Medical Malpractice Legal Services in Alabama
Medical malpractice is any act of negligence by a physician during the treatment of a patient that deviates from accepted norms of practice. It can lead to catastrophic injuries and premature death. You might think it doesn’t happen that often, but medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in the US.
It’s hard to trust the “do no harm” pledge that doctors live by once you know this scary truth. Suffering an injury or illness caused by someone you’re supposed to trust with your life can be traumatic.
Most medical malpractice victims never even find out about the negligence involved while diagnosing and treating them. Only 2.9% of medical malpractice victims end up filing claims. The rest of them are left helpless trying to tackle the brutal physical, mental, and financial stress of their medical issues.
Medical malpractice cases can get complicated right from the start. You require significant resources to fish for the necessary evidence and build your claim. Doctors and hospitals have an army of attorneys to challenge your claim. It’s time you hire a skillful Alabama medical malpractice lawyer and even up the playing field.
At Mezrano, our attorneys will protect your rights and help you maximize your compensation to get your life back on track.
Areas We Serve throughout Alabama
Catastrophic Injuries and Premature Death: Negligence by Medical Professionals
Patients who get admitted to hospitals for treatment put themselves in a totally vulnerable position. Everything from their food, medication, treatment, and movement is supervised by medical professionals.
It’s important to note that the patient’s immune system is already under a lot of pressure when they’re admitted. So one wrong diagnosis or medication can start a chain reaction of disasters that eventually lead to the patient’s premature death.
Victims and their families are legally entitled to hold negligent medical professionals liable for their damages.
Seeking Maximum Compensation: Addressing Various Medical Malpractice Issues
Here are the most common medical malpractice issues reported in Alabama:
- Wrong medications – Your health depends on a healthy balance of your internal chemistry. Medicines can temporarily restore the balance when used correctly. But they can disturb this balance when you’re given the wrong medicine or the wrong dosage. Your doctor can only prescribe medicine after factoring in your allergies and other medicine use.
- Surgical mishaps – The worst-case scenarios of botched surgeries can lead to hematomas, severe infections, organ failure, nerve damage, and even death. They are often caused by fatigued or inexperienced surgeons. Surgeons are expected to exercise the highest degree of care for every step of the surgery, including pre-op and post-op care.
- Misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis – It’s possible for doctors to overlook red flags in your X-rays and test reports. Their timely diagnosis can prevent your injury or death. Misdiagnosis can set you on a path of misery too. For instance, your doctor could classify a malignant lump as benign, which allows the cancer to reach an advanced stage.
- Failure to treat or delayed treatment – Emergency injury cases and severe illnesses are the most time-sensitive cases. It could turn into a life-threatening issue within a couple of minutes if the right treatment isn’t given. Any neglect in taking this timely action can endanger the patient’s health.
- Labor and delivery complications – Failure to properly supervise the delivery process and aftercare can compromise the mother and the child’s health. Neglectful actions could include failure to control blood loss, monitoring vital signs, and overlooking blood type compatibility.
Understanding Medical Malpractice in Alabama
We place a significant amount of trust in our healthcare providers, so when they act negligently – all of that trust is shattered.
Challenging Hospital Practices: A Unique Case
Hospitals see more life-and-death cycles than any other place in the world. So it’s vital for their staff to know how to tackle sensitive scenarios with the utmost care and attention.
A miscarriage can be one of the most emotionally draining experiences for a family. Hospital staff owe a duty of care to them to discuss how they wish to dispose of the remains of the fetus. They can be held liable for the negligent removal, withholding, or mutilation of the fetus, which prevents proper burial or cremation rites.
The family members have the legal right to dispose of the fetus’s remains. Once they complete the D&C procedure to remove the fetus from the uterus, it must be safely stored until the family takes the final call. Many hospitals provide miscarriage collection kits to make this process easier for everyone involved.
The Social Function of Juries in Medical Malpractice Cases
Many studies show that juries can serve as reasonable decision-makers in medical malpractice cases. Sometimes the defending party’s insurers and lawyers refuse to accept liability and negotiate a fair settlement.
Taking your case to trial may be the only option you’re left with. Juries cannot be controlled or manipulated by either side. They help victims send a message of intolerance against medical malpractice. They analyze the economic and non-economic damages you had to bear throughout this process.
Debunking the Myth of Medical Malpractice Costs
Most hospitals and medical practitioners are heavily protected by liability insurance. They’re not paying out of their pockets for your expenses. So it’s absolutely practical for you to expect fair compensation when you file an injury claim against their coverage.
However, every settlement is unique. The size of your settlement depends on the severity of your injury and the losses you’ve suffered because of it. It should ideally cover your medical bills, lost earnings, disabilities, trauma, and any other losses.
Low Number of Malpractice Suits: Addressing the Disparity
There are over 20,000 medical malpractice lawsuits filed in America every year. Most of the fatal injuries and deaths could have been avoided.
It sounds like a lot, but not nearly enough when you look at the number of medical malpractice victims – nearly two million! Why do victims fail to take legal action? Because most of them aren’t even aware of the negligence. And those who are aware of the negligence don’t know how to legally defend their rights.
Protecting Patient Rights and Standard of Care
Here are some of the biggest benefits of hiring a skillful Alabama medical malpractice lawyer:
- Helping you understand your rights as a patient in medical settings
- Reviewing your medical logs and reports thoroughly with the help of expert witnesses to prove liability
- Gathering all legal documents and filing them on time
- Accelerating your claims process
- Creating legal strategies to uphold the standard of care you deserve
- Negotiating with insurers and lawyers
- Figuring out ways to maximize your settlement
Contacting an Experienced Legal Team for Assistance
As patients, we place a significant amount of trust in our doctors and other healthcare providers, so when a doctor acts negligently and causes injury, that trust is shattered.
At Mezrano Alabama Injury Lawyers, we understand the grief and frustration that comes when an injustice has been done that has caused you harm and loss. We’ll take charge of every legal step – from proving liability to negotiating your settlement.
Call our knowledgeable Alabama medical malpractice lawyers for a FREE consultation today!
