Medical Malpractice Attorney in St. Augustine

Generally speaking, the law classifies medical malpractice as an instance in which a medical professional breached their duty of care to a patient. For example, if a doctor fails to recognize or diagnose a condition that most other doctors in their position would have caught, and the patient suffers or even dies as a result, the doctor may have breached their duty of care and committed malpractice.

These are complex cases, though, and only a licensed personal injury attorney can determine if the injury you’ve suffered qualifies as medical malpractice.

There are many different types of medical procedures, treatments, and diagnoses that can meet the criteria for malpractice. These are some of the most common types of cases we handle:

• Failure to diagnose (or delayed diagnosis of) a medical condition
• Surgical errors
• Prescribing or administering the wrong type or dosage of a drug
• Childbirth injuries
• Use of defective medical devices, or misuse of devices
• Failure to correctly read X-rays, CT scans, or ultrasounds
• Dental malpractice
• Emergency room malpractice
• Postoperative negligence
• Failure to read or account for a patient’s medical history
• Improper use of anesthesia

Our lawyers will first determine if you have a case and, if so, how best to proceed. But that’s only the beginning. Some of the many other tasks they’ll carry out include the following:

• Collecting evidence: A good attorney will gather and analyze medical records, hospital files, pharmaceutical data, and other evidence to build a persuasive case. It’s not enough to simply state that a doctor or nurse breached their duty of care—you have to show exactly when and how this occurred, and what a more competent professional would have done under the same circumstances.
• Consulting medical experts: Often the best way to prove malpractice occurred is by having a medical expert explain it step-by-step. We work with some of the leading medical experts in Florida and across the country, and we spare no expense in enlisting them to weigh in on your case and provide expert testimony.
• Negotiating with insurance companies: Most likely, your doctor, nurse, or hospital’s insurance company will attempt to quickly settle your case to avoid a prolonged lawsuit—and a bigger settlement. But by accepting their first offer, you could cost yourself thousands or even millions of dollars. Morgan & Morgan’s sterling reputation lends us strength at the negotiating table. Insurance companies know, respect, and fear us, which allows us to secure better offers for our clients.
• Going to trial (if necessary): If the insurance company won’t negotiate in good faith, our lawyers are prepared to take them to trial, where we’ll present your case before a jury. Though most cases are settled before they reach this point, our jury verdicts are 20 times higher than the pre-trial offers.

People who have been injured by someone else’s negligence are entitled to damages: compensation to cover the costs related to their injury. These damages may include some combination of the following:

• Medical expenses (including hospital bills, medicine, and physical therapy)
• Lost wages or loss of earning capacity (if you can’t perform the same job or no longer make as much money because of your injury)
• Loss of life’s enjoyment
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages (intended to punish the negligent party and discourage others from engaging in similar misconduct)

If you or a loved one was injured because of a medical professional’s negligence or incompetence, you could be owed money for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages. For over 30 years, Morgan & Morgan has been fighting For The People, recovering $20 billion across offices and practice areas during that time. Best of all, it costs nothing upfront to hire us, and we get paid only if you win.

Our St. Augustine medical malpractice attorneys are tough, experienced, and they know how to win. Contact us today for a free, no-risk case evaluation to see how we can help you.