Medical Malpractice in Ebensburg, PA

Most people put their trust in the medical system. When you visit the hospital or your doctor in Ebensburg, you feel confident that the medical professionals will take excellent care of you and make all the right decisions regarding your health. But what happens when you or someone you love is harmed by a doctor's negligence?

That's where Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office can help. Our experienced legal team in Ebensburg, PA is here to help you determine if you have a medical malpractice case.

What is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice consists of errors made by healthcare providers that cause life-altering conditions and require expensive medical care. A doctor's mistake is only considered medical malpractice if the physician failed to uphold the medical standard of care and the error resulted in direct harm to the victim. Unfortunately, medical malpractice is all too common. Twelve million Americans are the victims of medical malpractice each year, and more than 100,000 of these patients suffer significant injury or death.

It's critical that you have an experienced team on your side when dealing with medical malpractice. Contact Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office today at 412-394-1000 to see if you have a case. We can determine if you are able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering as a result of medical malpractice. At Edgar Snyder & Associates, we know the importance of having professionals who understand the agony and confusion of medical malpractice right here in the Ebensburg area.

Types of Medical Malpractice

There are many possible types of medical malpractice.

The most common include:

Diagnostic Errors

Misdiagnosis occurs when a doctor fails to recognize a patients symptoms and attempts treatment for the wrong medical issue. An incorrect diagnosis can have dire consequences. If your doctor misdiagnosed your condition, you may have a medical malpractice case.

Surgical Errors

Approximately 12,000 people die each year from unnecessary surgeries and many more are seriously injured from a botched surgical procedure. If a surgeon leaves a foreign body (like a sponge or gauze) inside a patient, causes nerve damage, or gives a patient too much anesthesia, serious issues could arise that could be considered medical malpractice.

Birth Injuries

Although pregnancy comes with risks, there are some problems that occur due to the errors of medical staff. Abnormalities with the placenta, preeclampsia, premature birth, or excessively long labor can all be caused by a doctor's mistake and can lead to medical malpractice.

Treatment Errors

Over 7,000 people die each year from medication errors in hospitals and 20,000 people die each year from a variety of other errors made by hospital staff. If a patient is given the wrong amount of medication, or they weren't monitored carefully by medical staff, serious health issues are likely to occur.

If you have experienced any of these types of medical malpractice, make sure you hold the doctor or hospital responsible. Reach out to Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office today to start putting your life back together.

How Many Years Do You Have to Sue for Medical Malpractice?

In Pennsylvania, you generally have two years from the date of the incident to file a notice for a medical malpractice lawsuit. If you are unable to know whether malpractice was committed within the initial two years, you may still file a notice up to six months from the time you were made aware that you have a claim.

There are number of additional time constraints that must be taken into consideration as well. Let the professionals at Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office deal with the complicated twists and turns of a medical malpractice lawsuit.

How Long Does a Malpractice Settlement Take?

There is no simple answer to how long a malpractice lawsuit may take. The duration of a case will often depend on whether your case settles or goes to trial. If a case goes to trial, it could potentially take over four years to complete. The only certainty with medical malpractice cases is that calling Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office at 412-394-1000 will make your legal journey much faster and easier.

What is the Average Settlement for Medical Malpractice?

Unfortunately, there's no way for any law firm to accurately predict the value of a medical malpractice settlement. Every malpractice suit is different, and the only way to determine the value of compensation is on a case-by-case basis. We understand that you want to know how much money you can expect during these difficult times, but we caution you not to put your trust in any law firm that promises an exact amount, as they are likely unfamiliar with the complexities of a malpractice case. The compensation you can expect for a malpractice case will depend on:

• Your insurance coverage
• The insurance of the doctor or hospital liable for your injuries
• The details of medical negligence for your specific incident
• The extent of your injuries
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Much more

How Much Can You Get For a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

If you or a loved one was seriously injured or sickened by medical malpractice, no amount of money will be able to fix the damage done to your life. But fair compensation can ease your burden and help you move forward to a brighter future. While we cannot promise specific settlement amounts, Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg office can evaluate your case and get you on the path to compensation.

How Do You Prove Medical Malpractice?

In order to prove medical malpractice, you must be sure that all of the following items are present:

Doctor-Patient Relationship: You must be able to show that the physician you are suing is your direct doctor. You must prove that the doctor you sue was your main caretaker and not simply a consulting physician.

Negligence

For negligence to be present, you must show that a similarly trained doctor, under the same circumstances, would have made the correct medical decision where your physician did not. In other words, you must show that your doctor was not reasonably skillful or careful and did not uphold the medical standard of care to prove malpractice. Nearly all states require that patients present medical experts to help show how the doctor in question swayed from that standard.

The Injury Caused Specific Damages

Simply proving that your doctor made an error is not enough to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. You must also show that you have experienced severe medical damages. This can include physical pain, emotional pain, additional medical bills, or lost wages.

Negligence Caused the Injury

Finally, you must prove a connection between your injury and the doctor's negligence. You must show that it is more likely than not that a doctor's incompetence directly caused your ailment. This can get difficult to prove if you were already injured or sick before the doctor became involved.

Call Edgar Snyder & Associates' Ebensburg Office Today!

There's no time to wait. Time is critical for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Call the Ebensburg office of Edgar Snyder & Associates today at 412-394-1000 for a free, no-obligation case review.

If traveling is difficult for you, then let Edgar Snyder & Associates come to you. We'll visit you wherever you are in the Ebensburg area, be it at the hospital or at your home. We're here to help you move on from the medical negligence you suffered.