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Signs You Need to Hire a Medical Malpractice Attorney

BIKLaw Medical Malpractice Lawyer > Medical Malpractice > Signs You Need to Hire a Medical Malpractice Attorney

You trust your doctor and health care team to provide you and your family with competent and compassionate medical care. When you leave the doctor’s office, hospital, or urgent care center and begin feeling worse within days, weeks, or even months later, or have a condition that you simply don’t believe was treated adequately or appropriately, it may be because you are the victim of medical negligence.

A recent article, “Your Health Care May Kill You: Medical Errors,” estimated that as many as 251,000 people die every year due to medical errors. Numerous others suffer disability and harm because of mistakes made by doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

Injuries and adverse outcomes can happen even in the best of circumstances, so just because you or a loved one suffered an injury as a result of the medical care provided to you does not necessarily mean that there has been medical negligence. No doctor or health care professional can guarantee a positive result from every surgery or treatment. But, with that being said, IF you are the victim of carelessness or someone doing something unreasonable, then you are entitled to get the financial compensation you deserve as a result of the harm you have suffered.

Why You Need to Consult with a California Medical Malpractice Attorney Quickly

You may trust your doctor and hesitate to believe that your doctor or nurse committed medical malpractice. You may worry about ruining your relationship with your doctor or needlessly causing a blemish on his or her professional record.

Nevertheless, if you suspect that your doctor provided you with substandard care, you should speak with a medical malpractice attorney without delay.

In California, you must file a medical malpractice claim within three years of the date your doctor provided negligent care to you AND within one year of you discovering that you’ve suffered a medical injury, whichever date occurs first.

Therefore, it is crucial to speak with an attorney about your rights and case as soon as you believe you might be the victim of medical negligence.

Signs that You Should Talk to a Los Angeles Medical Malpractice Attorney Today

While you may not understand how your doctor erred or the full effects of their mistake, if any of the following signs describe your circumstances, then it’s time to talk with a medical malpractice attorney right away.

A Routine Procedure or Visit Goes Awry

Not every surgery or procedure is as complicated as brain surgery. Surgeons may perform hundreds of the same routine surgeries in a year. Doctors may see dozens of patients daily, but several may have similar complaints and require a well-known course of treatment.

Routine surgical procedures and courses of treatment have been tried, tested, and proven on many people from various backgrounds. When your doctor or surgeon describes something as “routine” and you suffer harm afterward, it’s worth looking into the matter to discover what went wrong.

Your Newborn Child Suffers Injury or Developmental Issues

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, birth defects impact about 3% of children in the United States. Some of these defects result from medical negligence during pregnancy and mistakes during delivery and can have effects and limitations that last a lifetime.

Unless you and your doctor conducted tests on your fetus during pregnancy, it’s not always clear whether your child’s birth defect or injury came about because of a medical error. Therefore, it’s always best to speak with an attorney who can help you investigate and understand the cause of your child’s condition.

You Get a Wildly Different Second Opinion

Doctors are human and can have different opinions from other medical professionals. The fact that one doctor disagrees with another is not always a sign that one is negligent. For example, you can attribute differences to a preference for one valid treatment over another.

However, further investigation should occur if one treatment provider expresses shock that another provider recommended or gave you a particular procedure or course of treatment.

Strong opinions or a firm rejection of another professional’s advice or services can indicate that one provider’s care and counsel may be professionally negligent.

You Switched Medications and Experience Unusual Side Effects

Every medication has specific side effects, and your doctor or pharmacist should inform you of these whenever they change your medications. Strange or extreme reactions to medications, though, should be quickly reported and investigated. It’s possible that your doctor or pharmacist negligently committed a medication error.

Medication errors can include not understanding your allergies when prescribing a medication, dispensing the wrong medication, dispensing the wrong dosage of a medication, or not considering a new medication’s interaction with another medication you are taking.

Your Medical Malpractice Attorney in Los Angeles Is Standing By

The Trial Law Offices of Bradley I. Kramer, M.D., Esq. is eager to help you and your family recover if a medical error caused you harm. Contact our Beverly Hills office today and enlist our help in protecting your legal rights following medical carelessness.

Questions? Contact us