Grand Rapids Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Grand Rapids Medical Malpractice Attorney

Residents of the Grand Rapids, MI, area routinely trust various medical professionals to provide safe and effective care. While most health care providers in Michigan are highly skilled and dedicated to ensuring appropriate medical treatment for their patients, medical negligence is one of the leading causes of accidental injuries and deaths each year in the United States. When medical professionals fail to meet or provide the required duty of care, people are injured, sometimes for life. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon; medical negligence or medical errors are responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths each year in the United States.

If you or a loved one recently sustained an injury, developed an illness, or acquired a permanent disability or medical condition due to a medical professional’s negligence, call our firm. You likely have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can be an invaluable asset to anyone suffering after medical negligence or malpractice.

Legal Representation for Grand Rapids, MI, Medical Malpractice Claims

Medical malpractice falls within the scope of personal injury, but medical malpractice claims are some of the most challenging personal injury cases anyone can face. Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, has years of experience representing Grand Rapids, MI, clients in a wide range of medical malpractice claims, and we’re ready to apply this experience and our resources to handling your case.

Why Should I Hire a Grand Rapids Medical Malpractice Lawyer?

While some people attempt to handle their medical malpractice claims without an attorney, doing so is risky and challenging.

Facing any personal injury case can be an uncertain and frustrating experience. The average person is likely to struggle in the aftermath of their injury, managing recovery alongside household economic strain from their inability to work. Attempting to manage these issues while simultaneously pursuing a medical malpractice claim on your own behalf would be incredibly difficult. We understand the challenges people face after suffering injury from medical errors, negligence or malpractice and the emotional stress that these situations typically cause. If a medical professional has injured you or a loved one, contact our team. We offer trustworthy and valuable legal help.

Working with an experienced Grand Rapids medical malpractice attorney provides peace of mind and reassurance during a challenging time.

The right legal team managing your medical malpractice claim not only significantly increases your chance of winning your case but also provides you with flexibility and responsive legal support when you need it most. Additionally, your attorney is likely to uncover avenues of compensation you may have overlooked on your own, potentially enhancing your overall recovery by a substantial margin.

Commonly Filed Medical Malpractice Claims in Michigan

Medical malpractice is a broad area of personal injury law pertaining to many injuries. The determining factor in whether an injury qualifies as medical malpractice is if it was caused by a medical professional’s failure to adhere to their patient’s standard of care. Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, has extensive experience representing Grand Rapids clients in various types of medical malpractice claims, including:

• Surgical errors. When a surgeon makes a negligent error during an operation, their patient could suffer life-changing injuries.
• Anesthesia errors. Anesthesiologists must monitor patients very closely, account for drug allergies, and provide patients with complete instructions to ensure safe administration of anesthesia. Improper application of anesthesia can lead to life-threatening medical complications.
• Medication errors. Prescribing doctors must ensure all prescriptions fit their patients’ needs and medical histories. In addition, they must account for known drug allergies and conditions that prescription medications may exacerbate. Prescribing errors can lead to serious patient harm, and pharmacists may also absorb liability for a medication error if they fail to fill a prescription accurately.
• Diagnostic errors. Physicians are responsible for delivering timely and accurate diagnoses to their patients. They must use differential diagnostic processes to correctly identify a patient’s condition based on their symptoms. Failure to diagnose, delayed diagnosis, or misdiagnosis could prevent a patient from receiving the treatment they need or subject them to inappropriate treatments that cause further harm.
• Birth injuries. If a physician or other attending medical professional is negligent during childbirth procedures, the result could be severe harm to the baby, the mother, or both. Birth injuries are capable of causing lifelong disabilities.
• Birth trauma. When mothers experience serious distress during or after giving birth. Sometimes this trauma is due medical negligence or mistakes. Rather than physical, birth trauma tends to be psychological and can have devastating repercussions for some women.

These are only a few examples of the types of medical malpractice claims our firm has successfully handled on behalf of clients in Grand Rapids, MI. In addition, if you believe that you or a loved one was recently injured due to a medical professional’s negligence, call Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC. Our team will review the details of your claim and let you know how we can assist in your recovery. We will ensure your rights are preserved.

Proving Medical Malpractice in Michigan

The term “medical malpractice” defines a medical professional’s failure to meet the standard of care a patient requires. Every known medical condition has a standard of care that includes appropriate treatments and therapies. Medical professionals must adhere to the standard of care and implement acceptable treatments and medical techniques appropriately. When they fail to meet the standard of care or are negligent in any way that results in patient harm, they become liable for malpractice.

Filing a medical malpractice claim is very different from filing any other type of personal injury claim. The process begins with the claimant sending a Notice of Intent to Sue to the defendant, informing them that they believe medical malpractice is responsible for their damages. At this point, the defendant may attempt to resolve the issue by providing free corrective care or another solution. The claimant must also secure an affidavit of merit from a medical professional with similar credentials to the defendant’s. This affidavit serves to support the claim, citing the problems with the defendant’s actions, the nature of their failure to meet the standard of care the plaintiff required, and a clear explanation of how their actions directly caused the claimant’s damages.

An experienced Grand Rapids medical malpractice lawyer will be invaluable for starting your medical malpractice claim. You can rely on your legal team to assist with the preliminary steps of your case, helping to ensure your claim meets all procedural requirements. You can also count on your Grand Rapids medical malpractice attorney to help you accurately calculate your claimable damages.

Compensation for Medical Malpractice in Michigan

A successful medical malpractice lawsuit can potentially yield substantial compensation for the plaintiff. They can claim compensation for all the economic damages the malpractice caused, such as increased medical expenses and lost income from their recovery period. Michigan state law as of 2021 also allows a medical malpractice plaintiff to seek compensation for pain and suffering up to $476,600. This cap increases to $851,000 for malpractice resulting in permanent disability.

It’s common for medical malpractice plaintiffs to undervalue their claims initially, not realizing how much compensation they could potentially secure until they have legal representation on their side. Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, has the experience and resources you need to better understand your legal options and prepare accordingly for the difficult case ahead. If you are ready to discuss your case with a compassionate and trustworthy Grand Rapids medical malpractice attorney, contact Goethel Engelhardt, PLLC, today and schedule a consultation with our team.