Over the last decade in the United States, patients have filed over 400,000 adverse action reports against medical practitioners according to the latest data from the National Practitioner Data Bank.  When our health is at risk, we turn to medical professionals for care.  The last thing any patient expects is to have their health jeopardized through the incompetence of a nurse, physician’s assistant, or doctor.  Medical malpractice is increasingly common and can leave patients devastated.  Existing health concerns compounded by the shock of a medical procedure gone wrong, and the long term effects of dealing with medical malpractice.

In Florida, there were over 24,000 adverse action reports filed by patients during the same time period according to the National Practitioner Data Bank.  Statistics published by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences found that roughly 98,000 patients die per year in hospitals due to medical errors.  Unfortunately, not all medical professionals are held responsible.  If you or a loved one have been impacted by medical malpractice, contact Bryan W. Crews, your Altamonte personal injury attorney.  Bryan W. Crews is a personal injury lawyer and regularly handles medical malpractice claims.  If you have been harmed by the negligence of a medical professional, you deserve to be compensated for your injury.

Common causes of medical malpractice are failure to follow established procedures and protocol, unsanitary medical instruments, leaving medical tools inside of a patient after surgery, misdiagnosis, operating on the wrong limb, administering the wrong medicine, administering the wrong blood type during a transfusion, and a number of other deviations from the standard of car.  Doctors are professionals, and they are required to operate according to the highest levels of established care.  Surgeons often work long hours and as their shifts are prolonged, the risk of medical malpractice increases dramatically.

Thousands suffer every year from medical malpractice.  Statistics show that not all doctors are disciplined by their licensing authorities.  Do not be intimated by hospitals and insurance companies.  If you or a loved one have been injured due to medical malpractice, Bryan W. Crews can help.  You deserve to be compensated for the pain and suffering you have endured.

In Florida, there are special rules that plaintiffs must follow prior to filing a lawsuit.  If you have been injured by a medical professional, you should consider retaining the services of competent legal counsel.  Per § 766.106, you must mail a notice of intent to sue to the health care provider prior to filing a lawsuit.  This notice, per the statute, “must include, if available, a list of all known health care providers seen by the claimant for the injuries complained of subsequent to the alleged act of negligence, all known health care providers during the 2-year period prior to the alleged act of negligence who treated or evaluated the claimant, copies of all of the medical records relied upon by the expert in signing the affidavit, and the executed authorization form provided in s. 766.1065.”  In addition, this starts a 90 day clock for the statute refers to as pre-suit investigation.  This is a complicated set of rules designed to vet claims prior to initiating a lawsuit.

In 2017, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that caps on damage awards in medical malpractice cases were unconstitutional.  Previously, there was a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages, or in other words, pain and suffering damages.  There was also a $1,000,000 cap on non-economic damages in death or vegetative state cases.

Bryan W. Crews is a personal injury attorney serving residents in the greater Altamonte area.  With his decades of experience, and dedicated staff, Bryan W. Crews will fight tirelessly to secure the maximum compensation for your medical malpractice claim.  Call today for a free case evaluation.

Doctors and medical professionals perform an invaluable service, improving and saving countless lives.  Their services, and advancements in medical technology have led to increased lifespan and quality of life for many Americans.  Despite their accomplishments and honorable endeavors, medical malpractice, according to a 2016 study, “may now be the third-leading cause of death in the United States – claiming 251,000 lives every year, more than respiratory disease, accidents, stroke and Alzheimer’s.  These numbers include everything from bad doctors to more systemic issues such as communication breakdowns when patients are handed off from one department to another.”  According to the National Practitioner Data Bank there were over 24,000 adverse action reports from 2012 to 2016 in Florida alone, and 433,151 adverse action reports nationally during that same time.

We place great trust in out physicians.  Medical procedures are inherently risky, and we turn to seasoned medical professionals for treatment.  When that trust is broken, it can be devastating, leaving patients with long term injury.  Bryan W. Crews is a medical malpractice attorney skilled in personal injury.  As a season personal injury attorney, Bryan W. Crews evaluates each case thoroughly, reviewing the facts to seek the highest possible recovery.  Florida is one of the top four states for instances of medical malpractice.

Tragically, routine steps during the course of surgery often result in injury or death.  In 2003, a young girl from Mexico died during a heart transplant at Duke University Hospital.   Her death was the result of “a heart lung transplant with organs of the wrong blood type. Ms. Santillán had type O blood; the organs were type A and her body rejected them, sending her into a coma like state.”  After waiting for three years to receive a transplant, and an unsuccessful attempt to correct the failed surgery, the young girl from Mexico who came to America for medical treatment slipped into a coma due to complications was eventually disconnected from life support.

Other examples of medical malpractice include bypassing the wrong artery, performing surgery on the wrong patient, drilling a hole on the wrong side of a patient’s head, a fertility clinic impregnating a woman with the wrong sperm, ignoring patients in the emergency room for 24 hours, improperly administering anesthesia, leaving surgical tools inside a patient, and amputating the wrong leg.  Medical malpractice is unacceptable, and you have every right under the law to be compensated for your injuries, or the loss of a family member due to negligence.  Physicians undergo years of training and education.  Their expertise should be the cause of healing, comfort, and renewed qualify of life for patients.  However, more and more, doctors and medical professionals are operating in complete disregard for the well-being of their patient’s.

As skilled professionals, doctors are held to a national standard.  Their conduct is judged according to accepted practices within their professional community.  When their practice deviates from this standard, or they act carelessly, they are liable for the resulting physical and mental anguish.

Plaintiffs are entitled to compensation for all damages.  Including fair, adequate, and complete compensation for economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages due to time away from work, and noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering.  You even have a right to future damages.  Incapacitated plaintiffs can demand or sue for impaired future earning capacity.

Using the legal system to secure compensation also sends a message to the medical community.  As the statistics above show, medical malpractice is on the rise, and has affected countless Americans and Floridians alike.  If you or a family member in Orland have suffered an injury due to medical malpractice, contact Bryan W. Crews, your Orlando medical malpractice attorney.