When you or a family member entrust your care to a medical professional, you expect that you will receive medical care that meets certain professional standards. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. When action or inaction by a medical professional harms you or someone you love, you can turn to a Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyer for help.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is the third leading cause of death in the United States. It kills nearly 100,000 people each year. Any time medical professionals do not provide an acceptable level of care to a patient, they are engaging in medical malpractice. When their actions or inactions cause you or a loved one physical or emotional harm, you may have a cause to sue them and the facility for which they work, and recover all medical expenses, compensation for your injuries and punitive damages against the defendants.
Your Rights Under Florida Medical Malpractice Statutes
You have a right to expect that any medical care you receive will be safe and adequate and that the doctors and other medical professionals who treat you will be trained in the treatments they perform. You have a right to expect a certain minimum standard of care. Most hospitals and doctors deliver on your expectations, but there are exceptions. Nearly 50 percent of all medical malpractice claims originate in only 5 percent of hospitals and medical practices. When you or a loved one is affected by that 5 percent, you have a legal right to seek compensation for injuries and damages resulting from that malpractice.
Choosing a Fort Lauderdale Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Law firms often specialize in a particular kind of law. If you need help filing a claim for medical malpractice in Florida, you’ll find a number of personal injury law firms with medical malpractice lawyers on staff. You’ll want to work directly with a Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyer with experience in the field.
The Florida malpractice laws can be complex. If you’ve been injured through the fault or inaction of a medical professional, you have a limited time in which you can bring suit and receive compensation for your injuries. Contact a medical malpractice lawyer for an evaluation of your case today.