When you’re sick or hurt, you go to the doctor or the hospital. You may try to cure yourself at home, but there are times when you need professional help. In those instances, you go to your practitioner’s office, a specialist, or the emergency room. They could provide you with the care you need, or even admit you into the hospital, or determine you need surgery, and everything could go as planned and you leave the office or hospital feeling better than before. However, sometimes that’s not what happens.
If you leave the office or hospital worse than before, you could use the help of our Tempe, AZ medical malpractice lawyer. At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we’re dedicated to helping victims of medical negligence and medical errors get justice for what they’ve endured.
We’ll investigate what happened, determine whose negligence caused the further injury, and calculate how much you’re owed in damages. You can trust our attorneys to represent you and keep you from settling for less than you deserve.
Med Mal Laws in Arizona You Should Know
Taking part in a med mal claim shouldn’t be as intimidating as it might feel. When you know the laws involved in your claim, you’ll feel more informed and more confident in what your lawyer is doing. Having your med mal attorney explain the relevant laws to you can ensure that they know what they’re doing and that they want the process to be transparent and as painless as possible for you.
The first important law you need to know is the statute of limitations of medical malpractice claims in Arizona. This is the amount of time you have to file a claim after the date of your injury from an act of medical negligence. In Arizona, you have two years to take legal action against a doctor or other practitioner or healthcare facility who caused you harm.
Of course, there are some reasons why this timeline might be extended. One of those reasons is known as the discovery rule. This means that if you didn’t realize you were injured directly after the incident, and you don’t discover you’ve been injured until later, you have from the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered your harm.
This could be confusing, which is why it’s helpful to have a med mal lawyer on your side. They’ll be able to answer your questions and determine if you’re within the statute of limitations or if you qualify for the discovery rule.
Additionally, you need to have an experienced and knowledgeable Tempe, AZ medical malpractice attorney on your side because they need to know the rule surrounding expert witnesses in med mal claims. They need to file to have an expert witness’s testimony in your claim.
Expert witnesses are helpful in establishing what should have been done in your care rather than what the practitioner did instead. They explain the standard of care and how your experience should have gone to further prove how you were wronged in your medical treatment.
Types of Medical Negligence Committed in Tempe
Your entire claim will hinge upon proving your doctor or healthcare worker who treated you was medically negligent. This negligence likely resulted in an error that injured you and left you with subsequent damages. Proving there was a doctor-patient relationship, they owed you a duty of care, and they breached that duty will be essential to getting you the compensation you deserve.
In order to prove they were negligent, you and your attorney will need to determine in which way they made a mistake. Here are some of the most common types of medical negligence that occur in Tempe and our med mal lawyers see in claims:
- Misdiagnosis
- Missed diagnosis
- Medication errors
- Infection
- Allergic reaction
- Misread charts and tests
- Surgical error
- Anesthesia error
- Birth injuries
With your medical records, medical bills, and any other documentation that shows what you’ve endured, we’ll be able to prove you were wrongfully injured by the practitioners who were supposed to help you. Our Tempe, AZ medical malpractice lawyer is here to support you through your med mal claim and ensure your case is as strong as possible.
Providers Who Could Be at Fault for Your Med Mal Damages
One of your biggest questions that you have and that your lawyer will be working to answer is who was at fault? Determining exactly which party caused the harm that you experienced through their negligence is vital in your claim. Holding the correct party accountable ensures that you’re getting justice and that you’ll be able to prove their negligence is what caused your injuries and other damages.
This is where hiring a med mal attorney is so crucial in your claim—they’ll know what to look for and who could potentially be at fault for what happened to you. They know there are many different parties whose negligence could have been the reason for your injuries. Here are some of the parties who could have made a medical error and hurt you:
- Doctor
- Nurse Practitioner
- Surgeon
- Dentist
- Physician’s Assistant
- Nurse
- CNA
- LPN
- Any other medical staff member
- Doctor’s office
- Healthcare facilities
- Hospitals
All of these entities could be the party responsible for what happened to you. With Our Tempe, AZ medical malpractice attorney on your side, you can have peace of mind knowing that we will fight to hold the correct party accountable for what they have caused you to experience.
You Can Trust Our Med Mal Attorneys to Fight for You
After being hurt but one of the people who was supposed to help you, it can be a difficult decision to trust another person. After a med mal injury, you’re likely feeling vulnerable and unsure if you can put your trust in a lawyer to fight for you. That’s where Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm comes in.
We understand how you’re feeling, which is why we’re here to keep the process as transparent and comfortable as possible for you. Our Tempe, AZ medical malpractice attorney is here to handle the legal side of things so that you can focus on your healing. Reach out to us today so that we can schedule a free consultation.
