Personal Injury Lawyer
If a doctor or other medical professional does not perform his or her medical duties competently and injures a patient, the patient may sue for medical malpractice. Each state has different rules surrounding medical malpractice lawsuits, including how long a plaintiff has to bring their claim, so you should be sure to check the laws in your state if you are considering suing for medical malpractice. A local personal injury lawyer can help you understand how the local state laws relate to your case. However, as explained by our friends at Eglet Adams, there are some general medical malpractice rules that will apply in every state.
Elements of a Medical Malpractice Claim
A plaintiff in a medical malpractice suit must prove that they had a doctor-patient relationship with the defendant, that the doctor-defendant was negligent, that the defendant’s negligence caused their injury, and that the injury caused them to suffer specific damages.
A doctor-patient relationship is formed when a patient hires a doctor, and the doctor agrees to be hired. A plaintiff cannot sue a doctor whom they do not have a doctor-patient relationship with. For instance, you cannot sue a doctor for advice you overheard the doctor giving at a party. It is normally fairly easy to prove that a doctor-patient relationship existed, because a patient normally goes to a doctor’s office, where the doctor begins seeing and treatin