In the medical field, errors mean the difference between life and death, ability and disability, a fixable problem, and a permanent injury. When medical providers fail to follow the standard of care and cause preventable injury or fatality, it is important to protect the rights and well-being of you and your family by holding negligent healthcare providers accountable.
Overworked nurses, unprepared surgeons, careless physicians, and short-staffed hospitals can all contribute to potential patient harm across any area of medicine. The most common medical malpractice cases Clifford Law Offices reviews are related to failure to diagnose and treat common medical conditions such as heart attack, infection and pulmonary embolism, preventable birth injury and birth trauma, surgical errors and lack of informed consent, and delayed or misdiagnosis cases.
If you suspect you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice, knowing whether or not you have a case and identifying the best course of action can feel overwhelming. Taking the proper steps to prepare and protect yourself leading up to a claim can impact the overall success of your case. Continue reading to learn what steps you can take if you suspect medical malpractice.
Seek Medical Attention
If you are suffering from complications associated with suspected medical malpractice, it is imperative that you seek medical attention immediately to ensure you are not exposed to greater risk by prolonging proper medical treatment. Obtaining a second medical opinion often helps prevent further severe complications and can illuminate the cause or source of your initial injury.
Collect and Preserve Documentation
As soon as you suspect that you or a loved one may have been a victim of malpractice, request all medical records and healthcare documents from your healthcare providers. These records detail symptoms, medical history, diagnostic records, and prescribed medications, among other medical treatments. Practitioners are required to keep medical documentation which is vital in determining if you have a case and how your attorney should proceed. Remember to include a request for any imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, etc.), monitoring (EKGs, Fetal Monitor Strips), and pathology results.
In the event of a family member’s death, it is possible to request an autopsy to gain further understanding and documentation of what specific action or inaction caused death. If an autopsy was not offered by the institution where the death occurred or the medical examiner’s office, private autopsy options are available.
Research Illinois Medical Malpractice Claims
While every medical malpractice claim contains its own unique set of circumstances, understanding important aspects of the law such as the Illinois medical malpractice statute of limitations can help you ensure a viable case. Likewise, researching the results of previous cases brought against the same provider can provide you with additional perspective.
Taking time to research firms that specialize in medical malpractice is also essential to your claim. It is important to connect with a firm that has the resources and expertise to handle the most challenging cases and deliver results.
Contact An Attorney
Not every medical injury is caused by malpractice. It can be difficult to know if negligence occurred and how to prove it. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can help you understand the circumstances of your case, initiate private investigations, and determine options that are available for you to pursue.
Medical malpractice cases are notoriously complex and acting quickly to initiate a claim is key. If you believe you have been the victim of medical malpractice, do not hesitate to contact Clifford Law Offices, Chicago’s premiere medical malpractice law firm. Our attorneys have significant experience handling medical malpractice claims and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured patients.