Mobile Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Alabama Medical Malpractice Law

Every state has its own medical standard of care. Alabama defines medical professionals’ legal duty in the Alabama Medical Liability Act. Section 6-5-548(a) of the Alabama Code states health care providers are required to “exercise such reasonable care, skill, and diligence as other similarly situated health care providers in the same general line of practice ordinary have and exercise in a like case.”

If you believe you were injured by the care you received, at the very minimum, you will need to learn how other physicians who work in the same area of medicine would have cared for you. Other factors may affect this issue as well. Physicians with similar backgrounds may treat patients one way, while doctors with different education and career experience may have different practices.

Due to the complexities of defining the medical standard of care and determining whether your physician upheld or breached it, you need to work with our Mobile medical malpractice lawyers at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. We have handled many medical malpractice cases and are well-versed in medical terminology and reviewing medical documents. We also have connections with medical experts in the region, enabling us to analyze the level of care you received and offer evidence that it fell short of Alabama’s standard.

What You Need to Bring a Medical Malpractice Claim

In order to move forward with a medical malpractice claim, you need to have evidence of the following:

• You had a physician-patient relationship with the at-fault party
• The at-fault party did not uphold Alabama’s medical standard of care
• The breach of the standard of care caused you an injury.

You will not have all of these things before you see an attorney. The only way to learn how to prove all of these factors and to gather evidence is to work with an experienced and aggressive medical malpractice lawyer.

Common Types of Medical Malpractice

There are many forms of medical malpractice. Here are few common categories of malpractice that often lead to claims:

• Diagnosis errors– If a physician is careless when examining or treating you, they may misdiagnose your ailment or fail to make a diagnosis. This means you do not receive the treatment you need, enabling your condition to get worse. It also means you could receive a treatment you do not need. The worst case scenario is that this unnecessary and inappropriate treatment causes you harm or leads to your death.
• Medication errors– Pharmaceuticals can save your life. They can also hurt you if you are given the wrong drug, administered a drug at the wrong time or in the wrong amount, or administered a drug in the wrong way. If anything goes wrong and you are not properly given the appropriate amount of the right medication at the right time, you could suffer serious side effects or death.
• Hospital errors– You go to the hospital for help and to get better. Unfortunately, one small slip up at a hospital could mean you get worse. Hospitals are busy places, and when you are there, an entire team is responsible for your case. This team also rotates based on the employees’ shifts. For your medical care to flow from one team member to the next, excellent record keeping and communication is required. If communication breaks down, you could get hurt. If this is the case, call our Mobile medical malpractice lawyers immediately.
• Surgery errors– Surgery is always a risky option, but in many cases it is absolutely necessary. You should be able to trust that your caretakers, the surgeon, nurses, anesthesiologist, and others will provide you with excellent care. However, each one of these medical professionals could make a mistake, resulting in your undergoing the wrong operation, getting the right treatment in the wrong place, or suffering a different type of injury.
• Birth injuries– Too many medical professionals in the U.S. take pregnancy and childbirth for granted. This can lead them to be lax with your care when you are pregnant or giving birth. However, there are innumerable things that can go wrong during a pregnancy and child birth, and the U.S. has one of the highest maternal death rates among developed nations. If you or your baby experience an injury during your pregnancy or while giving birth because of negligent medical care, contact us immediately.

Pursuing Compensation through a Medical Malpractice Claim

If you were injured after receiving substandard medical care and attention, you may have the right to pursue compensation for your:

• Medical expenses
• Loss of earning potential
• Physical pain
• Mental anguish
• Disfigurement
• Physical impairment

A Wrongful Death Medical Malpractice Claim

If you are the parent, spouse, or child of an individual who was killed because of medical malpractice, our Mobile medical malpractice lawyers are here for you. If a physician or other medical professional’s negligence caused your loved one’s death, then your family may be able to pursue compensation. If you move forward with a wrongful death claim under Alabama law and are able to prove the cause of your loved one’s death was medical malpractice, then you and your relative’s heirs may be able to receive punitive damages.

Our Mobile Medical Malpractice Lawyers Are Here For You

If you are suffering because of a physician or other medical professional’s careless mistake, do not wait to contact Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C.’s attorneys. The sooner you give us a call, the sooner we can investigate your situation. We will thoroughly review the medical documentation to determine whether the care you received complied with Alabama’s medical standard of care. If there is evidence that if the physician had provided better care, you would not have been injured, we will advise you on how to pursue compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

To learn more about medical malpractice in Alabama, contact our Mobile medical malpractice lawyers at (205) 933-1500 to schedule a free, initial consultation.