Every day, thousands of people visit doctors or check into hospitals, each one assuming that the care given by medical professionals meets certain minimum standards. And every day, thousands of people become victims of medical negligence, also known as medical malpractice.
In hospitals alone, as many as 98,000 people are killed each year as a result of medical errors, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Medical malpractice claims include mistakes by the hospital, the hospital staff and medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses. Those mistakes include actions or neglect such as:
- Improperly-filled prescriptions or prescription errors
- Negligence that causes birth injuries , possibly resulting in cerebral palsy or brachial plexus injuries
- Failure to diagnose cancer, infections or other conditions that would have improved with timely treatment
- Emergency room errors resulting in missed opportunities for treatment, or an aggravation of a condition
- Misdiagnosis of cancers, strokes as migraine headaches, or other less serious conditions
- Surgical errors and anesthesia/anesthesiologist mistakes
Although thousands of medical malpractice errors cause serious injury in this country annually, many medical professionals and non-professionals refuse to admit their wrongdoing. Or, the insurance companies who represent the medical professionals will choose to fight the victim rather than do what is necessary to help the victim or the victim's family recover or be compensated for their losses.
In Illinois , all medical malpractice actions must generally be brought within two years from the date the victim knew, or should have known of the malpractice. If the victim of the malpractice is a minor, the statute of limitations is generally longer.
Some specific situations involving medical malpractice have different statutes of limitations from those described above. Therefore, if you think that there is any chance that you or a family member was the victim of medical negligence, you should contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
It is the attorney's obligation to determine as quickly and efficiently as possible whether there is a good, actionable case. This is because medical malpractice cases are by their very nature complex, expensive to pursue, have a high risk of no recovery, and often involve a client's "personal" attachment.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a health care provider's medical negligence, contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.
We handle cases nationally with offices located in Illinois and Wisconsin .
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