Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice is any injury or wrongful death that is caused by a health professional due to negligence or wrongdoing. In the field of medicine, there are high standards of care, which must be met by medical professionals to prevent causing undue patient injury and suffering. A hospital, doctor or health care professionals failure to treat you with the utmost quality care may constitute medical malpractice. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to medical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses and suffering.

Medical malpractice can occur in any area of medicine and may involve surgery mistakes, failure to diagnosis, prescriptions errors, and other types of medical mistakes. Every year in the United States there are an alarming 80,000 deaths linked to medical malpractice. According to one Harvard study, failure to diagnose was a likely cause of death in 40 percent of the autopsies reviewed.

If you have been adversely affected by medical malpractice, it is helpful to contact a qualified Kansas City medical malpractice lawyer who can help you understand the legal details of your case.

There are several types of medical malpractice suits that are seen frequently in the medical field. Birth injury malpractice occurs when any prenatal or birthing treatment medical error results in injury. Common birth injuries resulting from cases of medical malpractice include fetal anoxia, Cerebral Palsy, Erbs Palsy, developmental disorders, and maternal and infant infection, among others.

Another common form of medical malpractice is surgical error. While surgery can be inherently risky, there is a reasonable expectation of safety when you authorize a health professional to perform surgery. Surgical errors can occur at any stage in the surgical process from preparation to rehabilitation and can result in serious health complications and even fatality.

Other types of medical malpractice often occurring in the U.S. include failure to diagnose, prescription error, and nursing home abuse. All of which are feasible ground for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

In order to prove medical malpractice, you must be able to prove three factors. The first is a breach of the standard of care. By proving this, you are showing that a reasonable and qualified doctor would not have made this error under similar circumstances. Typically to prove a breach of standard of care, an expert witness such as a doctor or other experienced health professional is necessary to identify the standard and show a breach in duty.

Second, you must be able to prove causation (the proximate cause of damages). By proving causation, you must be able to show that the injury you have suffered would not have occurred if the doctor had not caused or aggravated the injury.

Lastly, you must show the damages which have occurred. Proving damages involves proving that injury, death, loss of wages, medical bills, or pain and suffering, have occurred because of the health professionals negligence or other wrongdoing.

The help of a qualified Kansas City medical malpractice lawyer can be crucial in determining whether you have a case and how best to handle your claim so that you can receive the compensation you deserve. A Kansas City medical malpractice lawyer can evaluate your case FREE OF CHARGE to determine your needs and how to best maximize your interests. Contact us today for a complimentary assessment of your case. We are committed to determining and protecting your legal interests.