Medical errors can cause an incredible amount of damage. If you were harmed by a doctor’s mistake in North Atlanta, GA, contact Malone Law to learn more about your legal options. An experienced North Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer can help you fight to hold the negligent healthcare provider liable for medical bills, loss of income, pain, suffering, and more.
As leaders in medical malpractice law, our attorneys have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injured clients over the years. Collectively, we have more than 50 years of experience–and we’re ready to fight for you.
You don’t have to let negligent hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies dictate the terms of your future. Contact our law office in North Atlanta, Georgia to schedule a free consultation with a lawyer who can help at (770) 390-7550.
How Malone Law Can Help With a Medical Malpractice Claim in North Atlanta, GA
Doctors are held to high standards for a reason. Patients put their lives in their hands every day. Often, we don’t have any choice but to trust our doctors to provide the care we deserve. When they don’t, it’s the victim who is left to suffer the consequences.
If your life has changed forever because of a doctor’s mistake, count on Malone Law to protect you. Our North Atlanta medical malpractice attorneys have been rated by Super Lawyers and earned an AV-Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell.
We’ll use those skills to your advantage by:
- Identifying the error that led to your injury, illness, or loved one’s wrongful death
- Determining who is legally responsible for your damages
- Calculating the value of your losses
- Hiring leading medical experts to prove your case
- Negotiating fiercely with the insurance companies for a full settlement
Medical malpractice cases are almost always complex. Doctors will defend themselves aggressively. Contact our North Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers today to get legal representation to level the playing field.
Overview of Medical Malpractice Laws in Georgia
No medical professional can guarantee a perfect outcome. Some patients don’t respond well to treatment even when everything goes perfectly.
On the other hand, sometimes doctors and healthcare professionals make mistakes that can cause a patient’s condition to become much worse. Doctors can be held responsible when they provide negligent care.
Under Georgia medical malpractice laws, doctors must use a “reasonable degree of care and skill” when providing medical care. When doctors fail to provide the level of care that a reasonable, trained medical professional would provide under the circumstances, they can be held liable.
Medical malpractice can occur at any stage in the treatment process.
Any healthcare provider can ultimately be responsible for their mistakes, including:
- Surgeons and medical specialists
- General practitioners and family doctors
- Nurses and nurse practitioners
- Physician assistants
- Hospital administrative staff
- Anesthesiologists
- Diagnosticians
- Hospitals
- Medical clinics and urgent care treatment centers
- Pharmacists
- Pharmacies
If you suspect you were a victim of medical negligence, call our law firm in North Atlanta today. Your initial consultation is always completely free, so there’s no risk in learning about your legal rights.
How Common is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is a problem across the United States.
A study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medical Center found that medical errors are responsible for about 250,000 deaths in the U.S. each year–making medical malpractice the third-leading cause of death in the U.S.
Of course, not all medical errors are fatal. According to another study, nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a permanent disability or die each year because their diseases are misdiagnosed.
What Types of Damages Are Available if My Medical Malpractice Case Is Successful?
As the plaintiff, you can pursue compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages. If your case is successful, you should be entitled to compensation to account for all of your losses–both financial and non-financial.
Examples of the types of compensation you may be entitled to receive include:
- Past medical bills
- Future medical expenses incurred due to the mistake
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Corrective surgeries
- Medications and medical devices
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Reduced life expectancy
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Humiliation
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
In rare cases, you may be entitled to seek punitive damages. Punitive damages are only awarded in cases where punishment is justified. You must have clear evidence about especially shocking behavior to seek punitive damages.
What is My North Atlanta Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
Your case value depends heavily on the severity of your injuries and how those injuries have impacted your life. That said, all cases are different. It’s important to hire a lawyer who will take the time to fully assess the damages you have suffered.
Ultimately, these factors are most likely to impact your case value:
- The nature of the harm you have suffered
- Your prognosis for making a full recovery
- The costs you have incurred due to the error, including medical treatment costs
- Whether the injury has impacted your earnings
- The nature of the at-fault party’s conduct
- The physical and emotional impact of the ordeal
You shouldn’t underestimate the value of your medical malpractice claim–even if the doctors and their defense lawyers are trying to downplay your losses. Instead, contact our experienced lawyers in North Atlanta to have our team evaluate your case value.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Georgia?
Many families quickly find themselves under financial stress after a serious medical error. Many have to tap into savings to cover medical expenses and pay their daily costs. At Malone Law, we believe that hiring an experienced attorney shouldn’t add to that burden.
That’s why we work on a contingency fee basis. Ultimately, our attorney’s fees will be a percentage of your settlement or verdict.
During your free case review, we’ll listen to the facts and evaluate your case. Based on that information, we’ll discuss our fee structure in more detail.
We Have Decades of Experience Helping Victims of Medical Malpractice in All Types of Situations
At Malone Law, we’re well-prepared to handle any type of medical malpractice case, including those involving:
- Failure to diagnose cancer and other diseases
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Hospital negligence
- Medication errors
- Failure to treat
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Wrong-site surgeries
- Anesthesia errors
- Birth injuries
If you’re standing up to a powerful healthcare provider and their insurance companies, you can count on us to have your back. Contact our medical malpractice attorneys in North Atlanta to learn more about how we’ll fight for your right to compensation.
What Causes Most Medical Mistakes in North Atlanta?
Medical errors happen for many different reasons. However, some causes are more common than others.
Medical mistakes often happen due to:
- Charting and communication errors
- Overworked medical providers and understaffing
- Failure to take a patient’s history
- Failure to refer a patient to a specialist
- Misinterpreting lab results
- Failure to order the correct diagnostic tests
- Failure to recognize a patient’s symptoms
- Unsanitary conditions
- Mistaken patient identity
- Failure to provide proper post-operative instructions
- Failure to monitor a patient
You deserve time to focus on recovering. Our lawyers have the resources to find out why you’re suffering while you rest and recover.
How Do I Prove My Family Deserves Compensation After a Medical Error in Georgia?
Negligence is the foundation for most medical malpractice claims. Doctors are negligent when their care deviates from the standard of care developed by the medical community.
More specifically, to recover compensation, you will have to establish:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care based on the fact that you were a patient
- The scope of that duty of care – called the medical standard of care
- The defendant breached their duty by failing to provide adequate care
- You suffered some type of harm – or damages – because of the breach of duty
Our lawyers are here to locate the evidence you need to prove these elements.
Importantly, we have relationships with experts who can provide evidence about:
- The level of care you should have received, and
- How the care you did receive deviated from that standard
You must obtain an affidavit from a qualified medical professional before you can proceed with your case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Georgia?
In Georgia, you have two years to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Generally, the two-year statute of limitations starts running on the date the medical error happened.
However, if you didn’t discover the mistake immediately, the clock starts running on the date you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the harm.
A statute of repose also applies. Regardless of when you discovered you were a victim, you lose your right to file a lawsuit after five years have passed.
Contact a Trusted North Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you even suspect you were a victim of medical negligence in North Atlanta, GA, our team at Malone Law is here to help you understand your legal rights. Contact us today to learn more about how a North Atlanta medical malpractice attorney can help prove your case.