We turn to doctors and other health care professionals to cure us when we are sick and heal us when we are injured. When doctors make avoidable medical errors, when they fail to follow the appropriate standard of care and are negligent in their diagnoses and treatment of patients, tragedy is all too often the result.
In fact, if medical malpractice were a disease, we would consider it an epidemic. Medical mistakes take the lives of 250,000 Americans every year according to a 2016 study from Johns Hopkins University, making it the third leading cause of death in the U.S., right behind heart disease and cancer.
The pain and trauma patients and their families experience because of medical malpractice are often accompanied by confusion and disbelief. It can be difficult if not impossible for patients or their families to know if a doctor’s error caused or contributed to their injuries and suffering. Without the assistance of attorneys who understand the complex legal and medical issues involved in malpractice cases, it can be equally challenging to hold doctors to account for their negligence once it is revealed.
