May 21st, 2009, Posted in Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury News
Chicago medical malpractice attorneys may be the difference between a large cash settlement and a long and protracted legal battle that ends without justice for the plaintiff. Though legally you do not need a lawyer for malpractice suit, accident cases require a high degree of skill and expertise to properly navigate.
Firstly, you need to know what medical malpractice is. Malpractice, defined by the American Lawyer Directory “occurs when a negligent act or omission by a doctor or other medical professional results in damage or harm to a patient.” The damage or harm sustained must be directly tied to the negligence for there to be a case of malpractice.
A Chicago malpractice attorney might take a case where an inappropriate treatment or diagnosis results in additional medical care, such as:
A patient suffering from appendicitis was misdiagnosed. The appendix ruptures and the patient develops peritonitis.
A patient suffers a broken forearm. The bone is set improperly, requiring additional surgeries along with physical pain.
Chicago medical malpractice attorneys may also take cases where improper medical care results in permanent disability, such as:
Unnecessary stomach surgery was improperly performed, resulting in the removal of a large portion of the stomach and permanent disability.
A diagnostic spinal tap is performed on a man complaining of earache, after which he developed a painful erection. Bandages were then applied too tight, resulting in permanent impotency.
A properly skilled and expert Chicago malpractice attorney can make the difference between being properly compensated for your sufferings, or the sufferings of a loved one. Medical malpractice is more common than is commonly thought, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that annually, there are nearly 100,000 deaths alone from malpractice. The firm of Karlin, Fleisher and Falkenberg has recovered over 1 billion dollars for their clientele, and has satisfied over 20,000 Chicago area clients.