Doctors Make Mistakes – Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Lawyer at The Winston Law Firm Holds Them Accountable

Doctors and other medical professionals are typically considered expert sages with unassailable knowledge and talent in fixing broken people. Most of us tend to see them as infallible and trust them with our very lives without question. But is this the way that the relationship should work?

Andrew Winston does not believe so. Just like other Fort Lauderdale professionals who provide important services, medical professionals need to be held to a certain standard, and sometimes that means taking them to task when a serious error has been made. We have successfully handled several medical malpractice cases for clients, winning them the compensation they needed and deserved to move forward and attempt to live normal lives after they were unduly harmed by a doctor’s preventable mistake. We can do the same for you or someone you love.

Don’t think something like this could happen to you? Over the last decade or so, the curtain has been pulled back on the medical profession more and more, and what researchers are finding keeps getting more disturbing. Case in point – did you know that medical mistakes are one of the leading causes of death in this country? A study from the Journal of Patient Safety came out with numbers in 2013 that would make preventable medical errors the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease and cancer.

Suppose you or a loved one has suffered from a strange complication or other medical issue after receiving treatment. In that case, you owe it to yourself and others who could be harmed in the same way to see if the problem occurred due to a medical mistake and, if so, hold those responsible accountable.

Types of Medical Malpractice and the Harm It Can Cause

When we file medical malpractice claims for clients at Andrew Winston, they fall under three categories: malicious conduct, gross negligence, and professional negligence. Of course, each category is a big umbrella encompassing multiple case types.

Professional or simple negligence. These kinds of cases run the gamut. Perhaps a doctor was careless when prescribing you medicine, and you ended up suffering an allergic reaction – rare cases like this have even ended in death. Or maybe your surgeon made a mistake during a procedure you had because they were presented with a complicated set of choices that were beyond their medical expertise. These are still errors that should not have happened, and someone needs to take responsibility and compensate you, but compared to the other categories, they are far more understandable.

Gross negligence. When gross negligence claims are filed, the medical professional in question is accused of making an error that shows a serious lapse in attention or judgment. Examples are leaving tools, like sponges or even scissors, inside of patients after surgery. These errors are severe because they can cause serious harm to people if not discovered and treated quickly. Cases involving forgotten sponges are surprisingly common because doctors and nurses must react fast in surgery, and wet sponges often look like body tissue.

Malicious conduct. While we rarely file one of these types of cases, they still occur all too often. Malicious conduct means that the medical professional in question acted in such a way that they either intended to harm a patient or caused harm through willful neglect. Cases of nursing home abuse tend to make up the bulk of this category.

Subcategories of medical malpractice that can show up in any of the above categories depending on the specific situation include failure to diagnose, surgical errors, failure to treat promptly, IV infiltration, pharmacy errors, anesthesia errors,  birth-related errors, and wrongful death.

The types of injuries and illnesses that you can sustain from preventable medical errors are many and varied relative to the specific error that you experienced and how long it went undiagnosed and untreated. Just a few of the things that might result from a medical mistake include:

  • Undue pain
  • Infection
  • Internal bleeding
  • Damage to internal organs
  • Allergic reactions
  • Side effects related to improper medication
  • Permanent injury
  • Brain damage
  • Spinal damage
  • Death

Several specific medical problems can occur in infants due to improper care by physicians. Some of the most common birth defects related to preventable errors include:

  • Clavicle and collarbone fractures
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Erb’s palsy
  • Dystocia of the shoulder
  • Injury to the brachial plexus
  • Forceps injuries

These conditions frequently occur when labor is complicated due to the baby’s size and position or when labor becomes prolonged. There are appropriate medical standards that doctors are required to apply to lessen the chances of a birth injury occurring. They may be guilty of medical malpractice if they neglect to do so.

How The Winston Law Firm Proves Medical Malpractice

With our years of experience litigating medical malpractice cases, the medical malpractice lawyers at The Winston Law Firm know exactly what is needed to prove that your medical provider acted negligently.

These types of cases necessitate lawyers with an in-depth understanding of Florida liability laws, personal injury statutes, and the specific legal obligations, regulations, and standards that health care providers are all expected to comply with, as well as a law firm that can bring in trusted medical experts to evaluate your case and determine if it is worth pursuing. We understand all of this and the specific elements that plaintiffs must prove to win a medical malpractice verdict. Your attorney must:

  • Show that the health care provider had a legal duty to treat or care for you.
  • Proving that the standard of care given by the medical professional was unacceptable.
  • Provide evidence that your injury happened because of the provider’s negligence or failure.
  • Show that you suffered monetary, emotional, or physical damages due to the error.

Contact us today, and we will set up a free initial consultation where you can review your case’s facts. We can discuss whether it seems viable and how to move forward. All you have to do is email us at contact@winstonlaw.com, fill out our short online case review form, or call:

Toll-Free: 866-306-9606
South Florida: 954-606-6606

Do not delay. No one should have to pay because their doctor made a mistake that never should have happened.