Medical Malpractice Attorney in Mokena, Illinois

No one can doubt that the vast majority of physicians are highly intelligent and highly trained individuals dedicated to providing the very best care for their patients. Like all of us, however, they are human and sometimes make mistakes despite all their good intent. And those mistakes and errors in judgment can sometimes have tragic consequences.

If you or a family member has been the victim of medical malpractice, you need to seek the assistance of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer in Mokena to receive adequate compensation for the injuries you have suffered.

Medical Malpractice – A Definition

This term medical malpractice describes a case in which a healthcare provider causes harm to a patient by deviating from established standards of medical care. Medical malpractice can be thought of as medical negligence — a situation in which a doctor fails to fulfill their duties according to the standards demanded by the medical profession.

How common is medical malpractice? Probably more common than you may think. Recent studies indicate that approximately 251,000 Americans die annually because of medical errors, making medical malpractice the third leading cause of death in the U.S., ranking only behind heart disease and cancer.

All that said, there is one important caveat to keep in mind: If a medical procedure does not go according to plan, that does not necessarily mean that it falls into the category of medical malpractice.

Types of Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice can take many forms, and here are some of the more common.

• A missed or delayed diagnosis – When a doctor misdiagnoses a condition or fails to correctly diagnose a situation over an extended period, the patient may have been deprived of treatment that might have led to a different and better outcome. What is essential here is to clearly show what the doctor did wrong and how the condition could have been more competently diagnosed and treated.
• Prenatal mistakes and childbirth injuries – Negligent prenatal care would include failure to diagnose a mother’s medical condition or disease that could harm or infect the fetus, a failure to identify birth defects, and a failure to identify ectopic pregnancies. Errors related to birth include a failure to anticipate birth complications, failure to respond to signs of fetal distress, failure to order an appropriate cesarean section, and the incompetent use of forceps or a vacuum extractor.
• Medication errors – These occur when a doctor or other medical professional makes an error with the original medication, administers a drug inappropriately, fails to note a potentially harmful drug interaction, or administers the wrong drug to a patient.
• Anesthesia errors – While rare, when they occur they can lead to very serious complications, including permanent brain injury and even death. Pre-op errors include failing to investigate the patient’s medical history and failing to provide important preoperative information. Surgical errors include administering too much anesthesia, failure to monitor the patient’s vital signs, improper intubation, and the use of defective equipment.
• Surgical errors – These would include things that could occur during the surgical procedure, such as operating on the wrong body part, puncturing an organ or blood vessel, or leaving surgical equipment inside the body. Post-op, the nursing staff might provide inadequate care, possibly leading to a serious infection.
• Pharmacy errors – These can have serious, even life-threatening, consequences. These would include dispensing the wrong medication to a patient or ignoring the patient’s medical history and dispensing a drug that might cause a severe allergic reaction or drug interaction.

Your Response to Medical Malpractice

Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit can seem intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. As the patient or loved one of a patient, you’ve done nothing wrong and deserve justice for a wrongful death or injury claim. A medical professional must adhere to a standard of care to keep the patient safe. When they do not, then you need to contact an Illinois medical malpractice attorney for help.

Here are just a few of the many steps our law firm believes you should take:

• Document everything you possibly can. In real estate it’s location, location, location, and in cases of a medical malpractice lawsuit it is documentation, documentation, documentation. Despite all the stresses involved, you should document the names of doctors and nurses involved in your case, list all medications, and all procedures that were used.
• Get your medical records. Under Illinois law, you are entitled to copies of all your medical records, and you should never take “no” for an answer. They are your records and you are fully entitled to have copies of them.
  This also includes the medical records or death certificate of a loved one that experienced a wrongful death due to medical malpractice.
• Ask questions. We realize that it can be intimidating to question health-care providers, but it is essential that you do so. This is not a time to be hesitant.
  Asking questions is an essential step in getting the damages you deserve. As a patient or the relative of a patient, you have a right to know what happened and why.

Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Plainfield, IL

In addition to the above steps, you should immediately hire an experienced medical malpractice attorney. You shouldn’t have to pay for medical bills from the doctor or hospital that mistreated you. Our law office can help you litigate your case and secure the compensation you and your family are entitled to for a medical injury or death.

In Illinois, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims is two years and given the many complications and questions inherent in medical malpractice cases, it is imperative that you should not delay in seeking competent legal counsel.

Medical malpractice, wrongful deaths, and personal injury cases are just a few of the many areas we specialize in at Block Law. If you or a family is the victim of medical practice, then we urge you to contact our firm immediately to schedule your initial free consultation.