Overlea Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When a health care professional acts negligently and causes you injury or further complications, they may be liable for the damages you have suffered as a result of their medical malpractice or medical negligence.
The aftermath of such an incident can be scary and stressful. Patients could face unexpected medical bills, time off work, and will have to deal with physical injury and emotional trauma. When the incident occurred through no fault of your own, this isn’t fair and you should not have to pay for your doctor, nurses, or other medical professionals’ substandard behavior.
If you have been the victim of medical malpractice or negligence, in any of its forms after treatment in Overlea, Maryland, you are entitled to recover compensation for all of your damages, both economic and noneconomic.
With the help of a skilled medical malpractice attorney from Peter Angelos Law, you can bring your claim, knowing you have a fierce advocate guiding your way. We have been fighting in courtrooms across the state of Maryland since 1961, giving us a depth of knowledge drawn from thousands of cases.
Each one of our team of experienced medical malpractice attorneys has dealt with and won favorable outcomes in cases just like yours, so get in touch today to arrange a free consultation.
Our long history of happy clients speaks for itself. Call us today at 410-216-0009.
Peter Angelos Law – Personal Injury Attorneys
Founded by Peter Angelos in 1961, Peter Angelos Law is a firm with a strong reputation. As a Baltimore medical malpractice attorney of and for the people, Peter Angelos is known for his victories in the courtroom.
From fighting on behalf of medical malpractice victims to standing up against the tobacco industry and winning $4.5 billion dollars in settlement, the attorneys at Peter Angelos Law are not scared of a fight.
What Defines Medical Malpractice And Medical Negligence In Overlea, Maryland?
Medical malpractice is an umbrella term for a number of different acts. Simplified, a medical professional commits negligence if they breach their duty of care to a patient through negligent behavior, i.e. a lack of attention or care, or if they deviate from standard accepted medical practices.
In both cases, if the professional acted in a way that is different from how a reasonable professional of the same capacity would have acted in the same situation, it is seen as negligent behavior. If you and your attorney can prove this negligence, and prove that it resulted in your injury and damages, the medical provider may be liable.
If you are unsure whether your case classifies as medical malpractice, you should get in touch with the team here at Peter Angelos Law. After a free consultation and case evaluation, we can attach one of our skilled medical malpractice lawyers to your case. They will be able to investigate on your behalf, build your case, and seek the compensation you deserve.
Common Forms Of Medical Malpractice
With over 60 years in the personal injury field, we have dealt with clients suffering from a wide variety of medical malpractice injuries. This means in most cases, we have dealt with a similar situation to yours before. This experience gives us an advantage, as we can draw upon past cases and victories to tailor a bespoke plan of action.
Here are some of the medical malpractice lawsuits we have dealt with before:
Birth Injuries
Newborn babies and their mothers are vulnerable to a range of different problems. Sometimes, this danger comes from the medical providers who are meant to keep them safe.
Doctors might not adequately monitor the baby during the pregnancy or fail to convert the mother to a C-section in a timely manner. They may even cause harm to the baby or the mother during the birth.
If you have been injured during your prenatal care or at labor and delivery – or you feel your doctor breached their duty of care to either you or your baby – you should speak to a medical malpractice attorney immediately.
Failed And Delayed Diagnosis
Part of your doctor’s duty of care is that they should accurately diagnose you in a prompt manner. Failure to diagnose or a delayed diagnosis can lead to a whole range of problems.
A delayed diagnosis may result in a patient waiting longer than they should for treatment, whereas a failed diagnosis may result in them being sent home without receiving the treatment at all.
If your condition has been made worse through the late or failed diagnosis of a medical provider, it may be classified as medical negligence.
Misdiagnosis
A problem that can be equally serious is a misdiagnosis.
In the event that a condition is misdiagnosed, a patient may be given the wrong treatment. Even worse, if a patient is suffering from a serious illness, the wrong treatment or procedure may be fatal.
Emergency Room Errors
The staff in an emergency room should be competent and capable of withstanding the stress that comes with the role. Competent emergency room nurses and employees will be able to prioritize patients in order of severity, ensuring the right patients are seen in the right order.
Sometimes, this is not the case and patients that need to be seen urgently are not triaged appropriately, waiting in the ER while their conditions worsen.
If you were left for a long period of time and suffered injuries as a result, you could be entitled to compensation.
Surgical Error
The majority of surgical operations carried out in Overlea, Maryland, are successful. However, when surgeons make mistakes they should not have, it can result in an unnecessary injury.
Surgical negligence happens when a surgeon makes an error through lack of care and attention or deviating from standard practices.
Your surgeon and physician should always speak to you about alternative treatments, especially if they may allow you to avoid surgery altogether. However, surgeons know that they can bill significantly more for surgery and may push patients into that route instead of allowing them to try physical therapy or medication.
Prescription Medication Errors
Any health care professional with the power to prescribe prescription drugs should be trained and educated in their use. They should be able to explain any potential side effects and understand all the potential interactions. This includes interactions with other medications as well as existing conditions.
Your doctor must sit down with you and explain all of this before prescribing you medication. If they have prescribed you medication without a full explanation, and you have suffered a known risk, this can be classed as medical negligence.
Post-Surgical Infections And Hospital-Acquired Infections
It is important that hospitals are kept clean and disinfected. This prevents vulnerable people, such as post-op patients, from contracting infections that may seriously harm or kill them.
If you have developed an infection whilst in hospital and witnessed poor cleanliness or hygiene, it may have been caused by the negligence of the staff.
Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia has the potential to be extremely dangerous and, as such, needs to be administered by a trained and competent person. Too much anesthesia can lead to drowsiness and problems waking up in minor cases and, in major cases, can lead to numbness and lack of feeling in certain parts of the body.
If you have been left in a certain position for too long during surgery, and you have woken up with an injury or a permanent deformity, you may have grounds for a claim too. Patients should be moved in a timely manner during any surgical procedure that lasts a certain period.
Failure To Inform Patients Of Risks
If you have suffered a known risk from a surgery or procedure, but your doctors or surgeons did not sit down and explain the potential known risks before you gave consent, your consent is void and you qualify to make a medical malpractice claim against them.
Medical Record Errors
Medical records need to be updated and maintained by your health care professionals. When physicians or staff neglect to appropriately record treatments in a patient’s chart, mistakes can happen.
How To Choose A Good Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Most medical malpractice claims start with finding a reputable law firm that is experienced in handling cases involving medical malpractice and wrongful death.
These cases come with more complexities and are more difficult to navigate than a typical personal injury claim and will require extensive knowledge of medical malpractice rulings in Maryland.
Here at Peter Angelos Law, we understand that you might want to compare and research several firms before you make a choice. Here is what we think is important to look for:
- Legal expertise – Expertise in the relevant rules and statutes is crucial. Medical malpractice cases are complex and can take several years. You should ensure your chosen attorney has the skills and knowledge to keep the case moving forward.
- Medical expertise – One thing that sets a medical malpractice attorney apart is their expertise and knowledge in the medical field. To fight a case like this, they will need to understand the science and treatments in question. They should also have a wide variety of expert witnesses on call to act as your expert witness.
- Experience – The final thing we advise people to check is a law firm’s track record. Good firms will be happy to showcase their victories and will have glowing referrals from previous clients.
Statute Of Limitations For A Medical Malpractice Claim In Maryland
You should always act quickly when it comes to raising a medical malpractice case. The sooner you act, the better your chances of seeking maximum compensation.
You should also be aware of the state’s statute of limitations, which places a time restriction on how long you have to raise a claim.
The statute rules that you only have three years from the date the malpractice injury or error occurred. If in rare cases, you do not realize that the injury occurred until later, you may have more time, but your time to bring a claim will never exceed five years from the date the injury occurred or three years from the date the injury was discovered.
These deadlines are extremely important and if you fail to speak to an attorney in a timely manner, you may risk having your case barred.
Proving Medical Malpractice Claims In Maryland
You need to be able to prove four separate elements in order to have a valid case in the state of Maryland.
- As a patient, you were owed a duty of care by your health care providers.
- The health care providers that owed you a duty of care, breached it with their actions.
- Their actions caused you either physical, emotional, or mental trauma/injury directly.
- The result of this breach in the duty of care has resulted in a measurable injury that needed medical treatment and caused you tangible damages.
Who Can You Sue In A Medical Malpractice Suit In Maryland?
Here are some of the medical professionals that owe you a duty of care:
- Anesthesiologists
- Technicians
- Nurses
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Health care companies
- Doctors
- Aids or assistants
- Other medical professionals
Filing A Medical Malpractice Claim In Maryland
To file a medical malpractice claim in Maryland, you will start off by sending your claim to the Director of Maryland Health Claims.
Next, you will have to provide an expert witness certificate of merit. This verifies that the reason for your claim is valid.
Your attorney will be able to help you through these steps and will be able to help you find the medical expert that you need.
Certificate Of Merit By A Qualified Medical Expert
There are certain requirements that your medical expert must meet in order for them to act as your medical witness and provide a certificate of merit:
- Firstly, they must be a medical provider with clinical experience in the same field as the medical provider responsible for your injuries.
- Secondly, they must have experience in the field within five years of the incident.
- Thirdly, they may not devote more than 25% of their professional time to giving testimony in personal injury matters.
Medical Malpractice FAQs
How long do medical negligence claim cases take?
No two cases will be the same, which makes it hard to give an average time for completion. Medical malpractice claims can often take several years due to their complexity and the number of hurdles.
How are medical negligence cases funded?
Here at Peter Angelos Law, we want every medical malpractice victim to have the choice of seeking compensation. To allow this to happen we work on a contingency-fee-basis. what this means is that you do not need to find any funds upfront to obtain our representation. We take our fees from your settlement and if we do not win you compensation, you do not have to pay anything.
Do all medical negligence cases go to court?
Many cases settle long before the need to go to court. If your case is strong and you have reputable representation, the other party may decide to settle out of court as they know their chances of winning in court are low.
Overlea, Maryland, Medical Malpractice Attorneys You Can Trust
In order to successfully claim for a medical malpractice case, you are going to need a skilled and experienced attorney. Medical malpractice cases are more complex than your average personal injury claim and come with a lot of additional rules and regulations.
Your attorney will not only need to be a good personal injury attorney, but they will also need to be educated on various medical practices, as well as the complex medical malpractice rules and procedures you will need to follow.
Here at Peter Angelos Law, our team has dealt with countless medical malpractice claims, winning favorable outcomes in even the most tricky of cases. All of our medical malpractice lawyers prioritize the attorney-client relationship and will ensure you are kept informed throughout the entire process.
The sooner you get in touch, the sooner they can begin to build an air-tight case on your behalf.
Call us today at 410-216-0009.