Do you suspect that your family has been a victim of pediatric negligence in Atlanta, GA? You may be entitled to hold the negligent doctor liable for medical bills, lost earnings, and your family’s pain and suffering. An experienced Atlanta pediatrician malpractice lawyer at Malone Law can help you fight for every dollar you deserve.
Our lawyers have been fighting to protect families like yours since we opened our doors back in 1965. We have over 50 years of experience in medical malpractice and personal injury law. We’ve used our skills to help injured patients recover hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation awards over the years.
If you’re struggling with injuries caused by pediatrician negligence, contact our law offices in Atlanta, Georgia, to schedule a free consultation today. We’ll do everything possible to help you hold the negligent medical provider accountable.
How Can Malone Law Help With My Pediatrician Malpractice Claim in Atlanta?
You trust your pediatrician to care for your child. Proper pediatric care can be critical to your child’s future. But what happens when your pediatrician makes a mistake and hurts your child? How can you hold them accountable?
These injuries can impact every part of your child’s future–from their ability to enjoy normal childhood activities to their ability to earn a living. Our experienced Atlanta medical malpractice attorneys at Malone Law are here to fight for you.
Our lawyers have been serving families in Atlanta for decades. Over the years, Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America have recognized us for our quality legal representation. We’ve also earned an AV-Preeminent rating from the Martindale-Hubbell legal rating service.
When you hire our lawyers, we will:
- Conduct a comprehensive investigation
- Gather evidence to prove causation and establish liability
- Demand full compensation from all responsible parties
- Hire experts in medicine and other specialties to build your case
- Stand up to the insurance companies and negotiate on your behalf for a fair settlement
- Take your case all the way to trial if necessary
If your innocent child is suffering, contact our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers today. We offer a free consultation, so there’s no risk.
What Is Pediatrician Malpractice?
Pediatrician malpractice is a type of medical malpractice committed by doctors who specialize in providing care to minor children. Medical care can be different for children than for adults. Your pediatrician must complete specialized training to learn how to provide quality care for children.
Like any other medical professional, pediatricians must provide a certain standard of care. Pediatrician malpractice happens when your pediatrician provides a level of care that another reasonable and trained pediatrician would not have provided.
What Is My Atlanta Pediatrician Malpractice Case Worth?
Pediatric injuries have the potential to impact your child’s entire life. It can be incredibly difficult to anticipate all of the ways that your family’s life will change because of your doctor’s mistake. You deserve to recover every possible dollar to compensate for those losses.
The value of your case will depend heavily on the nature and severity of the harm your child has suffered.
Factors that tend to influence your case value include:
- The long-term impact of your child’s injuries
- The nature of the pediatrician’s mistake
- The cost of your current medical treatment and estimated future costs
- The types of physical pain and emotional suffering your family has endured
- Whether the injury has impacted your family’s current earnings
- Whether the injury is expected to harm your child’s ability to earn a living
Before you sign, it’s important to have a lawyer evaluate your case value. Otherwise, you risk walking away with less money than you deserve.
At Malone Law, our medical malpractice attorneys in Atlanta have helped families in similar situations. We have relationships with experts who understand the potential future costs you may encounter. You can benefit from our experience and resources by calling to learn more about this area of law today.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Pediatric Malpractice in Atlanta?
If your child was injured due to a negligent healthcare provider, you deserve to be compensated for all of your economic and non-economic losses.
Your economic damages may include compensation for:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages while you care for your child
- Your child’s diminished future earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Long-term care
- Counseling
- Special education costs
Non-economic damages compensate victims for things like:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of a normal childhood
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
Your compensation should account for all of your past and current losses. It should also compensate for anticipated future expenses and losses.
Pediatrician Malpractice Can Cause Serious Long-Term Damage
At Malone Law, we handle all types of pediatric malpractice cases, including cases involving:
- Cancer and other illnesses
- Broken bones
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burn injuries
- Paralysis and loss of limbs
- Internal organ damage
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Stroke
- Birth injuries, including Cerebral Palsy, Erb’s Palsy, shoulder dystocia, and brain damage
- Shock and sepsis
- Wrongful death
As a parent, you have the right to file a lawsuit on behalf of your injured child. Our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers are prepared to stand by your side every step of the way. To learn more about your legal rights and options, contact our law firm today for a free consultation.
What Causes Most Cases of Pediatrician Malpractice in Atlanta, Georgia?
Pediatric malpractice can leave your family struggling with painful injuries for years to come. If you were a victim of medical malpractice, you deserve to understand what happened. Of course, you’ll also have to prove what happened to recover fair compensation for your family’s suffering.
Some of the most common causes of pediatrician malpractice include:
- Misdiagnosis
- Failure to diagnose a disease
- Failure to obtain a complete family medical history and review medical records
- Failure to consider adverse drug interactions
- Surgical errors
- Emergency room errors
- Medication errors
- Delayed diagnosis and delayed treatment
- Overtreatment and undertreatment
- Failure to inform the parents of potential complications
- Failure to provide proper post-operative instructions
- Communication and charting errors
- Inexperienced doctors, nurses, and medical providers
- Overworked healthcare professionals
- Understaffed doctor’s offices
- Hospital negligence
- Nursing negligence
Our Atlanta pediatrician malpractice attorneys can help you identify the mistake that caused your child’s harm. Contact us today to schedule a free case review to get started.
How Do I Prove Pediatrician Malpractice in Atlanta, GA?
While most pediatricians do everything possible to protect their patients, malpractice still happens. That said, proving medical malpractice is rarely easy. Doctors make mistakes like anyone else–and not every mistake amounts to malpractice.
However, some mistakes are so serious that they should never happen.
To prove that your doctor committed malpractice, you must establish the following elements:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care based on a doctor-patient relationship
- The medical standard of care that applied in your case
- Your pediatrician deviated from the medical standard of care
- That mistake directly harmed your child
- The specific damages your family suffered, including physical harm, financial losses, and emotional damage
Most families wonder how they can prove these elements. Establishing the medical standard of care is typically the first step.
That standard is developed by the medical community itself and depends on:
- The type of injury or medical condition involved
- The patient’s age and life expectancy
- Medical history
When a child is the patient, the standard of care is typically different from the standard of care that applies in cases involving adults. Still, the standard can be tough to establish.
In fact, Georgia medical malpractice laws require victims of malpractice to consult medical experts before they can take legal action. The medical expert must prepare an affidavit that states the reason for your lawsuit. Generally, that affidavit will contain information about what your pediatrician did–and what they should have done instead.
How Long Do I Have To File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit if My Pediatrician Made a Mistake in Georgia?
Under Georgia law, most victims of medical errors have two years to file a lawsuit. The two-year statute of limitations starts to run on the date the error occurred.
A discovery rule also applies in medical malpractice cases. If the mistake wasn’t immediately obvious, you have two years from the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered the harm.
However, there is also a firm five-year deadline for taking legal action. If you don’t file a lawsuit within five years of the medical mistake, you lose your right to compensation.
The fact that your child was a minor when the error occurred can also impact the statute of limitations. If a parent doesn’t file a lawsuit on their behalf, a minor child may have more time to file a medical malpractice claim.
Contact a Trusted Atlanta Pediatrician Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today
It’s not always easy to know whether you’ve been a victim of malpractice. If you suspect your family is suffering because of a doctor’s mistake, call Malone Law today. An Atlanta pediatrician malpractice lawyer can help you navigate the legal issues.