Los Lunas Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Every year, millions of Americans are the victim of a medical mistake. Whether it causes serious injury or death, or the medical mistake requires another surgical procedure, negligence can have a considerable impact on your life and that of your family. When you are able to prove that the doctor committed medical malpractice, you may be entitled to a substantial amount of compensation. Before you can recover any money, though, you would need to go through a difficult legal process with the help of a medical malpractice lawyer.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice is when a healthcare provider is negligent in treating you. They may take an action that is considered to be a mistake, or they may fail to act when it is necessary under the circumstances. Medical malpractice is when a provider has been negligent, and you have suffered an injury. The medical professional owes you the duty of care by virtue of your relationship. When they do something that the average doctor of ordinary training would not have done, it could be considered medical malpractice, which may entitle you to financial compensation.

What Are Examples of Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice can encompass a number of circumstances in which you were hurt by a medical mistake. Medical malpractice may include:

• Making a mistake in a surgical procedure.
• Medication errors, whether it is prescribing the wrong dosage or medication or improperly administering it.
• Failure to promptly and correctly diagnose medical conditions.
• Injuries that are suffered by the mother or child during childbirth.
• Providing poor post-operative care and oversight.
• Not obtaining informed consent before a certain treatment when it was required.
• Failure to diagnose or treat an infection.

These are examples of medical malpractice that could be considered negligence under the circumstances. Even when one of these occurrences happens, you would still need to prove that the medical professional committed negligence.

My Medical Treatment Did Not Go as Expected – Am I Entitled to Compensation?

There are times when you may not get the healthcare results that you wanted from your treatment. When a doctor treats you, they do not guarantee that the treatment will succeed. There are occasions when you may not get the results that you wanted. Just because the medical treatment or procedure was not a success does not automatically mean that the doctor has committed malpractice. The professional must have done something that would be considered unreasonable under the circumstances, whether it is a mistake that they made or the failure to take a certain step that would have been necessary in your treatment.

How Do I Prove Medical Malpractice?

Again, you do not prove medical malpractice just by showing that something in your treatment did not go as you expected. You need to show that the doctor actually did something wrong. It is not always easy because the medical professional certainly would not admit that they made an error because they know it would open them up to liability. Oftentimes, the medical professional and their employer may try to make it as hard as possible for you to learn what happened because they know of the potential consequences.

Your medical malpractice lawyer will turn to expert witnesses to prove your case. They will start with your medical records that belong to you and cannot be withheld from you. Then, an expert witness would give their own opinion about what reasonable care would have meant under the circumstances and what the doctor did that departed from the standard. Your medical malpractice lawyer would also be able to build your case further once you have filed a lawsuit during the discovery process. They may take the medical professional’s deposition, where they can hear from them in their own words what they did or did not do.

How Long Will My Medical Malpractice Case Take?

You can expect a long haul when you have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit. It is extremely rare for a medical malpractice case to be resolved shortly after you file it. Instead, you can expect a legal process that will likely last for several years. Medical malpractice cases often take even longer than other types of personal injury lawsuits because of the complexity involved. It is not uncommon for the court to set a lengthy schedule and even push it out several times while your lawsuit is pending.

Knowing that nothing happens overnight in your case, it is essential for you to maintain patience to the fullest extent possible. While it may be difficult to buy your time, especially when you know that you may be entitled to a large amount of money, it is exactly what you need to do to both build the strongest case and improve your negotiating position. The defendant may do everything in their power to lengthen the time frame of your case, and they may even succeed in doing it. Your medical malpractice lawyer will turn up the legal pressure on the defendant, which could result in a settlement. In some cases, it is a necessity to take your case all the way to trial.

How Much Is My Medical Malpractice Case Worth?

The value of your medical malpractice case may depend on a number of factors. The foremost consideration is how you have been affected by your injuries. Then, the amount of insurance coverage and assets that the defendant has to pay for your damages could also determine how much you get.

 Your medical malpractice compensation could include the following:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Embarrassment and humiliation

If your loved one died due to a medical error, your family may be entitled to wrongful death damages that measure the value of the deceased person’s life as it relates to your family unit.

You may also be able to obtain punitive damages if you take your case to trial and win. If the doctor was grossly negligent or made an egregious error, an angry jury may try to punish and make an example of the medical professional by awarding you punitive damages. This prospect alone may scare the defendant into trying to settle your case before it goes to a jury, which is often the most common outcome in a medical malpractice case.

Do I Need a Medical Malpractice Lawyer?

It would be virtually impossible to win a medical malpractice case if you did not have a seasoned lawyer representing you in the legal process. These cases are very complex and hard-fought, and you need a medical malpractice lawyer who has experience in the area.

Buchanan Law Firm, LLC has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients, including an eight-figure recovery in a hospital negligence case. We are tough and tenacious trial lawyers, and we can fight for you and your family.

Contact a Los Lunas Medical Malpractice Lawyer at Buchanan Law Firm, LLC Today for Help with Your Case

When you have received careless and negligent treatment, reach out to a Los Lunas medical malpractice lawyer at Buchanan Law Firm, LLC. Medical malpractice cases are complicated, and our seasoned lawyers are up to the job. You can schedule a free consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer by calling us today at 505-900-3559 or contacting us online. Our office is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and we gladly serve clients in Santa Fe and the surrounding areas.