Bethlehem Medical Malpractice Lawyer

When you see your doctor or another medical professional, you trust them to give you the best possible care and treat your illness or injury correctly and quickly. Unfortunately, doctors are human and, as such, are bound to make mistakes, just like the rest of us. And when our trusted medical teams make an error during a patient’s treatment, the results can be catastrophic.

Thousands of patients suffer every year from completely preventable accidents as a result of medical malpractice. And while victims are well within their right to pursue a lawsuit against the medical providers who harmed them, these cases can quickly become complicated.

If you or a loved one has suffered negligence at the hands of a doctor, surgeon, or another medical professional, you have the right to compensation. Our team at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan is here to assist you in pursuing legal action against those responsible. Contact our office to meet with a Bethlehem medical malpractice lawyer who can help you understand your rights. Meeting with them for a consultation is free.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice is any instance where a medical professional acts in a negligent manner that causes harm to a patient.

It can be your doctor ignoring your symptoms or hospital staff improperly inputting your patient records, which delays your care. In some cases, it can be something as serious as a surgeon operating on the wrong part of the body or medical staff giving a patient treatment for a medical concern the patient doesn’t have and making the patient worse.

Medical malpractice could be, but isn’t limited to, any of the following:

• Failure to treat
• Surgical errors
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis
• Anesthesia errors
• Prescription errors
• Failure to follow-up

Sometimes medical malpractice and medical negligence are used interchangeably when, in fact, negligence is one of the many facets of malpractice. It can be confusing because, to pursue a medical malpractice case, you must prove that negligence occurred.

How To Prove Negligence Cases Like These

Medical malpractice cases are often a bit more complex when it comes to proving that harm occurred.

According to data from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, there were 1,332 medical malpractice cases filed within the courts in 2022. Of those, 29 were filed in Lehigh County and 13 were filed in Northampton County. Only 87 of all claims filed across the state reached a verdict that issued compensatory damages.

In order to move forward with a claim against a medical professional, it must be proven that:

• A doctor-patient relationship existed between the victim and the at-fault medical professional
• The physician was negligent and breached the applicable standard of care
• The doctor’s breach of care and negligent actions caused harm to the patient
• The harm that the patient suffered caused or contributed to other specific damages

In addition to proving the prior elements of negligence, your attorney will know that you must have a Certificate of Merit from an appropriate licensed professional. This certificate must state that the victim’s case has been thoroughly examined and that there is a reasonable probability that the health care provider’s conduct fell outside professional standards and caused the victim harm.

Establishing the necessary elements of negligence to have a successful claim and securing a certificate of merit can be challenging – especially when you’re trying to recover from serious injuries or an illness your medical provider caused. This is when consulting with a Bethlehem medical malpractice lawyer about these different concerns can be helpful. Contact us for assistance in navigating the legal system in your case.

Who Can Be Held Accountable?

Unlike other types of personal injury claims, in a medical malpractice case, it may not be as easy to determine who you can hold responsible for causing you harm.

• Doctors
• Surgeons
• Nurses
• Medical assistants
• Anesthesiologists
• Lab technicians
• Other medical staff

Sometimes, it’s not only the individual people whom you and your attorney can pursue legal action against but entities or establishments such as hospitals or urgent care facilities. For example, if you suffered because of delayed treatment due to understaffing at a hospital, the hospital could be held liable, since it is their responsibility to maintain the proper amount of staff.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered in a Malpractice Claim?

As with most other personal injury claims, victims of medical malpractice can receive compensation for a variety of damages. Usually, those damages are economic and noneconomic (financial and nonfinancial) and, in some rare cases, punitive. Your lawyer will

• Medical expenses
• Rehabilitation or therapy
• In-home or live-in nursing care
• Lost wages
• Loss of quality of life
• Disability
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Pain and suffering
• Post-traumatic stress
• Loss of consortium

Additionally, in the unfortunate event that the patient died due to the doctor’s mistake, the victim’s family can pursue a wrongful death claim and recover damages to help pay for funeral or burial expenses as well as loss of spousal or parental support and more.

How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help

While you are not required to have legal counsel to pursue a personal injury case, it will only benefit the success of your case to hire Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan. Having an experienced lawyer on your side means that you won’t have to fight alone.

Your attorney will understand the nuances of Pennsylvania medical malpractice laws and will ensure that all the necessary documents are filed within the two-year statute of limitations so that you have the best chance of receiving the compensation you deserve.

You shouldn’t have to pay the price for your doctor’s mistake. Reach out to us for your free consultation today and see how a Bethlehem medical malpractice lawyer can help with your case.