Everybody needs medical treatment at some point in their lives. In a perfect world, patients would not need to worry about being injured by their doctors. Unfortunately, though this kind of thing happens with alarming regularity. Medical malpractice claims the lives of millions of people every year.
After an encounter with a negligent doctor, it is normal not to know what to do. The best thing you can do in such a situation is to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer. This post will tell you some of the other steps that should be taken.
Contacting An Attorney
As touched upon in the introduction to this post, a personal injury lawyer’s help is needed. There is nobody better to help you than a trained attorney. An attorney will help you to claim damages. According to a team of medical malpractice attorneys in Rhode Island, compensation could be owed to you for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. The compensation process is anything but simple, however. Only work with an experienced lawyer that has positive reviews.
Gathering Evidence Together
Before claimants can request compensation they need to gather together evidence. Proving medical malpractice is notoriously difficult. Rogue doctors are known for covering their tracks. If you suspect medical malpractice then you need a written statement from another doctor authenticating your story. If injuries were sustained during a stay in the hospital however, then making a claim will be very simple. Hospitals are staffed by thousands of people. There is no way a rogue doctor will be able to hide evidence of their malpractice in a hospital. It is only in private practice that such deceptions are possible.
Making A Formal Claim for Compensation
Once a suitable lawyer has been found you can make a formal claim for compensation. The claim process involves sitting with your chosen lawyer and explaining the details of your case. During this meeting, you will need to hand over any evidence. In addition to signed statements try to take photographs of your injuries. It can be a lot easier to get compensation when there are photos of the injuries that have been caused by the negligent doctor. Insurance companies will be less inclined to argue if there is hard photographic evidence. The same is also true for video evidence.
Seeking Alternative Treatment
Legal advice is not the only thing people need after an encounter with a rogue doctor. It is also important to seek secondary medical care. Medical malpractice can result in serious injuries, especially if it takes place during an operation or surgical procedure. The cost of your secondary treatment will be covered as part of your compensation payment. It is important to know that you will also get extra money to compensate you for emotional and physical damages. Lots of people worry that they will only get paid for medical bills. The largest component of most compensation payments is usually emotional damages, not medical bills.
Advertising Your Injuries
Rogue doctors are usually fired as a result of their medical malpractice. However, sometimes their employers keep them around on a consultancy basis. It is important to advertise your injuries and make as big a deal as you can if the doctor responsible for hurting you is kept in employment. It is unacceptable for hospitals and doctors’ surgeries to continue employing doctors guilty of medical malpractice. Rogue doctors are a big problem in society today. The sooner healthcare providers start punishing them the better. Advertising your injuries will hopefully motivate the doctor’s employer to fire them.
Building Your Confidence Back Up
As referenced earlier, everybody will need medical treatment at some point in their life. After medical malpractice, it can be hard to trust healthcare providers again. An encounter with a rogue doctor can be very scary. However, it is important for you to know that not all doctors are negligent. The vast majority of doctors are passionate, enthusiastic, and educated. Spend some time researching and looking for a qualified and respectable doctor in your area before you choose another one. As with attorneys, reviews are a good way of determining a lawyer’s quality and level of experience.
Having Some Patience
Claims for compensation are rarely dealt with overnight. Most of them take months and sometimes even years to resolve. You will not get compensation for quite a while. Until you do remain patient and if you are unable to work ask your lawyer to help you with applying for disability benefits.
Medical malpractice can be a killer. Because of how serious it has the potential to be, doctors responsible for it need to be punished. The best way to punish them is to take legal action and claim compensation from their employers. More often than not, this will drive their employers to fire them. Potential unemployment is a good deterrent for negligence and malpractice.
