When you visit a doctor’s office or hospital for treatment for an injury or ailment, the last thing you expect is to feel worse upon leaving. However, when a doctor’s negligence leaves you worse than before you visited, you may not know whether or not you can receive compensation. If you were injured while receiving treatment from a doctor, knowing how to proceed is vital to receiving the compensation you deserve. The following blog, in conjunction with a Tom Green County, Texas personal injury lawyer, can help you recover the compensation you deserve when a negligent party causes your injuries.
Can a Doctor Be Held Liable for Injuries They Cause?
In most instances, when a doctor is negligent, they can be held responsible for any injuries they cause.
However, it’s important to note that four elements must be proven before recovering compensation. The “four d’s” include duty, dereliction, direct cause, and damages. Essentially, it must be proven that your doctor had a duty of care to you as their patient, breached that care by failing to fulfill their obligations, and this failure caused direct damages to the victim for which they suffered financial damages as a result.
What Kind of Injuries Can Occur?
Unfortunately, there are a number of issues that can arise due to the negligence of a medical professional.
Some of the most common injuries are a direct result of diagnosis errors. Generally, anytime a doctor fails to properly diagnose a patient, it constitutes an error. Injuries resulting from this negligence include worsening injury or illness, pain, loss of enjoyment of life, and death.
However, patients may also experience issues while on the operating table. While not as common as diagnosis errors, surgical errors do, unfortunately, happen. Common issues include wrong site operations, illness from unsterile tools, damage to surrounding organs, foreign bodies left in the patient, and anesthesia errors.
How Can I Receive Compensation for My Injuries?
In order to recover compensation when filing a lawsuit, you’ll need to retain as much evidence of wrongdoing as possible. This includes medical records, expenses you’ve incurred as a result of your injuries, photos, journals, and the testimony of other employees who may have insight to the incident.
Unfortunately, medical malpractice cases are some of the most difficult personal injury cases to prove. As such, it’s in your best interest to retain the assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney. This improves your chances of recovering the compensation you’re entitled to at the hands of a negligent party.
At the Mathis Law Firm, we understand how devastating it can be to suffer injuries at the hands of the person you trusted to heal you. As such, we will work tirelessly to fight for the justice you deserve. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
