Common Medical Malpractice Claims
When you are ill or suffer an injury, your first course of action is typically to seek medical attention. You don’t expect, though, that your condition will deteriorate because of the care you receive. Unfortunately, that happens far too often. More and more hospitals, urgent care facilities, and medical practices have shifted their emphasis, moving from placing a premium on the quality of care to maximizing their profits. That often leads to medical malpractice.
The Different Ways Medical Providers Can Be Negligent
As a practical matter, to recover for medical malpractice, you must show that a doctor, nurse, or other caregiver acted carelessly or negligently when treating you. That can take many different forms:
- Surgical errors—A doctor or nurse can make a careless mistake during a surgical procedure, operating on the wrong body part, performing the wrong surgery, nicking an internal organ through haste or inattention, or leaving a surgical tool or implement behind.
- Failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis—Medical professionals may misread diagnostic tests or negligently fail to order them.
- Birth injuries—Doctors may fail to take reasonable measures before or during a delivery, leading to forceps or suction injuries, hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen to the brain), or shoulder dystocia.
- Medication or anesthesia errors—A doctor may fail to do a proper workup before subjecting you to anesthesia, or may prescribe the wrong medication or an incorrect dose.
- Failure to treat—A doctor may make a correct diagnosis but fail to use commonly accepted medical practices to ensure that you get proper treatment.
Experienced Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Jonathan Scott Smith, a longtime Maryland SuperLawyer, has aggressively fought for the rights of people in Baltimore and across the state of Maryland who have been victims of medical malpractice. Over the past 30 years, he has earned the highest respect from his colleagues in the legal profession, who have consistently given him an AV-rating under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System, the highest accolade possible. Mr. Smith has also earned the admiration and respect of his clients, receiving the prestigious Client’s Choice Award from AVVO, with an average client review of 5 stars (the highest rating possible). He has a perfect 10.0 (Superb) rating from AVVO as a trial attorney and has been named a Top-Rated Lawyer by The American Lawyer magazine.
Experienced Frederick County Medical Negligence Attorney
If you’re hurt because of the wrongful acts of a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional, attorney Jonathan Scott Smith can help. Send us an e-mail or call our offices at (410) 441-5054 to schedule an appointment. Your first consultation is without cost or obligation. We represent injured people in Howard County, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Prince George’s County, and Montgomery County in Maryland.