Dinkes and Schwitzer Explain the Basics of Medical Malpractice

Dinkes and Schwitzer have handled a huge volume of cases over the years. Of all the practice areas they handle, medical malpractice is often the most difficult, both in terms of the logistics of the cases and their highly emotional nature. Clients of medical malpractice attorneys often describe a feeling of betrayal at the hands of their doctors, as well as frustration at incurring unnecessary medical expenses. Let’s hear from Dinkes and Schwitzer on the matter.

What exactly is medical malpractice?

Medical malpractice means that a medical practitioner caused a patient to become injured. ‘Medical practitioner’ covers a broad range of professionals such as doctors, pharmacists, dentists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and many more. If any practitioner such as the ones mentioned above should cause you to become injured, through incompetence, negligence, maliciousness or even inaction, you could have grounds for a successful case. For example if a doctor prescribed you the wrong course of drugs and you became sick as a result, then this would be grounds for a medical malpractice case.

How do you build a case for medical malpractice?

It’s all about collecting the relevant evidence. You need to prove that the injury in question didn’t exist before the treatment or that it was aggravated by the treatment, and that it was a result of the treatment. The most important evidence is a corroborating statement from a reputable medical professional. Witnesses statements and documentation of the injury (photos of affected areas, x-rays, medical reports, etc.) are also very important.

What kind of compensation do successful medical malpractice cases yield?

In all cases you’ll be awarded compensation for every medical expense you incur as a result of the injury, for example specialist treatment and drugs. You’ll also be compensated for the income you lost as a result of not being able to work.