Going to the doctor can be an unnerving experience to begin with. You’re putting your full trust in the nurses, doctors, and the rest of the staff to quickly and effectively figure out what’s wrong with you and determine the correct treatment that will work for you. Even though they are highly-trained and highly-skilled workers, they still can make mistakes when they’re negligent. That’s where our Corpus Christi, TX medical malpractice lawyer comes in.
At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we understand how an injury caused by a medical professional’s negligence can be devastating to your physical and mental health as well as cause you to lose trust in doctors. When you feel this vulnerable, you shouldn’t have to worry about standing up for your rights on your own. Our attorneys are prepared to fight for you and hold the negligent medical professional accountable for their actions.
Different Types of Med Mal in Corpus Christi
When you’ve been harmed by your doctor, you might be wondering if it counts as medical malpractice. If negligence was involved that led to you incurring more damages than you should have, then it’s likely you were a victim of med mal. Here are some of the situations that can lead to medical malpractice that you can consult to determine whether or not you have a med mal claim:
- Misdiagnosis. When a doctor or another medical professional makes a clear mistake and misdiagnoses you even though your symptoms point clearly to one diagnosis, then you could end up suffering more. Your real illness could progress to a dangerous point, or you could go through treatment for the wrong disease which causes more damage to your body than before.
- Missed Diagnosis. When you’re having clear symptoms and the doctor completely misses what is wrong, this could be a missed diagnosis. This can be deadly for a patient. For example, if a patient is exhibiting clear signs of a stroke, and the doctor sends them home from the hospital, they could have life-altering effects from not being treated.
- Medication Errors. There are many different errors that can happen with medications, unfortunately. The prescribing, dosing, and administration of a drug must be done carefully and with full consideration of the patient. Additionally, if the patient has an allergy but is prescribed a drug they’re allergic to, their reaction could be deadly. If medications are prescribed that have bad reactions with each other, then the patient could also suffer injuries or death.
- Surgical Errors. Surgeons and their assistants need to be as careful as possible when performing a surgery. When there’s a mistake, it can have serious consequences for their patient. Operating on the wrong site, nicking body parts that shouldn’t be cut, and causing serious infections from breaking the sanitary field. Another way surgeons can make mistakes is by leaving their tools in the patient’s body. This can lead to the patient needing another surgery, or deadly infections and sepsis.
- Birth Injuries. While birth is a beautiful process, there are plenty of parts that can go wrong and lead to injuries for mother or baby. There are different tools and techniques used that can physically damage a baby on its way into the world. Mothers can also incur birth injuries if delivery and C-sections are not performed correctly.
- Infections. Hospitals and other medical buildings might seem like the cleanest places to be, but they are actually a breeding ground for bacteria and infections. Nurses and other medical professionals can easily transfer infections from one patient to another if they’re not careful while making their rounds. Also, if cleaning staff is not diligent, they could miss cleaning an area that needs to be sterilized or disinfected.
If one of the above situations is what caused your injury, then you could have a medical malpractice claim to file. If what happened to you isn’t listed above, then don’t worry. You still might have a claim against your practitioner. A Corpus Christi, TX medical malpractice attorney from our firm can answer your questions and help you determine whether or not you have a case.
Who Could Be at Fault For Med Mal
After experiencing any mistakes that you think could be medical malpractice, your next thought might be wondering who exactly could have been responsible for what happened to you. Of course, that all depends on your situation. Who you hold liable depends on whose negligence contributed to your injury.
But it can be helpful for you to know all the different hospital or doctor’s office staff members who could be potentially at fault for medical malpractice. Here are some of the different parties who could have been responsible for your injuries from a medical error:
- Doctor
- Surgeon
- Dentist
- Nurse
- Nurse’s aid
- Licensed medical professional
- Anesthesiologist
- Pharmacist
- Lab techs
- Paramedics
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Doctor’s offices
- Nursing homes
Of course, these aren’t the only parties that you might take legal action against when you are hurt from a practitioner’s negligence. You could hold any party who contributed to your injury accountable for what they did to you. You’ll need the help of our Corpus Christi, TX medical malpractice lawyer so that you can get justice for your injuries and damages.
Damages You Can Recover from a Med Mal Claim
Just like any other personal injury claim, medical malpractice claims are filed so that you can recover the financial compensation that you deserve for all the damages you suffered at the hand of someone else’s negligence. With the help of an attorney, you can get back all the money you had to pay for medical bills, lost wages, future costs of care, pain and suffering, and any other damages that you suffered from the med mal.
What’s most important to consider in the damages that you can recover are the caps that are outlined by Texas Law. Here are the caps that are in place for economic, noneconomic, and punitive damages for medical malpractice claims in Texas:
- $250,000 in noneconomic damages from one health care provider or each provider in one claim
- $250,000 in noneconomic damages from each hospital or medical center, but only up to $500,000 per plaintiff
- $1.5 million in economic and noneconomic damages when wrongful death is involved
- $200,000 or twice the number of economic damages and up to $750,000 of noneconomic damages for punitive damages, whichever value is higher
These damage caps can seem confusing, which is why we’re here to help you determine what you’re owed. Our Corpus Christi, TX medical malpractice attorney is experienced in calculating damages and fighting to get you full and fair compensation for your injuries.
You Can Trust the Lawyers at Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm
When you choose to be represented by our Corpus Christi, TX medical malpractice lawyer, you can have peace of mind knowing that your case will be strongly compiled by our competent team. At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we understand how vulnerable you feel after all these damages, which is why we’re here to support you through your claim. Reach out to us today so we can get started working for you right away.
