There may be no greater sense of betrayal than when a doctor’s mistake jeopardizes your health. We place immense faith in the healthcare system and often regard our doctors as trusted extended family members.
When these respected medical experts fail in their duty due to negligence, we are left to bear the devastating consequences, and the impact extends far beyond physical symptoms.
Medical malpractice is a traumatizing ordeal that can destroy your sense of trust and well-being. It inflicts lasting mental and emotional anguish, casting a shadow that can persist for years.
In times like this, a skilled Columbus medical malpractice attorney can guide you on the first crucial step to recovery and justice.
Why Choose Our Columbus Medical Malpractice Lawyers?
If you’ve experienced medical malpractice and need help to recover financially and get justice, a skilled lawyer can assist you. You don’t have to go through this challenging situation alone.
Crandall & Pera Law is well-known for helping people suffering from medical malpractice. Our lawyers can take care of cases in Columbus and nearby places.
Our lawyers have received awards for their great work. Learn more about them and their achievements on our Attorney Q&A page.
What Makes Us Different: Our medical malpractice attorneys in Columbus built a reputation on their dedication, refusing to settle for anything less than what our clients deserve. You usually only see lawyers like us on the silver screen in legal thrillers and courtroom dramas.
Our track record proves we back up our claims and only accept the best for our clients. You can trust Crandall & Pera Law as your dedicated legal partner when fighting for your rights and future after medical malpractice.
We offer another unique advantage - our in-house registered nurses, who bring valuable medical insights into intricate medical malpractice cases.
We utilize their talent and experience to build a stellar case and work with other professionals who can testify to prove you deserve compensation for your damages.
Our Approach: With our extensive background as former attorneys in insurance and healthcare defense, we possess usable insights into the tactics employed by the opposing side.
Harnessing this knowledge, we build compelling arguments to support your claim while pinpointing vulnerabilities in the opposition’s tactics. We’re well-versed in their strategies and always think several moves ahead.
Our approach involves a meticulous selection of highly regarded professionals who can deliver unbiased and expert testimony, including experts in safety and medical fields. We make your case airtight and vividly demonstrate the depth of your pain, suffering, and losses.
Healthcare entities of all sizes, doctors, nurses, technicians, and assistants, can all make mistakes or fall short in their duty of care.
We are committed to addressing misconduct, even within the most influential medical institutions in these areas:
- In Cleveland: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Rainbow and Babies Children’s Hospital, Lake Health Hospital, TriPoint Medical Center, Ahuja Medical Center, Southwest General Hospital, and Metro Health Center.
- In Toledo: ProMedica, Toledo Medical Center, Toledo Clinic, Mercy Children’s Hospital, and St. Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center.
- In Lexington: University of Kentucky Medical Center, UK Good Samaritan Hospital, Baptist Health, Kentucky One Hospital, and Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center.
Fundamentals of Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a legal concept that arises when a healthcare provider or healthcare institution, such as a doctor, nurse, hospital, surgeon, or clinic, fails to meet the expected standard of care within their profession, resulting in harm or injury to a patient.
A gap in the standard of care appears in various ways, including insufficient patient information about risks, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, medication mistakes, negligent treatment, or inadequate follow-up care.
A medical malpractice incident doesn’t just affect the initial mistake. It makes people lose trust in the healthcare system and might even make some avoid going to the doctor altogether.
A legitimate medical malpractice claim requires several key elements:
- Duty: The healthcare provider must provide a duty of care to the patient. Everyone in the healthcare industry swears an oath to give a standard of care in every situation.
- Breach of Duty: The provider deviates from the accepted standard of care, departing from what a competent medical professional would do under similar circumstances.
- Causation: The breach of duty directly causes harm or injury to the patient. You have to show proof that directly points to the connection.
- Damages: The patient suffers physical, emotional, or financial harm due to negligence.
Medical malpractice cases usually need professional testimony and meticulous records to be successful.
Victims of medical malpractice can ask for compensation for their damages, which usually include medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other related losses.
Medical malpractice laws can vary significantly by jurisdiction, so it is advisable to consult with a legal professional who concentrates on medical malpractice if you believe you have a valid claim.
Types of Medical Malpractice We Help With
Medicinal specialties, hospitals and other facilities, and area trends determine the most common type of medical malpractice in any area, but it manifests in many ways.
Understanding the many ways medical malpractice can manifest is integral to your case.
Some common types include:
- Medication Errors: Medication mistakes can come in various forms, like prescribing the wrong medication, giving incorrect doses, or not considering a patient’s allergies or potential drug interactions.
- Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: This type of medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to diagnose a medical condition accurately or takes too long to reach the correct diagnosis. These delays can lead to postponed treatment and potential harm to the patient.
- Surgical Mistakes: Surgical malpractice covers errors made during surgery. These errors may include operating on the wrong body part, accidentally leaving surgical instruments inside the patient, or making other preventable mistakes during the surgery.
- Lack of Informed Consent: Patients have the right to know all the risks and benefits of medical procedures or treatments. When a healthcare provider doesn’t get proper informed consent or adequately explain the risks, it can lead to a malpractice claim.
- Anesthesia Problems: Anesthesia malpractice is where there’s too much or too little anesthesia, staff doesn’t monitor patients properly during surgery, or doesn’t promptly address anesthesia-related issues.
- Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse: Negligence or abuse within nursing homes can result in serious injuries, such as bedsores, falls, malnutrition, or instances of physical and emotional abuse.
- Birth Injuries: Birth injuries happen during childbirth and can affect either the baby or the mother. Examples include injuries caused by the improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors during delivery.
- Negligent Follow-Up Care: Some patients need follow-up care to monitor their recovery after treatment or surgery. Neglecting to provide this necessary care can result in complications or harm.
Medical malpractice lawsuits often hinge on the unique details of each case, which may encompass various errors mentioned earlier.
If you believe that you or a family member might have experienced medical malpractice, seek direction from an attorney who has been around the block to get the best assessment of your situation.
How Do I Know if My Case Qualifies as Medical Malpractice?
Figuring out if you have a medical malpractice case is no easy task.
It usually involves complicated legal theories, such as:
Establishing Duty of Care: To build your case, you must show that the healthcare provider was responsible for providing care according to recognized medical standards.
Demonstrating Breach of Standard of Care: Your task is to prove that the healthcare provider did not meet the expected standard of care specific to your situation.
Often, this requires expert testimony to illustrate that their actions or decisions deviated from what a competent medical professional would do under similar circumstances.
Proving Causation: Establishing a direct link between the breach of the standard of care and the harm you suffered is essential. Put simply, you must show that the healthcare provider’s negligence directly caused your injuries or exacerbated your condition.
Documenting Damages: You must have experienced tangible harm due to the malpractice. Damages can encompass physical injuries, emotional distress, additional medical expenses, lost income, or other related losses.
Awareness of Statute of Limitations: Medical malpractice cases are subject to specific time limits, known as statutes of limitations, which vary by location. You must consult an attorney promptly to ensure your claim falls within the allowable timeframe.
Confer with a medical malpractice attorney experienced in Columbus to figure out if you have a medical malpractice case. They can evaluate the details of your situation, review medical records, consult with medical experts, and help you understand the viability of your case.
The specific requirements and standards for medical malpractice cases can vary by location, so consult an attorney familiar with the laws in your jurisdiction.
How Can Your Columbus Medical Malpractice Lawyers Help Me?
Our Columbus medical malpractice lawyers are skilled attorneys who handle cases related to medical negligence or malpractice. They represent individuals who have experienced substandard medical care or treatment.
Here’s what our medical malpractice lawyer typically do:
- Case Evaluation: The lawyer begins by evaluating the potential medical malpractice case. They review the client’s situation details, including medical records, patient histories, and other relevant documents, to determine if there are grounds for a legal claim.
- Consultation: If the lawyer believes there is a valid case, they will meet with the client to discuss the case’s merits, explain the legal process, and answer any questions or concerns the client may have.
- Gathering Evidence: Medical malpractice attorneys work to gather evidence to support the client’s claim. This may involve obtaining medical records, consulting with medical experts to assess the standard of care, and interviewing witnesses.
- Identifying Damages: The lawyer will assess the damages suffered by the client, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other related losses. This helps determine the value of the claim.
- Negotiation: Medical malpractice lawyers often negotiate with the opposing party, typically the healthcare provider’s insurance company. They work to reach a fair settlement that compensates the client for damages.
- Filing a Lawsuit: If negotiations do not result in a satisfactory settlement, the lawyer may file a lawsuit on the client’s behalf. This initiates the formal legal process, and the case will proceed through the court system.
- Discovery: During the lawsuit, both sides engage in discovery, which involves exchanging information, documents, and evidence related to the case. This process helps each party prepare their arguments.
- Trial Representation: The lawyer represents the client in court if the case goes to trial. They present evidence, call witnesses, cross-examine the opposing side’s witnesses, and argue the case to the judge and jury.
- Post-Trial Actions: After the trial, the lawyer may assist the client with any post-trial motions, appeals, or negotiations related to the verdict.
- Settlement Negotiation (Post-Trial): Even after a trial, parties may negotiate a settlement before or after reaching a verdict.
Our medical malpractice lawyers understand medical standards and legal procedures and advocate for their client’s rights. They secure fair compensation for the damages resulting from the inciting incident.
Hiring our Columbus personal injury lawyers gives you a much better chance of gaining fair compensation for damages after a medical malpractice incident.
We handle the legal work and protect your rights so you can focus on your recovery.
Call Our Columbus Medical Malpractice Attorneys Today
Call (614) 702-2623 or email us anytime for your free claim evaluation. If you’d rather stop in and see us, you can find us at 35 East Gay Street #226 in Columbus. We’re right down the road from Battelle Riverfront Park and ready to hear from you. Let’s see how we can help you with your medical malpractice claim.