Medical errors cause hundreds of thousands of preventable serious personal injuries or deaths each year. Medical malpractice or preventable deaths caused by the negligence of doctors, nurses, and other care providers are estimated to be between 98,000 and 440,000 each year.
When any of us seeks medical care from a healthcare provider, we believe that we are going to receive competent and professional care. When doctors, nurses, or other medical care providers cause serious personal injury or wrongful death, the law requires you be compensated for the harm and losses they cause. Financial recovery includes past and future medical expenses, lost income, as well as compensation for disability, pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
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Have You Suffered Harm Due to Medical Malpractice?
In Illinois, medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other healthcare provider provides treatment that is considered to be below the acceptable standard of care to a patient, and, as a result of such treatment, the patient suffers injury or death.
When determining if medical malpractice has occurred, the law focuses on the Standard of Care. The standard of care is determined based on generally accepted standards that medical or healthcare professionals would follow when treating a similar patient. A number of factors are considered, including a patient’s age and particular condition. If the treatment rendered falls outside the scope of the standard of care, the result is medical negligence.
Mistakes due to medical negligence could be avoided if the provider rendering care is paying proper attention.Doctors and medical staff are under significant pressure, working long hours and handling an ever-increasing volume of patients. In these circumstances, mistakes will likely continue to occur, and patients and loved ones will suffer.If you or your loved one is injured or death has occurred as a result of the actions of a doctor or other healthcare provider, seeking advice from a knowledgeable and experienced medical malpractice attorney is important.
Types of Medical Malpractice Cases We Handle
Our medical malpractice lawyers have handled hundreds of medical malpractice cases in Chicago and throughout Illinois involving a variety of situations, including but not limited to:
Surgical Errors
Surgical errors resulting in patient harm or injury can occur from negligence during a surgical procedure, whether caused by a surgeon, anesthesiologist, or other surgical staff member.
Nursing Errors
Negligent actions of a nurse or member of the nursing staff, such as failing to follow doctor orders, dispensing the wrong medication, or carelessness that results in harm or injury to a patient may result in a medical malpractice action.
Birth Injury
Careless choices made by hospital staff or doctors that cause preventable injury to a newborn baby or a mother during childbirth often results in a disabling birth injury or death.
Brain Injuries
While brain and head injuries are often the result of traumatic accidents, such as a car accident or a direct blow to the skull, brain injuries also occur as a result of medical malpractice in a healthcare setting.
Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis
Many medical malpractice actions occur when a physician fails to diagnose a patient properly, and, as a result, the patient suffers harm, injury, or even death.
Emergency Room Errors
In the high-pressure environment of an emergency room, doctors and nurses must practice strong attention to detail to ensure accuracy in diagnosing and treating patients. Often, medical errors occur in the ER that end up causing patients to suffer injury or death as a result.
Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Timing and accuracy is critical when dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment. When a delay or mistake is made due to preventable medical errors, patients suffer both emotionally and physically, and miss the opportunity to seek appropriate life-saving treatment.
Prescription and Medication Errors
Errors with prescription and medication are widespread and can include prescribing the wrong medication for an illness, overlooking a patient allergy to a medication, prescribing or administering the wrong dosage, or prescribing or administering a medication that has a negative reaction to other medications a patient is taking
Geriatric Care
When geriatric patients suffer injury or death as a result of medical errors by their doctors or healthcare providers, the result is often a medical malpractice action. Whether treatment (or failure to treat) occurs in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or another medical setting, if the medical negligence of these providers is the cause of injury or death of a loved one, they must be held accountable.
Delayed Treatment
With delay in the treatment of a medical condition, injury, or illness, a patient’s condition can worsen or even result in death. If that delay is the direct result of a medical error, a medical malpractice lawsuit may be successful.
Medical Negligence
Medical negligence occurs when a doctor or healthcare provider acts or fails to act within the accepted standard of care when caring for a patient. A medical malpractice action may result if the provider’s negligence results in harm or injury to the patient.
Chicago Medical Malpractice Attorneys Fight for You
Medical malpractice cases in Illinois are highly complex, so hiring a skilled and experienced attorney with a deep understanding of medical negligence, healthcare law, and malpractice litigation is critical. The Vinkler Law team has a record of success that will help you gain peace of mind and the expertise to help you receive compensation for the harm and loss caused by preventable medical malpractice.
If you or a family member has been injured by the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider, our medical malpractice lawyers in Chicago can help. We represent clients throughout Northern Illinois and Chicago. Contact our medical malpractice lawyers for a free consultation. When life seems uncertain, get the support you deserve.
