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Arizona Medical Malpractice Lawyer

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A recent study by Healthgrades found that an average of 200,000 hospital deaths that occur each year in the United States are due to potentially preventable medical errors. In addition, many more people sustain injuries in hospitals due to negligence and malpractice. Contrary to popular belief, a large percentage of medical mistakes are at the hands of the doctors, not nurses or other health care professionals. If you are an Arizona resident and feel you have sustained an injury, loss of income or distress due to medical malpractice or negligence, or if you are a family member of a loved one who has died because of a doctor's malpractice, there are specialized attorneys and lawyers in your state who can defend your case.

Medical malpractice is defined as negligence committed by a health care professional resulting in physical and/or economic harm to a patient. A medical malpractice lawyer or attorney will have the ability to determine if you are a victim of medical malpractice by examining several factors that must be present to prove medical malpractice. Your lawyer or attorney may first determine if the case justifies malpractice at all. If it seems the case is lacking evidence, support, or isn't considered malpractice under the law, he or she may decline to represent you. However, don't give up if the first one you approach turns you down, as their decision may be in your best interest as well. If and when you do find someone to represent you, keep in mind that there is a lot of work involved for you and your attorney or lawyer. Keep in mind that the burden of proof is on the plaintiff in the malpractice lawsuit. These elements of proof are: duty of care, breach of duty, injury, and proximate cause. Each one must be proven before a case can go to trial.

While the elements of proof are fairly similar for every state, the prescribed standard of medical care varies, as well as the way in which damages are awarded, and the amount of time you have to file your claim. For instance, in the state of Arizona, you have two years after the injury is discovered to file your claim. This time period is known as a statute of limitations, and it varies from state to state. The statute of limitations for a wrongful death suit is also two years. Unlike many states where there is a set cap on the amount of damages recoverable, Arizona does not place a cap on the amount of damages recoverable in a medical malpractice suit. The Arizona constitution prohibits the enactment of any law limiting the damages one may recover for personal injury or death.

An Arizona medical malpractice lawyer or attorney will be well-versed in state healthcare and medical malpractice laws, and they will have the ability to easily navigate through these state laws to help you recover damages. Medical malpractice attorneys will typically focus on one of several areas of medical malpractice, including anesthesia negligence, nursing home injuries/negligence, pharmaceutical negligence, birth injury, emergency room errors, surgery errors, cerebral palsy, and brain damage.

Medical malpractice lawsuits can be expensive to pursue, with costs to the plaintiff (patient) often exceeding $100,000. You may be tempted to settle with the hospital out of court, but doing so makes it easy for the hospital to take advantage of you. Having a lawyer on your side can help you make sure you get everything you deserve. Due to the technical skills involved in prosecuting a malpractice claim, an injured patient is very well served by going with a specialist firm. Medical malpractice law is a highly specialized field, so it's best to seek out attorneys and lawyers whose main focus is medical malpractice or personal injury law.