Personal Injury Lawyer Essex County, NJ
At some point, regardless of how healthy you are, you could become a patient of a medical provider and may need help from an Essex County, NJ personal injury lawyer to represent your case. Strict laws, such as the federal HIPAA privacy rules, insurance regulations and professional codes of ethics are all efforts on the part of governments to protect your health and rights when you become someone’s patient. Unfortunately, sometimes medical providers fall short of complying with the laws and rules that govern their practices. In cases like this, legal recourse has been established to give you, the patient, the opportunity to address and remedy the faulty actions of a provider or an institution. If this sounds like a situation you are going through, our team at Law Offices of David A. DiBrigida is ready to help.
Many Different Medical Providers
It is extremely important to remember that there are multiple layers to health care and to health provider industries. For example, if you slipped on a sidewalk and were injured, the same rules that guide an emergency room physician also apply to the fire department EMT who arrived first on the scene, to the paramedic who took over and transported you to the hospital, to the intake workers who responded to you during triage, and to the nurses who administered medicine and aid. Remember that these complex and comprehensive rules apply to dentists, opticians, therapists, chiropractors, and any other provider who would consider you a patient.
Most Common Types of Medical Malpractice
As an Essex County personal injury lawyer has seen in past cases, patients might have an unpleasant experience at the hands of a provider and wonder if it meets the definition of medical malpractice. Here are some of the most common types of medical malpractice that result in lawsuits along with simple definitions:
- Procedural mistakes. This is when a mistake occurs during surgery or some other type of treatment.
- Diagnosis failure. This relates to a provider misdiagnosing a medical condition or only recognizing a condition after treatment has begun.
- Medication errors. This describes occasions when an incorrect drug or dose of a medication is prescribed.
- Birth events. This relates to the medical decisions and mistakes impacting the health of a mother and newborn child.
Process If You Have Experienced Medical Malpractice
What should you do if you believe you have encountered medical malpractice? First, safeguard your health and the health of anyone else involved. Once you feel confident that the medical aspects of the situation are under control, you should consider contacting a legal team who is experienced in dealing with healthcare-related issues. One’s health is by far the most important of all human possessions and it should be treated as such by all caregivers.
At the Law Offices of David A. DiBrigida, we understand just how traumatizing it can be to realize that your doctor, who you trusted, made a serious mistake related to your health. While an unwanted diagnosis or outcome does not automatically mean medical malpractice has happened, it is worth finding out if you have a case. Reach out to an Essex County personal injury lawyer as soon as possible so we can gather more details about what happened and then offer further guidance.