Were you injured due to negligence caused by healthcare professionals? Learning that you are the victim of medical malpractice can be stressful, but you’re not alone, especially when you contact GOLDLAW as soon as possible.
Founded in 2002, our law firm has served thousands of people injured by negligent medical professionals. Our Fort Pierce medical malpractice lawyers have more than 200 years of combined legal experience, and we’ve recovered more than $1 billion on behalf of our clients.
With us as your Fort Pierce personal injury lawyer, you’ll have someone by your side throughout the entire legal process. We’ll focus on investigating your care, reviewing your medical records, consulting medical professionals, and fighting for a favorable outcome in your case.
Understanding Medical Malpractice Claims in Florida
Medical malpractice is a type of negligence involving the care or treatment provided by a health care provider. Florida law requires a person bringing a medical negligence claim to prove the following:
- That the provider breached the prevailing professional standard of care
- That the breach caused the injury
This means that an unfortunate medical outcome, by itself, does not establish malpractice. Some procedures carry known risks, and patients can experience complications even when appropriate care is provided.
A medical malpractice claim focuses on whether the provider’s conduct fell below the level of care, skill, and treatment that similar providers would have used under the circumstances. Florida law places the burden of proving that breach on the person bringing the claim.
The claimant also has to establish that the provider’s conduct was a legal cause of the injury. For someone who has been hurt, this distinction can be frustrating. This is why legal help from a medical malpractice attorney in Fort Pierce is so important.
For a free legal consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer serving Fort Pierce, call 561-222-2222
Medical Errors That Can Lead to a Claim
Medical negligence can take many forms. Some errors are immediately obvious, while others only become apparent after a patient continues to experience problems or obtains another medical opinion. Depending on the facts, here’s what medical malpractice might involve:
- Misdiagnosis: A provider fails to identify a condition that should have been diagnosed based on the patient’s symptoms, examination, testing, or other available information.
- Delayed diagnosis: A condition is eventually identified, but the delay causes the patient to suffer additional harm or lose an important treatment opportunity.
- Surgical errors: A mistake during surgery causes an injury that would not have occurred with appropriate care.
- Medication errors: A patient receives the wrong medication, an inappropriate dosage, or medication that should not have been prescribed based on known circumstances.
- Anesthesia mistakes: Errors involving anesthesia can cause serious injuries, particularly when a patient’s condition is not properly monitored.
- Birth injuries: Negligence during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or newborn care can cause injuries to a parent or child.
- Failure to monitor: A provider fails to recognize or respond to changes in a patient’s condition.
- Inadequate treatment: A provider recognizes a medical problem but fails to provide appropriate treatment or follow-up.
- Hospital negligence: A health care facility fails to meet duties involving its staff, medical personnel, procedures, or risk management.
The legal question is not simply whether one of these events happened. The evidence needs to establish that the care fell below the applicable professional standard and that the failure caused an injury.
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Proving a Provider Failed to Meet the Standard of Care
Florida’s medical negligence law uses a professional standard of care when evaluating a provider’s conduct. The standard looks at the level of care, skill, and treatment that reasonably prudent similar providers would recognize as acceptable under the circumstances.
This means a claim usually requires more than showing that another doctor would have chosen a different treatment. Medical professionals can sometimes reasonably disagree about diagnosis or treatment.
The issue is whether the care provided fell below the standard required under the circumstances. Medical professionals can provide opinions about:
- Whether the treatment met the applicable standard
- Whether the provider’s conduct caused the patient’s injury
Florida’s presuit process specifically requires a reasonable investigation before a medical negligence action is filed. Fort Pierce medical malpractice lawyers can coordinate this part of the case, review the available evidence, and identify the issues that need medical review.
Call or text 561-222-2222 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
Establishing the Connection Between Negligence and Your Injury
Even when a provider made an error, a medical malpractice claim still requires evidence connecting that error to the injury. For example, imagine that a patient’s condition was not diagnosed when it should have been.
The case would need to establish:
- Identify the missed diagnosis
- Establish how the delay affected the patient’s condition
- Explain the harm that resulted from that delay.
Causation can become particularly important when a person already had a serious medical condition. A health care provider or insurance company could argue that the injury resulted from the underlying condition rather than the provider’s conduct.
Fort Pierce medical malpractice attorneys can work with medical evidence to establish the timeline and address arguments about what caused the injury.
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Contact GOLDLAW ASAP for Legal Representation From Our Fort Pierce Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Medical malpractice claims can feel especially personal because they involve professionals and institutions you trusted with your health. At GOLDLAW, our attorneys include board-certified civil trial lawyers. Our firm supports the community through charitable and philanthropic involvement.
As your medical malpractice attorneys in Fort Pierce, we can make use of modern technology to keep your case organized and efficient. You won’t have to handle medical records, insurance communications, pre-suit requirements, negotiations, or litigation by yourself. We’re here.
Our attorneys are ready and willing to advocate for your rights as the victim of medical malpractice. As a Fort Pierce medical malpractice law firm, we hold accountable those who hurt others™. Get GOLDLAW and get the help you need and the compensation you deserve.
