When you seek treatment from a doctor or other medical professional, you are counting on them to make good decisions and exercise great care when performing surgery or other medical procedures. Unfortunately, many doctors do not perform up to those standards, and their reckless or intentional actions can lead to serious injury and sometimes death. The Covington medical malpractice lawyers at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy have represented many victims of medical malpractice and helped them recover fair compensation. Our well-practiced injury attorneys know precisely how to build a strong case with detailed evidence that gives you the best opportunity to obtain compensation.
WHAT IS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE?
Medical malpractice, also called medical negligence, refers to situations where medical professionals cause injury to their patients because they did not uphold their standard duty of care. This means that a medical professional failed to provide the same level of care that another medical professional would have if he or she were in a similar situation. Medical professionals can be doctors, pharmacists, paramedics, nurses, technicians, hospital staff and possibly anyone else in the medical profession. Common examples of medical malpractice include:- Failing to diagnose or incorrectly diagnosing an illness or disease
- Prescribing the wrong medication or improper dosage
- Anesthesia errors
- Incorrect analysis of laboratory tests
- Misplacing surgical instruments inside of patients
- Performing surgery on the wrong part of the body
- Performing surgery without a surgical plan
- Performing surgery on a patient without his or her informed consent
- Operating on someone with unsanitary instruments
- Failing to monitor patients
- Errors in psychiatric care
- Failing to check for dangerous interactions between medications
- Internal injuries, such as damage to muscles and organs
- Nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Birth injuries, including cerebral palsy and Erb's palsy
- Infections
- Brain damage
- Traumatic brain injury
- Permanent disabilities
- Mental pain and suffering
COMPENSATION FOR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE
Compensation cannot change what happened, but it can help eliminate some of your financial concerns after being injured by medical malpractice. You can also receive compensation for the psychological effects of the entire experience. In a medical malpractice claim, you could receive compensation for various damages, including:- Medical bills related to your injury, including bills you will have in the future
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Home health care expenses if your injury requires it
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering