Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Serving West Virginia and Ohio
Simply put, medical malpractice is the failure of medical professionals to provide adequate treatment to patients resulting in a personal injury or substantial loss of income. Medical malpractice is a doctor's failure to exercise the degree of care and skill that a doctor or surgeon of the same medical specialty would use under similar circumstances.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the number of people dying from medical malpractice each year in the United States is growing. Medical malpractice deaths have become the third leading cause of death in the United States according to JAMA, after heart disease and cancer. Malpractice occurs quite frequently and patients are treated inadequately every day, especially in our nation's emergency and operating rooms. It has been estimated that approximately 225,000 people die from medical malpractice in the United States each year. The breakdown of deaths related to medical errors is as follows:
- 12,000 deaths a year from unnecessary surgery
- 7,000 deaths a year from medication errors in hospitals
- 20,000 deaths a year from other errors in hospitals
- 80,000 deaths a year from infections in hospitals
- 106,000 deaths a year from adverse effects of medication
Many people feel that because they signed numerous forms while in the hospital they waived their right to sue, but that is not the case. Signing a consent form so a surgeon can operate on you does not exempt him or her from paying for damages if an error on their part results in injury or loss to you. If you sign a consent form giving permission to have your left leg amputated due to cancer, and the surgeon amputates on your right leg by mistake, you are certainly entitled to sue for medical malpractice.
What Should I do if I Feel I've Been Hurt from Medical Malpractice?
The first step in deciding whether to pursue a medical malpractice case is to determine whether or not you have been the victim of medical malpractice. Even though not every unfortunate outcome is the result of medical malpractice, if you feel that something is not right, you should react accordingly and consult a qualified medical malpractice attorney knowledgeable of the medical field to evaluate your case. This process generally involves attaining and evaluating medical records and other relevant materials. If it appears that the case is strong enough, the next step in the process involves giving written notification of the claims to the parties suspected to be responsible for medical malpractice.
Your medical malpractice attorney will work with the hospital system and medical law system to find out what your specific rights and legal options are. While you are recovering and healing from your injury, your medical malpractice attorney will be working to get you the compensation you deserve.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed due to medical malpractice in West Virginia or Ohio, please contact experienced medical malpractice Jim Leach today to schedule your initial consultation.
Our medical malpractice attorneys represent medical malpractice victims throughout West Virginia and Southern Ohio including the communities of Belpre, Marietta, Parkersburg, Wheeling, Athens, Jackson, Vienna, Morgantown, Charleston, Huntington, Ravenswood and Ripley.
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