Injured by Medical Malpractice: Now What?

In most cases, a visit to the hospital or doctor's office is a routine event. Usually, everything goes the way it is supposed to.

Sometimes, however, things don't go right. Doctors and nurses are good people, but even good people make mistakes. When professionals make mistakes, the consequences can be disastrous. Not only will you have to endure additional pain and suffering, but you'll be facing expensive medical bills, costs of future treatments, and possibly the loss of your ability to work. It is not your fault that a health care professional committed malpractice. But you will need help to hold them accountable.

If you or someone you know has been injured by medical malpractice, here are somethings you can expect:

• You won't get answers. Medicine is not an exact science, and sometimes, complications can cause bad outcomes. If this happens, then your doctor will sit down with you and explain the complication, as well as how and why it happened. If a bad outcome is caused by negligence or other medical mistake, however, you won't get answers. Your doctor will suddenly be evasive about your questions, or may even transfer your care to another physician. If the doctors and other professionals aren't giving you answers, give us a call. Our experienced medical malpractice attorneys work with a team of nationally recognized medical experts, and together, we can get the answers for you.
  
  
• Risk Managers and Insurance Adjusters Will Try to Convince You to Settle On Your Own. If you're lucky enough to get a meeting with a Risk Manager or other hospital administrator, the first thing they will tell you is that you don't need a lawyer. Your first question should be, "Does the negligent doctor or hospital have a lawyer?" If they answer honestly, they will tell you that they have a team of high-paid lawyers working on their side. "But," they'll say, "if you hire a lawyer, they'll get all the money, and you won't get anything."
  
  This is absolutely not true. By hiring a lawyer, you will recover far more than the hospital will be willing to pay if you settle on your own, even after fees and expenses. Hiring a lawyer will get the negligent doctor or hospital to pay full value on your claim; otherwise, they will offer you pennies on the dollar. At G. Eric Nielson & Associates, we pride ourselves on maximizing recoveries for our clients, and working conservatively to ensure that the injured patient receives as much of the award as possible.
  
  
• Hospital Administrators Will Delay Your Case. We have seen a troubling practice a lot lately. A patient will be injured, and for two years, the negligent hospital or doctor will pay for minor medical expenses--maybe a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The injured malpractice victim will assume that these payments will continue, but as soon as the statute of limitations runs (usually two years, but in some cases, as little as one year), the payments stop. At that point, the patient cannot bring a legal action. The negligent doctors or hospital administrators will lead you to believe that they're taking accountability for their mistakes, but as soon as they can cut you off without being sued, they will do it. You will be left with a lifetime of medical bills.
  
  
• You Won't Be Given Your Medical Records. The government has passed laws that provide patients with access to their medical records--it is a legal right. When you've been injured as a result of medical malpractice, however, negligent hospitals and doctors will try to stop you from finding out what happened. Your records may get "lost," or you may be asked to fill out complex forms and wait weeks--even months--to get your medical records. Once you receive those records, they may be incomplete, or inaccurate. The medical malpractice lawyers at G. Eric Nielson & Associates use all of our resources to ensure that we get a full, complete set of your medical records, and can give you the answers you deserve.

Medical malpractice cases are complex, and you need an experienced team of legal professionals on your side.

The Utah malpractice attorneys at G. Eric Nielson & Associates have the experience to give your attention the case it deserves, and the expertise to give you the answers you've been looking for.

When you call our offices, you'll speak to an attorney who can discuss your case with you. We will set up a free, no-obligation consultation where you can meet face to face with a lawyer to discuss what happened. If you have been injured by medical malpractice, we can tell you your options and discuss your legal rights.

Call today: (801) 424-9088.