What is Medical Malpractice? The Veteran-Owned Doctor Lawyer Team Explains

When you entrust your health and well-being to a medical professional, you expect to receive the highest standard of care. But what happens when that trust is broken, and you become the victim of medical malpractice? Medical errors caused by healthcare providers are a serious issue affecting the lives of millions of people in the United States every year. If a healthcare provider has harmed you, you must understand your rights and options because time is not on your side.

In this blog, we’ll explore the different types of medical malpractice and what you can do if you think you've been a victim. Join us as we go over this critical topic to empower yourself with the knowledge to hold negligent medical professionals accountable.

Though this blog focuses on the governing laws in Connecticut, The Doctor Lawyer Team represents clients nationwide for victims of medical malpractice arising at Veterans’ Affairs (VA) hospitals, as well as military hospitals and federally-funded clinics. Such cases are brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). See here for additional information pertaining to FTCA claims.

If you have any questions about whether you have a medical malpractice claim, contact the Connecticut medical malpractice lawyers at The Doctor Lawyer Team at (833) DLT-WINS or (833) 358-9467 to schedule your FREE case evaluation. We combine legal and medical expertise to help you obtain maximum compensation for your injuries.

What is Medical Malpractice?

In Connecticut, medical malpractice is defined as an act or omission by a healthcare provider that falls below the accepted standard of care, resulting in an injury or death to a patient. The standard of care refers to the level of care that a reasonable and prudent healthcare provider would have provided under the same or similar circumstances.

When this occurs, the patient may be able to file a medical malpractice lawsuit to recover damages for any harm resulting from the healthcare provider's negligence.

Examples of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice can take many forms. Some common examples include:

• Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis. This can occur when a healthcare provider fails to properly diagnose your condition by failing to order the appropriate tests or misinterpreting the test results. The misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis can lead to you receiving the wrong treatment or no treatment at all, which can cause the condition to worsen, resulting in serious injury or death.
• Surgical Errors. These errors can occur before, during, or after surgery and can include the following:
  • Performing the wrong procedure
  • Performing the procedure on the wrong body part
  • Leaving surgical instruments or other medical equipment inside your body

These errors can cause severe injury or death, resulting in additional surgeries or other medical treatments to correct the damage.

• Medication Errors. This can include prescribing the wrong medication, prescribing the correct medication in the wrong dosage, or failing to monitor you for side effects or interactions with other medication. These errors can cause serious injury or death and result in additional medical treatment to correct the damage.
• Anesthesia Errors. Anesthesiologists are responsible for administering anesthesia and monitoring your vital signs during surgery. If they fail to properly administer the anesthesia or fail to properly monitor you, it can result in serious injury or death.
• Birth Injuries. This refers to situations where a healthcare provider's negligence or substandard care harms a newborn baby or mother during delivery and can include errors made during prenatal care, labor and delivery, or postpartum.

In addition to these examples, many other forms of medical malpractice can occur. For example, a healthcare provider may fail to obtain your informed consent before performing a procedure or may fail to properly monitor your condition after a procedure.

These and other forms of medical malpractice can have serious consequences. It is essential to seek the advice of an experienced Connecticut medical malpractice lawyer if you have suffered injuries due to negligence by your healthcare provider.

It's also important to note that medical malpractice can happen in any healthcare setting, whether in a hospital, clinic or even in a patient's home, with home healthcare providers.

Proving Medical Malpractice

Not every bad outcome in medical treatment constitutes malpractice. Under Connecticut law, for malpractice to occur, you must prove that “the alleged actions of the healthcare provider represented a breach of the prevailing professional standard of care for that healthcare provider.” The fact that you had a bad outcome does not automatically mean that malpractice occurred.

To prevail in a medical malpractice action in Connecticut, you must prove the following four elements:

1. The existence of a duty of care that the healthcare provider had toward you as the patient
2. The healthcare provider's failure to meet the standard of care in your treatment
3. Your injuries were caused by the healthcare provider's failure to meet the standard of care
4. The injuries resulted in specific damages (monetary losses)

For more information about how to file a medical malpractice claim in Connecticut, read an article we wrote here.

Compensation for Medical Malpractice Injuries

Connecticut law requires monetary damages as compensation for medical malpractice injuries. This is intended to help cover the costs of medical treatment and any other expenses related to your injury, such as lost wages and other financial losses. Connecticut does not impose a limit on damages that can be awarded. Monetary damages can also help compensate for the pain and suffering you have experienced due to medical malpractice.

However, since the healthcare provider’s insurance company will likely try to deny you full and fair compensation, our experienced attorneys for medical malpractice are prepared to fight them to ensure you get justice and compensation for your legitimate injuries.

Why You Need Experienced CT Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Are you the victim of a healthcare provider’s negligence and believe you have a medical malpractice claim? At The Doctor Lawyer Team, we are a veteran-owned personal injury law firm with over 40 years of trial experience and a proven track record of success. We are dedicated to protecting your rights and will fight for you to ensure you receive fair, just, and reasonable compensation for all your injuries.

Attorney Paul McConnell is a former Marine Corps infantry officer, federal prosecutor, and trial judge. Dr. Michael Giordano is a board-certified neurosurgeon in addition to being an attorney, with an active background in reviewing personal injury and medical malpractice cases for over 18 years, including several years at one of Connecticut’s most respected personal injury and medical malpractice firms.

This gives you a unique advantage because The Doctor Lawyer Team combines legal and medical expertise to help you obtain compensation for your damages, including medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other issues you may face because of your injury. We also work on a contingency basis, meaning we only get paid from the proceeds if you win your case.

Contact The Doctor Lawyer Team today to schedule your FREE case evaluation by calling our Connecticut medical malpractice lawyers at (833) DLT-WINS or (833) 358-9467 to learn more about your legal rights and best options for recovery. We have offices in: Hartford, New Haven, Groton, Bridgeport, New Canaan, and Greenwich. If more convenient, you can also complete our online form here.

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The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information in this post should be construed as legal advice from the individual author or the law firm, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting based on any information included in or accessible through this post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

The Doctor Lawyer Team
638 Prospect Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
(833) DLT-WINS; (833) 358-9467
https://www.doctorlawyerteam.com/