Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Virginia Beach
Medical care is intended to heal, not harm. Healthcare injuries can produce devastating results, permanently altering the physical and cognitive abilities of the injured person. Even when recovery is possible, the setbacks associated with medical malpractice can leave a person unable to work for an extended period, impacting mental and emotional health and quality of life. It’s also not uncommon for medical malpractice to create significant medical debt. When improper medical care results in injury or death, the victim or their loved ones can take legal action to pursue compensation for their losses. The medical malpractice lawyers in Virginia beach at The Joel Bieber Firm help clients fight for justice when medical care goes wrong in Virginia Beach.
Common Types of Virginia Beach Medical Malpractice Claims
Medical malpractice is a broad term. It applies to many types of medical care and many different forms of error and injury. Virginia law allows a medical malpractice claim to be filed against healthcare providers such as:
- Physicians
- Surgeons
- Medical providers
- HMOs
- EMTs
- Chiropractors
- Dental hygienists
- Hospitals
There’s an endless number of ways in which a healthcare provider can cause injury or death to a patient. Some of the most common forms of medical malpractice injuries include:
- Failure to diagnose or late diagnosis
- Failure to render proper care
- Birth injury
- Treatment or medication error
- Surgical error
- Items left inside a patient during surgery
Although there is a huge variety of types of medical malpractice claims, they all share one core characteristic — a healthcare provider failed in their duty to provide appropriate care to a patient, and the patient suffered harm as a result.
Proving Liability for Medical Malpractice in Virginia Beach
Medical malpractice is a type of personal injury. In any personal injury case, proving liability is a matter of demonstrating that the person responsible for the injury failed to uphold a basic duty of care for the well-being of another.
This amounts to negligence and proving medical negligence is how you hold the other party financially responsible for your damages.
Healthcare providers are held to an even higher standard in a personal injury case. Proving liability for medical malpractice in Virginia is done by showing that the treatment a patient received was not on par with the professional standard of care. Often, other medical professionals are called in as experts to testify on how a patient’s case should have been handled.
What to Expect in a Medical Malpractice Case
If you’ve been the victim of medical practice, you can gain compensation through your healthcare provider’s insurance. Healthcare providers usually carry generous insurance policies specifically to protect them in the event of a medical malpractice claim.
You need to work with a Virginia Beach medical malpractice lawyer if you hope to gain compensation for medical malpractice. This type of personal injury case is complex, but a successful claim can bring substantial compensation to the victim.
Your Virginia Beach medical malpractice attorney will work to build a case showing that your provider acted negligently. In doing so, they’ll consult with medical experts, collect documentation, and establish a target compensation goal.
Once their investigation is complete, Virginia Beach medical malpractice lawyers will enter into negotiations with the insurance company responsible for covering your damages. If the other party tries denying your claim or refuses to negotiate a fair settlement amount, your lawyer can file a civil claim initiating a lawsuit.
If it becomes necessary to take a case to court, your lawyer will represent you in the courtroom, fighting for your right to fair compensation as a medical malpractice victim.
Possible Compensation After Virginia Beach Medical Malpractice
Compensation in a medical malpractice case is designed to reimburse you for the financial hardship you’ve encountered. This includes any costs and expenses related to the injury, such as:
- Medical bills
- Anticipated future medical costs
- Lost wages and benefits
You can also seek compensation for other forms of damage that don’t have a calculable financial value, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of companionship
- Disfigurement
Medical malpractice compensation typically grows larger in proportion to the severity of the injury.
For example, when a birth injury causes significant lifelong issues with physical and cognitive development, settlement amounts can reach six or seven figures. The same is true when medical malpractice results in the death of a patient.
Time Limits for Legal Action in Virginia Beach
The state of Virginia only allows medical malpractice victims two years to take legal action. This is true whether you’re filing over personal injury or wrongful death. Two years may sound like a long time, but it’s an eyeblink in the legal world.
It takes time for Virginia Beach medical malpractice lawyers to collect evidence and build a strong case. This is particularly true with medical malpractice, which requires the input of medical experts to help establish negligence. A healthcare provider is also more likely to push back against a claim of medical malpractice because it can negatively impact their reputation and career prospects.
It’s impossible to know in advance how long insurance negotiations will take or if they’ll be successful. Assuming they’re not, your lawyer will need to file a lawsuit. It’s this all-important step that comes with a two-year time limit.
If you hope to gain compensation for injuries stemming from medical malpractice, you need to act promptly. Contact a Virginia Beach medical malpractice lawyers right away. Delaying puts your entire case at risk.
How Virginia Beach Medical Malpractice Lawyers Can Help
Medical malpractice cases are one of the most complex types of personal injury cases there is. A healthcare provider is almost guaranteed to push back against a claim, trying to justify that the care they provided was not negligent.
To receive the compensation you deserve in a Virginia medical malpractice case, you need to begin working with an experienced lawyer with a proven track record of winning this type of case.
The Virginia Beach medical malpractice lawyers at The Joel Bieber Firm have an exceptional track record of winning compensation for clients whose lives were impacted by medical malpractice in Virginia Beach. Give us a call today for free consultation to learn more about how we can help you seek compensation for your injuries and move on with your life.