Do you suspect you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice in Clearwater, Florida? You expect medical professionals to offer effective treatment for your injuries or illness; you don’t expect them to cause harm. When they do, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
However, medical malpractice cases are very complex—and courts and juries tend to give doctors the benefit of the doubt. Our Board Certified Clearwater medical malpractice lawyers can level the playing field.
We’re one of the oldest personal injury firms in Tampa Bay. We’ve helped injured patients hold negligent medical providers accountable for over 65 years. This is the experience you want on your side when you take on big doctors, big hospitals, and big insurers. We handle cases involving catastrophic injuries, Clearwater premises liability, brain injuries, motorcycle accidents, and more.
Contact Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers at (727) 796-8282 today to speak with a Clearwater attorney.
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How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After Medical Malpractice in Clearwater
Medical malpractice victims often face serious struggles due to their injury cases. You may have visited the doctor to receive treatment—but then suffered a more serious underlying condition due to their negligence.
Our Florida medical malpractice lawyers have a bit of experience holding negligent medical professionals liable—over 65 years worth! We’ve been named Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, and Top Lawyers in Tampa Bay, and we’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars for injury victims in Clearwater, Florida.
When you hire our law firm, the medical providers and their malpractice insurers will take notice. They know they won’t get away with a lowball settlement offer.
They know our Clearwater personal injury lawyers will strengthen your case by:
- Offering award-winning legal advice at every step of your case
- Conducting a thorough investigation
- Identifying all liable parties and insurance policies
- Calculating every cent of your damages
- Working with Tampa Bay’s top experts to prove their negligence
- Negotiating a high-value settlement or taking them to court to get what you deserve
- Have our accomplished trial lawyers argue your case at trial, if necessary
Focusing on your recovery should be your top priority in the aftermath of medical negligence. Don’t burden yourself with the claims or lawsuit processes. Hire us to fight for compensation on your behalf.
Contact Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free case evaluation with a Clearwater personal injury lawyer.
How Common is Medical Malpractice in Clearwater, FL?
Medical malpractice is, unfortunately, more common than many realize. Research indicates medical errors account for 10% of all preventable deaths in the country. Johns Hopkins research suggests medical malpractice is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Seventy-five percent of physicians will be named in a medical malpractice claim by the time they reach age 65.
Florida ranks third among all states in payouts for medical malpractice claims every year. According to some reports, more than 5,000 Floridians may die annually as a result of medical malpractice. Victims who don’t die are often left with serious injuries. Tragically, medical malpractice deaths may actually be underreported.
What is My Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
Medical malpractice settlement and damage amounts vary widely. It’s impossible to say how much you should expect to recover without first knowing the details of your case.
Many factors influence how much a medical malpractice claim is worth, including:
- The severity of your injuries
- The seriousness of the medical provider’s error
- Malpractice insurance coverage limits
- Whether you mitigated damages
- And more
We can’t promise you’ll settle for a specific amount. However, our Clearwater medical malpractice lawyers do have a proven track record of recovering life-changing compensation for our clients.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Medical Malpractice Victims in Clearwater, FL?
Medical malpractice victims are entitled to economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages compensate for your financial losses and include:
- Medical bills, including future anticipated expenses
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- Household services
- And more
However, these are not the only losses you might face after medical malpractice. Your injuries can also leave you with significant physical, emotional, and mental pain. Depending on their severity, they may have a permanent impact on your quality of life.
You deserve to be compensated for these and other non-economic damages like:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional Distress
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Embarrassment or inconvenience
- Loss of quality of life
- And more
We apply specialized methods to determine how much money you deserve. We bring in the best experts to help us. Contact our Clearwater personal injury lawyers to discuss the damages you may be entitled to.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for My Medical Malpractice Injuries in Florida?
Florida’s “modified comparative negligence” rule can impact the amount of compensation a victim receives. Sometimes in medical malpractice cases, hospitals or insurers will accuse victims of not mitigating their damages. They may say you didn’t seek prompt treatment from another medical provider or failed to follow a doctor’s treatment plan for your injuries.
They do this to limit their own liability. If they can prove you were partially responsible for causing or worsening your injuries, they will owe you less in damages. Under Florida law, a victim’s damages are reduced to account for their share of blame. For example, if you have $200,000 but bear 20% of the fault, you can only recover $160,000 (80%). In addition, Florida has a “51% rule” in place, meaning you technically cannot recover compensation if you were mostly to blame.
Contact our successful medical malpractice attorneys in Clearwater if you’re being blamed for your injuries. We’ll defend you if an insurer falsely accuses you of negligence.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All Your Medical Malpractice Injuries
Medical malpractice comes in many forms and causes wide-ranging injuries.
Here are some of the injuries and harms associated with malpractice:
- Worsened underlying condition
- Unnecessary amputations
- Leaving surgical tools inside a patient’s body
- Surgery on the wrong surgical site
- Surgery on the wrong patient
- Failing to diagnose an illness properly
- Prescribing the wrong medication
- Wrongful death
Some medical malpractice victims sustain injuries that permanently impact their mobility, cognition, or overall quality of life. Others may sustain relatively minor injuries that nevertheless require costly medical treatment.
You may sustain multiple injuries as a medical malpractice victim. We’ll account for all of them when aggressively negotiating for a fair settlement.
What Causes Medical Malpractice in Clearwater, Florida?
Causes of medical malpractice can vary depending on the circumstances. However, in all malpractice cases, a medical provider has failed to provide the proper standard of care and injured a patient.
Common causes of medical malpractice include:
- Failing to read diagnostic results correctly
- Failing to monitor patient pre or post-surgery
- Giving the improper dosage of medication or anesthesia
- Neglecting to study a patient’s history to see if medications or treatments are contraindicated for your condition
- Miscommunications between doctors and staff
- Defective medical equipment
- And more
Often, medical malpractice simply results from health care providers being careless. Most people assume that doctors are the only ones guilty of medical malpractice.
However, you can hold any medical provider responsible for not providing you with the proper standard of care, including:
- Doctors/Physicians
- Surgeons
- Anesthesiologist, Nurse Anesthetist, and Anesthesiologist Assistants
- Nurse Practitioners
- Nurses
- Psychotherapists
- Pharmacists
- And more
Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers will identify all the causes of your medical practice and each party liable for your damages. You may be able to hold hospitals, nursing homes, or a manufacturer of defective medical devices liable also. We leave nothing on the table in pursuit of your compensation.
How Do I Prove Negligence After Medical Malpractice in Florida?
Florida law requires medical malpractice victims to meet strict criteria in order to recover compensation.
To prove negligence, you must show that:
- A health care provider’s owed you a duty of care
- The provider breached the prevailing professional standard of care
- The breach caused your injuries
- You suffered damages
Medical professionals must provide the standard of care that is relevant for their practice area or specialization. You will need expert medical testimony to establish the standard of care your medical provider owed you.
Our team will use our 65 years’ worth of experience and resources necessary to hold your medical provider accountable for your injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Florida?
Contact our attorneys sooner rather than later if you believe you have a valid medical malpractice case. Florida’s statute of limitations requires victims to file lawsuits within two years of discovering the injury, illness, or other harm due to medical malpractice.
However, you cannot typically file a lawsuit more than four years after the alleged medical malpractice occurred. The time limit might be different if the injury victim was a child at the time of the malpractice. If you miss the deadline, you cannot recover compensation.
Our personal injury lawyers in Clearwater will ensure that you meet all relevant filing deadlines for your case. We won’t let you lose out on compensation due to a legal technicality.
Contact Our Clearwater Medical Malpractice Lawyers For a Free Consultation
Health care providers must be held accountable when their negligence causes injury to patients. Do you think you’re a victim of such negligence? If so, our Clearwater medical malpractice lawyers at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers are here to help.
Call our law office or contact us online today to schedule your free consultation. We serve the entire Tampa Bay region, including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, and Tampa.
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