Common Types of Medical Malpractice
Patients of all ages can be victims of medical malpractice and medical errors may carry particularly severe consequences include birth injuries, surgical errors, misdiagnosis and wrongful death.

• Birth injuries can leave newborns with permanent disabilities. When a medical professional provides substandard medical care during a mother’s pregnancy at or around the time of a child’s birth, such negligence can cause cerebral palsy. This can occur if the mother suffers an infection during and before childbirth or if oxygen supply to the newborn is compromised.
• Surgical errors committed by surgeons and other healthcare providers before, during or after surgery can result in serious injuries or death. Surgical errors include operating in the wrong area, providing substandard pre- or post-operative care, or administering the wrong medication.
• Misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis may limit the treatment options available to a patient and diminish chances of survival. When a doctor negligently fails to diagnose a disease, disorder or illness, or negligently delays a diagnosis, such medical malpractice may result in severe harm or death.

Healthcare Providers and the Law Healthcare Providers are somewhat protected by the law because their influence on legislators make suits against them quite difficult. Medical Malpractice cases often become a battle of expert witnesses, and for that reason, are quite expensive to bring to trial. Additionally, caps or statutory limits do artificially mandate a maximum that can be recovered for a Medical Malpractice injury.

Medical malpractice is an area of the law that is highly-specialized, and in Missouri, lawsuits must be filed within two years.

Contact The Farris Law Firm at 314-A-LAWYER (252-9937) today for a free consultation. We may be able to recover monetary compensation for your future medical costs, pain and suffering, and other associated damages.

Filing Deadlines: Medical Malpractice

Medical Malpractice lawsuits must be filed faster than typical injury lawsuits or they will be forever barred by law. In Missouri, that time limit is two years.

In other states, and for claims involving federal entities, that limit is even shorter. This means that delay in investigating a malpractice claim may unwittingly mean it can never be pursued.

If you believe that you or a family member has been harmed by Medical Malpractice, you should:

• Talk to your Healthcare Providers and ask for answers without threatening a lawsuit. It is important to get the best healthcare possible, and this is not going to happen if the healthcare providers are more focused on a lawsuit than providing care.
• If possible, get a second (and even third) opinion from doctors you trust. Mistakes are better addressed early than late.
• Take detailed notes that include dates and times, names of doctors and other healthcare providers, and all tests and treatments given. These notes, taken near the time of an incident, will be much more valuable than memories of events years later.
• Take pictures if possible as this will be necessary later to document the course of treatment and recovery.

If you have questions on Medical Malpractice, contact The S.E. Farris Law Firm at 314-A-LAWYER (252-9937) today for a free consultation.

Learn More:

Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence

$2.5 Million Verdict: Medical Malpractice – Heart Attack  
A man presented with ongoing pain above the navel and his doctor did not rule out cardiac disease. The next day, the patient went into cardiac arrest and suffered massive heart and brain damage. Read Thompson v. Dr. Anthony Mattaline.