Lincoln Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Medical malpractice—also known as medical negligence—is broadly defined under the law and may be committed by many different types of health care providers, including doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, administrators, and others who care for patients on a daily basis.
Medical malpractice can occur in any setting, from hospitals to nursing homes, private practices, and urgent care facilities. Medical negligence also encompasses many different types of medical errors, including medication errors, surgical errors, and treatment errors.
If you sustain injuries and damages because of malpractice or negligence committed by a healthcare provider, contact a savvy personal injury attorney to try recovering monetary compensation. A Lincoln medical malpractice lawyer from Inkelaar Law could assist you with your case and work to safeguard all of your legal rights while your case is pending.
Common Examples of Medical Malpractice in Lincoln
Healthcare providers—including doctors, nurses, and nursing assistants—sometimes commit serious medical errors which can result in injuries and damages to their patients. Common medical errors seen by Lincoln medical malpractice lawyers include:
- Misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose serious symptoms of injuries or illnesses, such as cancer
- Diagnosing a medical condition too late
- Prescribing the wrong medication or incorrect dosage for a patient (or writing illegibly, causing the pharmacist to misread the prescription and fill the prescription incorrectly)
- Administering the incorrect medication or dosage
- Failing to follow-up with patients regarding a medical procedure or treatment in a timely manner
- Providing improper or incomplete medical treatment or care
- Prematurely discharging a patient from a hospital or urgent care facility
In some less common scenarios, a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider could be deemed medically negligent—or even criminally liable—for mishandling a patient, or for physically or verbally abusing a patient.
Medical Review Panels
Nebraska state law provides for medical review panels in medical malpractice cases. Under the law in Lincoln, all medical malpractice claims must first be examined by a medical review panel prior to being filed in court, unless the malpractice victim chooses to waive the medical review process. Following the review, the panel then issues an opinion about whether the accused health care provider failed to act in accordance with the prevailing medical standard of care.
A healthcare provider is normally held to the standard of care of a reasonable healthcare provider acting under the same or similar circumstances. A medical specialist is generally held to a national standard of care. A medical review panel’s decision is not binding. However, the panel’s decision as to whether the health care provider violated the standard of care may be admissible as evidence during any subsequent court proceedings.
Potential Recoverable Damages
In the event that a medical malpractice case goes to trial, the victim must establish—usually through expert medical testimony—that the negligent health care provider breached the applicable standard of care, directly resulting in certain injuries and damages. Common injuries and damages include high medical costs, future medical expenses (i.e. for future corrective medical procedures or surgeries), exacerbated injuries or medical conditions, ligament tears, and tendon ruptures. A medical malpractice lawyer in Lincoln could help you recover damages for your injuries.
Contact a Lincoln Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you can prove that your health care provider was negligent in their care for you, you may be able to recover all medical costs and lost wages during recovery, as well as compensation for pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, and permanent impairment.
Successfully litigating a Lincoln medical malpractice case typically requires a combination of medical knowledge and legal expertise, both of which Inkelaar Law is available to provide. A Lincoln medical malpractice lawyer from our firm could fight for your right to recover monetary compensation via settlement or litigation through the court system.