How To Start a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
The aftermath of a serious injury to yourself or a loved one can be extremely overwhelming. You may not know what to do to get the compensation you feel you deserve. Keep reading if you believe that you or a family member have been the victim of improper medical care and have suffered damages as a result.
What Should I Do First?
Once you are stable enough to begin thinking about the harm caused to you by substandard healthcare services, it may be wise to contact an attorney. Medical malpractice attorneys have experience navigating the lengthy process of filing these lawsuits. A lawyer may be able to walk you through the process of filing a malpractice claim in your local area. Additionally, an attorney may be able to take the information you have given and determine whether the care provided could have been negligent according to current medical standard practices.
How Can I Assist?
Although your attorney may be better suited for handling the legal aspect of your case, your help could still be needed. You can be of service by providing all of your relevant medical records as quickly as possible. Further, it may be wise to cut off communication with any person or entity you plan to hold partially responsible for damages in your lawsuit. Any additional attempts at communication by the other party may be referred to your attorney.
What Should I Expect?
Medical malpractice lawsuits can be very time-consuming to build, and therefore the process can be lengthy. Depending upon your state of residence, there could be a statute of limitations imposed on bringing these types of claims in court. Be sure to get the process started early enough to allow a law firm adequate time to review your case and file your claim within the applicable deadline. In addition, some states have started requiring certificates of merit to file medical malpractice suits. These certificates are normally authenticated by a physician confirming that the care provided was negligent.
Many malpractice lawsuits are settled outside of court, so do not be surprised if this happens in your case. However, if you and your attorney believe you have a strong case for seeking higher damages, you may want to proceed with the lawsuit despite having received an offer from the other party.
Contact a medical malpractice lawyer in Oregon today from a firm like Andersen Morse & Linthorst if you believe you may have been the victim of negligent medical care.