Medical malpractice happens all too often. In fact, preventable medical errors are responsible for an estimated 220,000 to 440,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, making it the third leading cause of death. A medical malpractice lawyer can help you get money damages for your injuries.
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice, or medical negligence, is when a doctor or hospital fails to provide the appropriate standard of medical care and the patient is injured or dies as a result. Medical error alone is not necessarily enough to support a medical malpractice claim, however. Rather, in order to prove medical malpractice, you must be able to show the following:
- That you were owed a legal duty of care;
- That the medical provider did not comply with accepted standards of medical care; and
- That the medical provider’s deviation from accepted standards of medical care caused your injuries.