One fact of life that no one can escape is that sometimes accidents happen, and sometimes these accidents lead to injuries. True accidents are regrettable, to be sure, but if it comes out that an accident could have been easily avoided, that’s a whole different issue entirely. Medical malpractice is an example of accidents happening that could have and should have been easily avoided, but weren’t. Generally speaking, medical malpractice is what happens when medical professionals, either through accidental or willful negligence, cause injury (or worse) to happen to their patients. If this has happened to you or someone in your family, you will naturally want to file a case with a medical malpractice lawyer. However, before filing any case with a medical malpractice lawyer, there are some things you need to know. This article will take a look at some of those things.
- Medical Malpractice is a Type of Personal Injury: The first thing you need to know is that medical malpractice is considered a type of personal injury, since the injury was caused to you through no fault of your own. Therefore, when you’re looking for a medical malpractice lawyer, you can, if you need to, hire a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases, since medical malpractice falls into this category.
- Medical Malpractice is a Legitimate Cause for Complaint: Another thing you need to know is that medical malpractice is indeed a legitimate cause for complaint. If you become the victim of medical malpractice, you might hear people trying to argue that there’s no case to bring, since “these things can happen.” This is wrong, since you were under the care of medical professionals, these things should not have happened, and the people responsible should be brought to justice to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
- There is a Statute of Limitations in Some States: Finally, a third and very important thing to know before filing a medical malpractice case is that some states do have a statute of limitations on this type of case. For example, in Idaho, there is a statute of limitations of two years for a personal injury claim (which includes medical malpractice). This means that if more than two years have passed since the incident, you can’t bring up a case against the people responsible. That’s why it’s so important to file a case as soon as possible if you even suspect medical malpractice has occurred.
In conclusion, there are several things you need to know when filing a medical malpractice case. These include knowing that medical malpractice is a type of personal injury, it is a legitimate cause for complaint, and there is a statute of limitations in some states for this kind of claim.
