When Illness Leads To Injury: What To Do If You’re Involved In A Malpractice Case

When Illness Leads to Injury: Getting a medical diagnosis, treatment, or procedure can be really anxiety-inducing. We tell ourselves it’ll be fine, we just need to trust the professionals and get it behind us. Still, some have their worst fears confirmed when they realize that their healthcare professionals made serious errors. This is medical malpractice, and too many of us have no idea what comes next.

Close up of a foot with bandage.

Getting a medical diagnosis, treatment, or procedure can be really anxiety-inducing. We tell ourselves it’ll be fine, we just need to trust the professionals and get it behind us. Still, some have their worst fears confirmed when they realize that their healthcare professionals made serious errors. This is medical malpractice, and too many of us have no idea what comes next.

Before Anything Else, Speak to an Attorney

Some may tell you that the first step is to contact the healthcare professional responsible for the grievance, but sometimes even this is a step you shouldn’t undertake without the okay from an attorney.

There are about a million reasons that we leave lawsuits – and everything that goes with them – to lawyers. One great benefit of going straight to a lawyer is that you may not even have to bother with a trial in order to receive compensation.

If you know any attorneys offhand, ask them to recommend a medical malpractice lawyer. You could also try your state’s bar association. It’s best to create a short list of firms that sounds good to you and meet with as many of them in person as you can.

During this period, remember that time is of the essence. Laws vary from location to location, but you typically only have a year or two to file. That might sound like ample time, but it takes quite a bit of research to compile all of the info necessary to some cases.