5 Signs You May Need a Medical Malpractice Attorney

The goal of the medical profession is generally to make us feel better when we're sick and heal us when we're injured.

Occasionally, however, medical care can actually be the cause of injuries, both physical and emotional. The job of medical malpractice attorneys is to help those who are injured by medical treatment gone wrong recover for the harm caused by negligent or reckless medical care.

So when do you need to call a medical malpractice attorney? Here are five potential situations to consider:

1. Your surgery goes wrong. Although surgical procedures aren't always successful, when a surgery is performed in a dangerously unsafe or incorrect manner, you may have a case for medical malpractice. This includes operations that are performed on the wrong area (or in some cases, on the wrong person) or surgeries in which instruments or medical supplies are left inside a patient's body.
2. You're provided the wrong medication. A New England Journal of Medicine study found that 100,000 emergency hospitalizations of American adults over 65 are caused each year by medication errors. Patients who are given unsafe dosages or prescribed drugs which cause adverse reactions with other medications may have a claim for malpractice.
3. Your privacy is violated. The injuries caused by malpractice aren't all physical. The sensitive nature of medical records can lead to a medical malpractice suit if they are released improperly or shared publicly.
4. A family member dies during a medical procedure. The recent death of comedian Joan Rivers, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a surgical procedure, may eventually lead to a wrongful death lawsuit by her surviving family members if there is reason to believe that improper medical care may have caused or contributed to her death.
5. Your child is injured during delivery or by improper prenatal care. Children may be born with birth defects that are genetic or natural in origin. However, if a child is born with an injury that is caused during delivery or by improper prenatal medical care, a medical malpractice attorney may be able to assist in recovering damages for both the child and the parents in certain situations.

If you believe you have been the victim of medical malpractice, a medical malpractice attorney can help explain your legal options.

Related Resources:

• Should I Sue for Medical Malpractice? (FindLaw's Injured)
• Ala. Man's Penis Amputated by Mistake, Lawsuit Claims (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
• 5 Ways Surgery Errors Can Lead to Lawsuits (FindLaw's Injured)
• U.S. Gov't to Pay $6.5M for Baby's Brain Injury (FindLaw's Injured)