Steps to Take to Sue My Hospital for Negligence
A hospital should be held accountable if it fails to meet the expected standard of care. Sadly, with hospitals being notoriously understaffed, it is not uncommon for a physician to prescribe the wrong medication or for a surgical mistake to occur. These mistakes are completely preventable with certain safeguards in place. However, demands on healthcare professionals may cause them to overlook procedures and subsequently harm patients.
If you have suffered injuries as a result of hospital negligence, our Myrtle Beach medical malpractice lawyers are prepared to fight for the compensation that is rightfully yours.
Establishing Liability
Before we discuss steps to establish a medical malpractice case, it is important to understand what elements will establish liability:
- Duty of care: Physicians and hospital staff have a duty to provide a certain level of care to patients.
- Deviation: In either an act or omission, a physician, nurse, or hospital staff fails to meet the expected standard of care.
- Damages: The carelessness on the part of the hospital or your physician resulted in measurable losses, such as lost wages and medical expenses.
- Direct cause: You must establish that every loss you sustained was a direct result of your treating physician’s actions.
Gather Evidence
If you believe that your treating physician, nurse, or other hospital staff was careless in administering your care, then you need to collect evidence to prove liability. Relevant evidence would include your medical records, medical imaging, and witness interviews. The more evidence that you can gather to establish the hospital’s accountability, the more likely you are to be compensated fairly.
Organize Your Expenses
A large portion of the worth of your medical malpractice suit revolves around your losses, known as damages. Damages are designed to make you “whole” again. Examples of damages in a medical malpractice case may include lost wages, follow-up surgeries, and pain and suffering damages. However, pain and suffering damages have a statutory cap that is adjusted annually for inflation. As of January 1, 2024, an injury victim cannot recover more than $1,692,503 from multiple healthcare providers or $564,168 from a single healthcare provider.
Reach Out to a Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you believe that you are the victim of an injustice, do not attempt to represent yourself. In the long run, you will end up not recovering the amount due to you. When you work with the Myrtle Beach medical malpractice lawyers at John Price Law Firm, LLC, you can rest easy knowing that you are covering all your bases. Our legal team has seen the harm that a hospital’s carelessness can have on patients, many of whom take several years to recover, with some never making a complete recovery. Our justice system is intended to bring the wrongful party to justice, which is what our firm strives to achieve for our clients.
Contact a Myrtle Beach Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
We rely on doctors and nurses to take care of us when we are not feeling well, but that does not make them immune to medical errors. If you have been harmed while under a physician’s care in a hospital setting, our Myrtle Beach medical malpractice attorneys would like to speak with you. To schedule your free consultation, contact John Price Law Firm, LLC, online or by phone today.