Boca Raton Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Helping You Navigate Complex Injury Claims
Patients put their trust in doctors, but too often this trust is abused. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people in the United States fall victim to medical errors that were entirely preventable. These errors can cause a person to fall sick or delay their recovery. In extreme cases, a patient can die because a doctor or other medical professional made a life-changing mistake.
Medical malpractice is a serious problem, but help is available for victims and their families. Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather has represented clients in medical malpractice cases for years, so we know how to obtain favorable compensation when patients are injured. Give our Boca Raton medical malpractice lawyers a call at 561-500-HELP so we can discuss your situation.
Defining Medical Malpractice
Doctors and other medical professionals have a duty to provide care that is equal to the prevailing standard in the medical community. This law is found in Fla. Stat. 766.102. When they fail to use the skill that a careful professional would use in similar circumstances, they have committed medical malpractice.
Examples of Medical Malpractice
Some of the more common examples of medical malpractice include:
- A doctor examines a patient but fails to correctly diagnose a condition despite having enough relevant information to do so. Consequently, the patient does not get prompt care and might become even sicker or die.
- Delayed diagnosis. A doctor might ultimately make the correct diagnosis but do so very late, delaying proper treatment.
- Medication errors. A patient might receive the wrong medication or the right medication in the wrong dosage. Sometimes, medication interacts negatively with known allergies or other medications the patient is already taking.
- Surgical errors. A doctor can nick or damage healthy organs, tissue, or nerves during surgery. In extreme cases, the doctor might perform the wrong surgery on the wrong patient.
- Implements left behind. Some surgeons leave sponges or other implements in a patient.
- Birth injuries. Both mother and child can be injured during labor and delivery. A mother might suffer from high or low blood pressure, while a baby can suffer nerve or brain injuries.
- Lack of informed consent. Doctors must disclose the known risks of a course of treatment and discuss alternatives, including no treatment at all. Failure to disclose required information deprives patients of their right to informed consent.
Proving Medical Malpractice
These are some of the most complicated cases we take. The fact that a patient was injured or even died is not, by itself, proof that malpractice occurred. Instead, we need to analyze the steps the medical professional took or didn’t take to judge whether they followed the proper standard of care.
Often, we require the help of expert witnesses who can review the professionals actions and offer an opinion about whether they committed malpractice. The expert can also link the defendants actions to our clients injuries, which is necessary to prove causation.
One benefit of working with an experienced firm such as ours is that we have built relationships with many expert witnesses who can establish credibility with judges and juries.
Contact Our Experienced Boca Raton Medical Malpractice Lawyers Today
Our team at Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather , is standing by to help when you are injured by a medical provider.
Contact us today to schedule a free, no-risk consultation.
