If you’ve been hurt by a doctor’s negligence, you may need to hire a medical malpractice lawyer.
What Does a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Do?
A medical malpractice lawyer will listen to your entire story to determine what happened between you and the doctor. If the doctor caused you some type of harm, such as in the case of misdiagnosis of an illness you could be able to sue him or her in court.
A medical malpractice attorney won’t take your case unless he or she thinks you have a chance at winning. In most cases, these types of attorneys only get paid when they obtain a settlement for their clients. That’s good for you because you know your lawyer has plenty of incentive to work hard on your behalf.
Questions from Your Med-Mal Lawyer
Your medical malpractice lawyer will probably have a long list of questions for you. While it may be difficult to answer them all, it’s important that you make an effort. The more your lawyer knows about your case, the better he or she can fight for you to get the outcome you deserve.
Your lawyer might ask:
- What injuries or harm have you sustained due to a doctor’s negligence?
- How did the doctor or healthcare professional actually harm you? Was it through a mistake with anesthesia, carelessness during surgery, or the misdiagnosis of an illness? (These are only a few of the long list of ways a healthcare professional could harm a patient.)
- What have been the lasting effects of the medical professional’s negligence or carelessness?
- What kind of treatments will you require in the future?
For the most part, you will be required to prove everything you say in court. That means you’ll need to have medical bills, treatment records and other documentation on-hand so you can furnish proof.
Settling out of Court
Many cases never make it to court. Instead, insurance companies decide to settle out of court. What that means is that they are willing to pay the person suing them for their bills, pain and suffering without being forced to pay by a judge. Usually, a medical malpractice attorney negotiates a settlement that both parties can live with.