Representing Victims of Physician Negligence
Every personal injury claim, such as medical negligence, hinges on the issue of negligence. Negligence, the failure to take care to protect others from harm, can cause a victim to suffer severe injuries. When a doctor fails to perform a procedure according to the standard of care for that procedure or fails to take action to prevent permanent injuries or death of their patient, he or she is negligent and thus liable for any damages the victim suffers as a result. In some cases, victims die because of physicians’ negligence. In these cases, a victim’s loved ones may seek compensation for the damages associated with their deaths like the loss of their income and their funeral expenses.
Determining physician negligence can be complicated. As a patient, it is important that you know how to recognize this misconduct and that you are aware of your rights regarding a medical malpractice claim. The Cleveland physician negligence lawyers at Tittle & Perlmuter are here to help.
How Can a Physician be Negligent?
There are many ways a physician can be negligent. Some are more obvious than others. To prove that your doctor was negligent, you must be able to demonstrate that another reasonable doctor would not have taken the same course of action that caused you to suffer your injury or worsened medical condition. A doctor negligence attorney in Cleveland could help a claimant establish this in court. Physician negligence can include:
- Failing to order necessary tests to make a definitive diagnosis;
- Failing to properly treat a medical condition, such as sepsis or a spinal infection like vertebral osteomyelitis;
- Leaving surgical equipment inside a patient after surgery;
- Failing to discuss the potential complications and side effects of a procedure or medication with a patient before prescribing it;
- Failing to diagnose a patient’s condition such as a heart attack or stroke;
- Diagnosing the patient’s condition late, such as a delayed diagnosis of cancer;
- Diagnosing the patient’s condition incorrectly; and
- Making an error involving medication, such as prescribing the wrong medication for a patient’s condition, too much or too little medication, or prescribing medication to which the patient is allergic, contraindicated, or otherwise cannot safely take.
Medical Malpractice vs. Medical Negligence
Repercussions of Physician Negligence
Physician negligence can cause the patient to receive dangerous medical treatment or no medical treatment whatsoever. In some cases, this delays his or her correct treatment. In others, it harms him or her. A physician’s negligence can also cause a victim to have their medical condition worsen or develop a new condition that requires more medical treatment. In some cases, an act of malpractice results in permanent disability or death for the victim.
Work with an Experienced Physician Negligence Attorney
If you visit a physician, you expect them to treat your symptoms and you expect to get better. However, due to medical negligence, sometimes instead of getting better, patients suffer severe injuries or death. If you have been injured because of your doctor’s failure to adhere to the standard of care for your procedure, contact our team of physician negligence lawyers at Tittle & Perlmuter today to schedule your free consultation with us. We can meet you when you need us – weekend and evening appointments are available and if you cannot make it to our office, a member of our firm will come to you.
Physicians will have attorneys representing them in medical malpractice cases, and so should you.
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Cleveland, Ohio 44113