Utilizing emergency medical services after you have had an accident or life-threatening illness is a scary prospect for many, but it is often necessary for you to put your trust in the hands of emergency medical professionals. However, when those professionals act negligently and harm you as their patient, you may face injury for the rest of your life.
If you or a loved one was injured while being treated in an ER, it may be essential to consult a Tarpon Springs emergency room errors lawyer. An experienced medical malpractice attorney could assess whether you are eligible for compensation for the harm inflicted on you. You might be able to get financial relief for medical bills, lost wages, as well as your pain and suffering.
Florida Medical Malpractice Law
Florida has comprehensive legislation governing medical malpractice cases including law prescribing how doctors practice and the training they must first undergo. Emergency room staff and physicians must have the requisite skills, experience, and knowledge while using standard medical protocol appropriately.
Medical facilities must also carry professional malpractice insurance, in case their staff fails to meet the legally imposed standard of care. Because practitioners should have sufficient insurance coverage, a Tarpon Springs emergency room errors attorney may be able to negotiate for a monetary settlement without ever having to go to court.
Negligence in Medical Malpractice Suits
Under Florida Statutes § 766.102, an injured person must prove that the acts or omissions of the emergency room did not live up to the professional standard of care. The law defines the applicable standard of care as a level of skill and treatment accepted as prudent and reasonable by similar health care providers. “Emergency medical services” are those necessary for the urgent diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions, which, if not immediately diagnosed and treated, might lead to severe physical or mental disability or death.
Furthermore, to prove causation, a person must demonstrate that if the facility had rendered emergency medical treatment or care, the injury would not have been foreseeable. In other words, but for the provider’s mistake, the damage would not have happened.
The causation element of medical negligence can be challenging. It is necessary to select, hire, and manage an expert witness who testifies on an injured person’s behalf about the cause of their injuries.
Without medical expertise, a court has little way of deciding whether the emergency room error was the source of the injuries. Hiring experienced Tarpon Springs emergency medical malpractice legal team well-versed in this type of law could make the difference in crafting a strategy and finding a successful outcome.
Damages
Finally, a person must show that they were injured as a result of the hospital or treating professional’s error. Damages can include a variety of harms for physical, financial, and emotional suffering.
A Tarpon Springs emergency medicine malpractice lawyer will always ask for reimbursement of their client’s medical expenditures resulting from the injury, and those likely to be incurred in the future. Relatedly, if an injured or infirm person has to make disability-related adjustments to their lifestyle, they can seek compensation for these measures.
Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity due to injury or illness are also compensable. Lastly, a plaintiff can solicit non-economic damages, those that are more difficult to quantify, such as the physical pain, emotional suffering endured, and their loss of enjoyment of life.
Call a Tarpon Springs Emergency Room Errors Attorney Today
The injuries you have suffered may be serious or long-lasting. However, the injured person is not the only one affected. Their family and loved ones can feel the strain, too.
A Tarpon Springs emergency room lawyer could help you understand how you might be able to seek compensation for the harm done. Connect with a local law office today to discuss your case.
