful claim and a reasonable settlement amount. The first step towards getting this settlement is to find an experienced and aggressive medical malpractice lawyer to take your case,

1-800-Injured has a robust referral network of seasoned attorneys who are ready to take your case today. Contact us now to be connected with an attorney who will be able to help you make sense of your situation, identify all possible avenues towards compensation, and get started fighting for your rights as soon as possible. You deserve to have legal support while you are focusing on recovering from your injuries and getting your life back on track, and a lawyer is a great way to get this support.

Read more below to learn about some of the specifics about medical malpractice cases in Tampa, and contact us as soon as possible to be connected with an attorney who can help you with your legal needs immediately.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice, at it’s most basic, is when a healthcare professional acts negligently or recklessly, either through act or omission, in a way that causes harm and injury to you, their patient. There are a variety of different ways that this malpractice can take place, such as errors in diagnosis, improper medical treatments, or surgical errors. To learn more about there in greater detail, refer to the section on “Common Malpractice Cases” below.

Are You a Victim of Medical Malpractice?

If you believe that you have suffered injuries as a result of negligence on behalf of a licensed healthcare professional, then you may have a legal basis to seek compensation from them in the form of a medical malpractice lawsuit in Tampa. The following details are central keys to determining whether or not medical malpractice has taken place. Whether or not you are certain of your own situation aligning with these details, contact us now to be connected with an attorney who can help you make better sense of your options.

• The healthcare professional failed to meet their standard of care: The standard practices and accepted medical treatments that a patient can expect that they will receive from the professional. The first step towards determining medical malpractice is to clarify whether or not the healthcare professional failed to act on this standard of care.
• The failure to uphold the standard of care caused an injury: If a medical professional fails to uphold their standard of care and the patient suffers from an injury as a result of it, then this is the next step towards determining whether or not medical malpractice occurred. If there are no injuries, then there is no legal basis to seek compensation from the doctor or healthcare professional. 
• The injury caused measurable damages: Finally, we will examine the injuries suffered in order to understand the measurable damages that they incurred as a result. These measurable damages are what you will pursue through a medical malpractice claim or lawsuit with your lawyer.

As you can imagine with the range of healthcare types and procedures, these basic requirements do not narrow down the examples of malpractice as much as they provide a framework for understanding your own situation. There are countless examples of situations that could qualify as malpractice depending on these aforementioned factors and many more.

When Do You Need a Medical Malpractice Lawyer?

Many people believe that they should work directly with an insurance representative or while initiating their claim without hiring an attorney, but this is strongly advised against. From the first contact that you make with an insurance company, the insurance adjusters spring into action to find as many ways as possible to limit the amount of money that they ultimately pay you as a settlement. Each statement that you make and document that you submit contributes to their case, and if you are not working with someone who is experienced with these types of cases then you may make statements that seem innocuous but could seriously impact the outcome of your negotiations.

Hiring an attorney before you file a claim is one of the best decisions that you could make at the start of this stressful and complicated process. 

Common Medical Malpractice Cases

Failure to Diagnose / Misdiagnosis

Getting a second opinion is an extremely important part of any medical journey, but in some cases, the second opinion may be wrong, or there could be a variety of other factors that lead to confusion. Regardless, if a healthcare professional either fails to diagnose an illness, or misdiagnoses and treats the wrong illness, then the patient can be at serious risk of complications, and even death. 

Errors in Prescribing

Prescription (and non-prescription) medications are extremely helpful in treating illnesses and conditions, but they are complicated and potentially dangerous when not taken the right way. When your doctor prescribes a medication to you, they must be aware of all other medicines that you are taking, as well as any possible health risks or allergies that could pose issues. If you take two medications that have dangerous interactions, then you could be at risk of a range of injuries, from liver damage to fatal side-effects.

Surgical Errors

Going in for a surgical procedure is stressful as it is, but a patient should never need to worry about getting the wrong treatment or being the victim of a surgical error. Unfortunately, surgical mix-ups are more common than we would like to believe, from surgical tools being left in a patient’s body to receiving the entirely wrong surgery. If you are the victim of a surgical error, then you deserve compensation for this egregious mistake that has put you at significant risk.