Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Tough Cases. Tougher Lawyers.
No Recovery. No Fee.
Craig A. Altman Helps Clients Receive Compensation in PA Personal Injury Cases
People depend on doctors and healthcare providers to properly diagnose and treat them. However, the reality is that many doctors are insufficiently trained to recognize the signs of aggressive illnesses that demand urgent treatment. Many other doctors are simply exhausted from being forced to work long hospital shifts in the emergency room which leads to medical errors.
When you’re treated by a doctor who is poorly trained, overworked or fatigued, the results can be devastating. There is no worse feeling than learning that your serious medical injuries were caused by a medical professional’s failure to treat a preventable condition. The bottom line is medical mistakes happen and people often receive improper treatment.
If you are an injured patient who has suffered medical malpractice injuries, you have the right to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against a healthcare provider and other medical professionals. The Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman have years of experience in the area of medical malpractice law.
Your doctors neglected to help you, but an experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman can assist you. Our office serves areas across Eastern PA, ensuring a malpractice lawyer near you will be available. We will work tirelessly on your behalf to win you compensated for your pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages.
The Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice Cases
Many people rely on doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and nursing home workers to treat them with the highest level of care. As patients, we have a right to expect a timely diagnosis of an illness and efficient treatment. As healthcare professionals, it is their responsibility to do everything possible to make patients well and facilitate recovery from injuries and ailments.
Unfortunately, some medical professionals fail to exercise a high degree of care. For a variety of reasons, they make medical mistakes. When an injury is the result of a medical professional’s negligence, they need to be held accountable. Although medical malpractice can occur with just about every medical procedure, certain procedures are more prone to surgical error and malpractice.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers have successfully represented clients in all kinds of medical malpractice claims, including:
Misdiagnosis – Doctors are trained to recognize the warning signs of life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart attacks. Misdiagnosis of a serious medical condition can cause irreversible harm by delaying potentially life-saving treatment.
Failure to diagnose – When a doctor ignores a patient’s complaints about obvious symptoms or fails to test for a particular disease or illness, the results can be fatal.
Erb’s Palsy – Erb’s palsy is a birth-related injury to the bundle of nerves between the neck and the shoulder. When a doctor uses excessive force during delivery, the child can be permanently injured and may have limited mobility for the rest of their life.
Cerebral Palsy – A birth delivery error can also cause cerebral palsy, seriously impacting a child’s brain and nervous system for life.
Surgical Errors – When you undergo surgery, you’re already in a vulnerable state. Negligent surgeons who perform the wrong procedures or who carelessly lacerate medical organs during surgery need to be held accountable for the damage they cause.
Anesthesia Errors – Anesthesiologists are held to the highest professional standards because improper administration of anesthesia prior to surgery can have disastrous consequences, including a heart attack or stroke, and even death.
Surgical Infections – The contraction of infection can complicate your recovery and lead to additional medical complications.
Prescription Errors – Sometimes doctors and nurses administer the incorrect medications, severely damaging a patient’s physical state. More often, doctors fail to prescribe the proper amount of medication, leading to unnecessary pain for the patient and potentially exacerbating the patient’s medical condition.
Nursing Home Abuse – Nursing homes are supposed to ensure the safety and well-being of our elderly loved ones. However, some nursing home staff members abuse this position of trust and neglect or intentionally mistreat elderly patients.
Birth injuries
Failure to provide informed consent
Delayed diagnosis
Emergency room errors
Defective medical devices
Medication errors
Surgical errors
More Serious & Potentially Fatal Injuries Caused by Medical Malpractice or Medical Negligence
Wrongful Death – Any kind of delay in medical treatment can increase the likelihood of an otherwise preventable condition advancing too far and becoming terminal. An anesthesia error can also lead to wrongful death.
Brain & Spinal Injuries – In extreme personal injury cases, medical negligence can cause traumatic brain injury or damage to the spine.
Suffered severe brain damage
Medical Bills – Medical negligence can result in a steady stream of expensive and dangerous surgeries, extended hospital stays, and higher health care costs.
Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation – The need for costly physical therapists during the recovery process can put a terrible strain on a patient’s finances.
Physical Pain and Suffering – In addition to the pain felt from the injuries caused by the negligence, a patient may be forced to undergo additional surgeries or therapies to manage the injury or correct the problem.
Emotional Distress – A serious illness or medical condition can be incredibly stressful and damaging to a patient’s mental well-being.
Decreased Quality of Life – When medical negligence causes permanent injuries and long-lasting physical pain, the patient may no longer be able to enjoy life. This can impact the entire family.
Lost Income – Medical issues can inhibit a person’s ability to work and can diminish their future employment opportunities. Permanent disability may make it impossible for the person to ever return to their chosen field of employment, or be able to work at all.
The Litigation Process for a Medical Malpractice Cases
If your physician’s treatment fell below a certain standard of care, you may have viable medical malpractice claims. The key issue in any medical malpractice case is whether the physician departed from a recognized standard of care. For example, if the doctor failed to diagnose a medical condition or illness that a reasonable physician would have discovered, he or she may be liable for failure to diagnose.
Anytime a medical professional fails to reasonably diagnose or treat your medical condition, the first thing you need to do is contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer who has specialized medical knowledge and knows how to successfully file medical malpractice claims in Philadelphia, PA.
An experienced medical malpractice attorney at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman will help you obtain important medical records, documents, and a certificate of merit from a physician who specializes in the same area as the negligent doctor in your case. Our malpractice lawyers know how to submit your case to an expert medical practitioner so you can obtain the necessary documents before filing your claim.
*The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman does not offer any guarantee of case results. Past success in litigation does not guarantee success in any new or future lawsuit.
When You've Been Injured, We Will Help
The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman will help you seek monetary compensation for:
Medical Expenses
Hospital bills can be overwhelming, particularly if your accident caused brain & spinal injuries or other serious injuries. Reimbursement for medical bills is an essential part of recovery in an injury case.
Future Medical Treatments
Serious injury to your neck and/or back may require years of medical attention and exhaustive physical therapy.
Lost Income
Recovery for lost wages is essential. In addition, you could be entitled to income continuation.
Timing Matters in Personal Injury Cases
You Need to Act Quickly to Preserve Your Legal Rights
A personal injury case must be filed within a certain period of time as per PA law. A personal injury lawyer can explain what is called the “statute of limitations” in detail. Basically, the statute of limitations on personal injury cases in Pennsylvania is two years from the date of your injury.
After this time has passed, you may be barred forever from bringing a claim. Additionally, your insurance company might require you to provide a statement within 30 days of the accident. Our Pennsylvania personal injury attorney will make sure all necessary documentation for your case is filed in a timely fashion.
Tough Cases. Tougher Lawyers.
The Law Offices of Craig A. Altman is proud of the reputation it has built successfully negotiating and litigating for clients who have suffered personal injuries due to someone’s negligence.
Learn more about this personal injury law firm, the legal team, and its verdicts and settlements. An experienced attorney is what you will need and want if you seek to obtain maximum compensation for your injury case.
PA Medical Malpractice Law FAQs
What Should I Do If I Have Suffered From Medical Malpractice?
The first thing anyone should do is seek new medical treatment. Your health and well-being are paramount.
If you or a family member or other person on your behalf is able, you should follow these general guidelines. It will protect you, make your case stronger and enable your Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer better evaluate your case:
Obtain copies of medical records
Collect the names of all the doctors and medical providers involved
Journal all facts and details you remember about your medical malpractice and care
Journal your medical treatment and condition
Keep all new doctor appointments and follow doctor’s orders for recovery and treatment
Do not speak to the other party’s insurance adjusters
Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company without your medical malpractice lawyers present with you
Do not admit fault to any parties or insurance adjusters
Stay off social media (no comments, photos, or updates on your status)
What Kind Of Damages Can I Recover For Medical Malpractice?
For medical malpractice claims, you may be able to recover economic, non-economic, and possibly even punitive damages. In Pennsylvania, there are two main types of damages: compensatory damages and punitive damages:
Compensatory damages are designed to make you whole after an accident. You may suffer both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages include:
Medical bills and expenses
Lost wages
Non-economic damages by their nature are more difficult to calculate. This is where pain and suffering and emotional distress are covered as well in a medical malpractice lawsuit. These damages include:
Loss of ability to work
Loss of future earnings
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of consortium
Emotional pain and distress
Punitive damages are a more difficult matter with a different standard of proof. They are designed to punish a person for intentional conduct. This means in a medical malpractice claim, it would be necessary to prove that the injuries were caused by conduct that was more than negligent.
How Much Money Can I Recover In A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?
There is no simple answer to this question. Each case has to be evaluated by an experienced medical malpractice attorney in order to determine the potential amount of damages an injured person can recover in a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawsuit.
Initially, your medical malpractice lawyer will weigh how severe your injuries were; your age and health at the time of the accident; whether you have a job or not and if you were the sole provider for the family, and how many members you supported.
There are many other factors to be considered in any medical malpractice lawsuit or personal injury claim. There will be both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages will compensate you for financial costs incurred as a result of the medical malpractice injuries. The idea is to “make you whole” or in other words, put you back in the financial place you were in before you were injured. Such damages would include:
Present and future medical expenses which includes ambulance fees, hospitalization, surgery, medication, medical equipment, surgeries, and doctor visits
Physical therapy and other necessary and related rehabilitation treatment and costs
Lost Income and wages
Loss of future earnings
Temporary or permanent disability
These types of damages are relatively straightforward. So long as they are related to the accident, they are proven by the medical bills and expenses incurred.
Non-economic damages include:
Emotional distress
Pain and suffering
Disfigurement
Scarring
Loss of consortium
Loss of enjoyment of life
These damages require a different level of proof than the economic damages as there are no bills to prove the amount. This does not mean the damages are any less real. They require Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers who have experience and a track record of recovering medical malpractice verdicts. The best medical malpractice lawyers will have knowledge of how the insurance company may weigh a claim for these non-economic damages and be able to evaluate what kind of demand they may make and/or argue for in a settlement conference or at a trial.
What Will My Medical Malpractice Attorneys Do?
If you are an injured patient and your injuries are the result of medical negligence, you deserve maximum compensation for your those injuries, and someone needs to be held accountable for their negligence. An experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney will thoroughly examine the available evidence in your case to determine the exact cause of your injuries. They will determine the identities of all potentially liable parties and work tirelessly to get you compensated for your injuries and financial loss. Our medical malpractice lawyers will assist in all ways necessary to make your case including:
Investigate the facts of your case
Preserve evidence
Obtain medical records
Locate and question witnesses and interview any and all parties who can potentially back up your claim
Employ experts to support your claim
Review your medical records to determine the extent of your personal injuries
Negotiate with the insurance company
Appear at settlement conferences and court dates
Litigate your case in court at trial
Medical malpractice results in painful accident injuries, emotional suffering, medical expenses, lost wages and lost future earnings. Our medical malpractice attorneys will fight to get you the compensation you need to move on. In the worst case scenario, the death of a loved one, our experienced medical malpractice lawyer will fight to get you death or survivor benefits.
Victims of Medical Malpractice in Philadelphia, PA Deserve Compensation -- Contact Our Medical Malpractice Law Firm
The experienced medical malpractice lawyers at the Law Offices of Craig A. Altman are prepared to help you get the financial compensation you deserve to pay for medical bills, lost wages and more. You can call us anytime, or you fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case.
