Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Medical malpractice cases are a type of personal injury case and include surgical errors, misdiagnoses, prescription mistakes and birth injuries. Medical malpractice victims have the right to pursue a legal claim, but may be reluctant to do so because of misinformation they may have heard. If you wish to pursue a medical malpractice claim, you should contact a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible.
Here are some commonly held beliefs about medical malpractice cases and why they’re incorrect.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Often Result in Huge Payouts
One of the biggest myths about medical malpractice cases is they frequently result in million dollar settlements. These cases do happen, however, they are rare. Most medical malpractice settlements are just enough to cover a person’s medical bills that resulted from the medical error. Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit is not a get rich quick scheme.
Medical Errors Rarely Happen
Unfortunately, this is not true. Medical errors happen much more frequently than people would like to think and are one of the highest causes of death in the U.S. Even highly trained and experienced medical professionals can make mistakes if they are fatigued, act carelessly, or have poor communication habits.
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Raise Healthcare Costs
Another misconception about medical malpractice lawsuits is that they raise insurance rates, which ultimately raises healthcare costs. As a Santa Monica, CA medical malpractice lawyer can confirm, medical malpractice cases contribute very little to the rise of healthcare costs. Other factors have raised these costs more, like population growth, medical service utilization rates and population aging.
Medical Malpractice Lawyers Will Take Any Case
Some people assume that medical malpractice lawyers will take any case to make a quick buck. This simply is not true. Medical malpractice lawyers have to invest a lot of their time and money into each case, so they will only agree to take cases that have merit. Our friends at Cohen Legal have thorough consultations with potential clients to decide if it makes sense to accept a potential case.
Medical Malpractice Usually Isn’t Preventable
This also is not true. The majority of medical errors are in fact preventable. For example, surgical errors can be avoided by following pre-surgery preparation procedures more closely. Diagnostic errors can be prevented by conducting more tests on patients, asking them more questions about their medical history, and simply believing patients when they tell doctors their symptoms.
It’s Too Expensive to Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Some medical malpractice victims shy away from hiring a lawyer because they assume they can’t afford the fees. However, most medical malpractice lawyers work on a contingency fee. That means that their fee is contingent on you winning your case.
Any Lawyer Can Handle a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
This is false. Medical malpractice cases are incredibly complex, so they should only be handled by an experienced lawyer. It is wise to choose a lawyer that specializes in medical malpractice law and has worked on these types of cases before. They’ll also be familiar with medical experts that can testify on your behalf.
