The First Steps In A Medical Malpractice Case

If you or a loved one is contemplating suing a doctor, there must have been something that went wrong during treatment.  Knowing what is wrong and whether or not it should have gone wrong is sometimes half the battle.  But it is not always easy.  It can be glaring that a mistake was made, while other times the mistake and the injury there from is not easy to blame on the doctor.  Doctors are not required to admit that a mistake was made.  They simply do not have to tell the patient and they can even lie to the patient if asked.

But before the injured patient sues the doctor, the patient can attempt to talk to the doctor and resolve the matter.  For example, let’s say that a dentist installed a crown negligently.  The injured patient can ask the dentist to fix the problem free of charge.  It is a reasonable request and most dentists would probably fix the problem for free instead of being sued.

But the problem with approaching the doctor is that he or she can only cure part of your injury and damages.  Sure, the medical error can be fixed.  But experienced Hudson medical malpractice attorneys know that injured patients suffer more harm than the medical mistake itself.  In the example above, the crown can be fixed.  But what about the patient’s pain and suffering?  What about wages lost from missing work due to additional medical appointments?  What if the doctor’s mistake was much greater than a simple botched crown installation?  What if the harm you suffered at the hands of a negligent doctor has caused you to lose your job, alter your lifestyle, and or forced you to undergo months of additional procedures and rehabilitation?

If any of the above happened, then suing the negligent doctor may be the only way to receive proper compensation for the harm you suffered.  You should be advised right now that you have a limited amount of time to sue the negligent medical professional.  New York law has placed a 2 ½ year statute of limitations period on medical malpractice claims.  This means that you have to sue the doctor within  2 ½ years from when he or she provided negligent care.  Of course you could still sue, but the defense attorney will always check to see if the statute of limitations period has expired.  When that is done, the defense attorney will defend on the grounds that the claim is time barred and ask for a dismissal.

Contacting an experienced medical malpractice attorney is the next step.  This attorney will review your case and attempt to get you adequate and proper compensation.

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.