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Chicago Medical Malpractice Attorney

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Unfortunately, when placing your trust in the care of doctors or a hospital, things can go wrong, leaving you worse off than before. Let a Chicago Medical malpractice attorney at Smith LaCien LLP help you untangle the truth to see if your medical case was handled properly, or if the harm could have been prevented. Our Chicago injury lawyers have helped clients throughout Illinois with unique medical malpractice claims and are prepared to help with yours.

Why Do You Need The Help Of Our Chicago Medical Malpractice Attorneys?

When we seek out help from medical professionals, we expect to be taken care of. When they act in a negligent manner, it can have a massive impact on all areas of your life. Their carelessness can result in catastrophic injuries that leave you suffocating under medical bills or unable to work. We can help you hold the negligent party accountable. You and your loved ones deserve justice; our law firm is here to accomplish that.

Our legal team is determined to ensure you have the information needed to make the right decision for your future. We will hold the nurses, doctors, and medical facilities accountable for their unnecessary mistakes, missed test results, and more. We will act as your fiercest advocate from beginning to end.

Meet Todd Smith And Brian LaCien – Your Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Chicago medical malpractice attorneys and trial lawyers Brian LaCien and Todd Smith are renowned for their integrity, diligence, and track record of success. They firmly stand by the principle that each client we serve deserves undivided attention and are active members of the legal community in Chicago.

For over two decades, Brian LaCien has dedicated himself to aiding accident victims, winning millions in verdicts, and Todd A. Smith has consistently been recognized as one of America’s top lawyers since 1995. With their collective expertise, they are committed to delivering the medical malpractice case verdict you deserve.

Chicago car accident awards and banner

car accident chicago awards

$20 MILLION – Obtained a major settlement for a college student who suffered brain damage while undergoing heart surgery. Smith LaCien LLP is a leader in the field of cases of medical malpractice law.

$10 MILLION – Granted to a 74-year-old client who suffered an adverse reaction to a pharmaceutical product, resulting in blindness. At Smith LaCien LLP, we handle both individual and class action suits in the field of drug interactions and medical product liability.

Chicago Medical Malpractice Resources

 

How Can a Chicago Medical Malpractice Attorney Help? 

Not only can a medical malpractice attorney help you to know from the outset if you have grounds for a medical malpractice case or if your claim meets the definition of medical malpractice, but your attorney can also help to investigate your claim and craft a compelling case through the following:

  • Evaluate your medical condition before and after the malpractice incident
  • Determine liability for the injury which could belong to the medical provider, medical facility, medical staff, or medical device manufacturer.
  • Gather evidence establishing the four main elements of medical malpractice including showing a patient/doctor relationship, breach of the provider’s duty of patient care, a causal relationship between the breach of duty and your injury, and real damages resulting from the injury
  • Highlight the economic and non-economic damages you’ve suffered
  • Hiring medical expert witnesses for testimony
  • Ensure prompt and precise filing of all paperwork
  • Draft a strong demand letter to the healthcare provider’s liability insurance companies
  • Fight aggressively on your behalf in all situations if the case comes to courtroom litigation

You need the legal representation of a Chicago medical malpractice attorney with years of experience navigating the complexities of medical malpractice laws in Illinois to gain full recovery for your malpractice damages.

How Common is Medical Malpractice In Chicago?

Approximately 15,000 to 18,000 medical malpractice lawsuits are filed annually. The CDC reports approximately 208 deaths from preventable medical malpractice mistakes daily, and evidence suggests that many more instances of medical malpractice go unreported. Some studies suggest that as many as 1 in 3 patients experience a medical mistake, and most never realize it. It’s only when the error causes egregious harm that victims seek recompense through a medical malpractice lawsuit.

What Are The Most Common Examples of  Chicago Medical Malpractice?

Chicago medical malpractice lawyer

When health care professionals deviate from the accepted standards and it causes injury, malpractice cases often result. Sadly, medical malpractice is now widely recognized as the third leading cause of death in the United States, and your case may require the help of a wrongful death lawyer in Chicago. Medical errors may be mistakes of omission, such as failing to get informed consent or failing to strap a patient to a gurney. Other medical negligence situations are errors of commission such as leaving a surgical tool or piece of gauze inside a patient.

Some of the most common examples of medical malpractice include:

While not as common, some of the most catastrophic medical negligence cases are surgical errors such as wrong-patient, wrong-site, and wrong-side surgeries.

Similarly, birth injuries are often catastrophic and devastating, causing life-long injury to a child. Going over your case with a Chicago birth injury attorney is the first step to ensuring justice and fair compensation for medical malpractice.

Do Administrative Errors Count As Medical Malpractice In Chicago?

While a medical professional may be entirely at fault for the error due to misjudgment, carelessness, or mistakes, medical malpractice is most commonly caused by administrative failures such as:

  • Staffing shortages or reduced staffing
  • Lack of adequate training
  • Hiring failures
  • Not following established medical guidelines for preventing errors
  • Over-booking appointments, procedures, and surgeries

Regardless of the circumstances leading to the malpractice incident, medical providers and facilities must be held accountable for mistakes that cause great harm to patients in their care. Speak to an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Chicago from Smith LaCien today. 

What to Do If You’re the Victim of Medical Malpractice

medical malpractice attorney in Chicago

If you suspect that you’re a victim of medical malpractice, taking the following steps can help:

  1. Obtain your medical records from the facility where the malpractice occurred
  2. See a trusted physician for a complete evaluation 
  3. Explain what you’ve experienced to your trusted doctor and share your records
  4. Tell your doctor about all of your symptoms and ask for a detailed medical report with the diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis
  5. Follow all of your trusted doctor’s recommendations for treatments, attend every appointment, and fill every prescription
  6. Keep a record of your medical bills
  7. Keep a pain journal and also detail the way the injury interferes with your daily life
  8. Avoid posting on social media
  9. Gather your records and seek a consultation with a Chicago medical malpractice attorney
  10. Direct all communications with the liability insurance company to your attorney

It may feel intimidating to have to deal with a lawsuit while you’re recovering from a medical malpractice injury but by taking the above steps you can help ensure that you get the most from your claim.

How to Prove Liability In A Chicago Medical Malpractice Case

Proving medical malpractice in Chicago

Proving medical malpractice requires demonstrating that the medical provider’s actions were negligent and that their negligence caused you to suffer injuries with related damages. The injury victim (plaintiff) in medical malpractice cases has the burden of proving the provider (defendant) liable for damages by using evidence to do the following:

Prove that a doctor-patient relationship existed at the time the injury occurred:

A malpractice claim requires evidence that a doctor had an obligation to treat the patient at the industry-accepted level of care because a professional relationship was in place at the time the malpractice incident occurred. 

Prove that the doctor breached their special duty of care:

All medical providers have a special duty of care to treat patients at the level of care expected by the medical community or the way a reasonable provider would have under the same circumstances. Proving that the provider breached this duty requires consulting with medical experts to show that the doctor acted negligently by failing to diagnose and treat the patient correctly or promptly within the guidelines of the medical community.

Prove causation

The investigation into the malpractice incident must clearly demonstrate how the doctor’s negligence directly caused the injury. If something else caused harm to the patient during the time the patient was under the doctor’s care—for example, if the patient took an illegal, or unprescribed medication errors and suffered an ill effect—then the doctor did not commit malpractice because something other than the doctor’s care caused the injury.

Prove that the injury victim suffered significant damages due to the injury

To recover compensation, the injury victim must be able to prove that they’ve suffered damages due to the injury. Typically, this requires showing evidence such as medical bills to demonstrate expenses, employer statements proving lost work days, and expert testimony of health care providers to highlight the amount of pain and suffering associated with the type of injury and for how long the patient is likely to continue to experience pain and suffering until they reach maximum physical recovery.

How Much Time Do I Have to Make a Medical Malpractice Claim in Illinois?

If you have suffered an injury as a result of substandard care by your doctor or another health care provider, you have a time limit known as a statute of limitations to take legal action. Under Illinois law, a medical malpractice action must be brought within two years after the date on which the victim knew or should have known of their injury or death related to medical error. However, regardless of when a victim becomes aware of their injury, no medical malpractice action can be brought after four years from the date of the medical error that caused the victim’s injury or death.

What Damages Can I Claim In A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit In Chicago?

Chicago medical malpractice attorney

In a medical malpractice action, you may make claims for your economic and noneconomic medical malpractice damages. Your economic damages are tangible losses such as past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and other tangible losses that can be objectively determined. Noneconomic damages are intangible losses such as pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and disability.

Prior to 2010, there was a limit on the amount of non-economic damages that a victim could claim. Those limits have been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois. Now, there is no cap on the number of damages a victim of medical malpractice can claim. Nevertheless, the value of the damages in your claim must be supported by sufficient evidence.

Smith LaCien LLP understands how important it is to get you full compensation for your damages and we will work tirelessly to achieve the case results you deserve.

How Much Is My Medical Malpractice Case Worth? 

How much is a medical malpractice case worth in Chicago?

The majority of medical malpractice claims are resolved through an out-of-court settlement from the provider’s malpractice insurance. Only if the insurance company fails to provide ample compensation for the injury or seriously underestimates the value of the claim does the case proceed to court in a lawsuit.

Because the types of injuries caused by medical malpractice vary greatly in severity, the amount of compensation also varies, depending on the cost of medical expenses related to correcting the malpractice injury, the amount of time away from work during the patient’s recovery, the level of pain and suffering caused by the injury, and whether or not the malpractice injury caused permanent disability, impairment, or disfigurement.

Illinois has some of the highest average settlement amounts in the U.S. for malpractice injuries. The average settlement amount is over $700,000. Over $180 million has been paid to malpractice claimants in Illinois in the past decade. Does this mean your case is worth $700,000 or more? Possibly, but not necessarily. The evidence in the case and a careful calculation of your damages by your Chicago medical malpractice attorney will give you a better idea of the settlement you might expect.

 The settlement amount depends on the following factors:

  • The type of injury caused by the incident of medical malpractice
  • The amount of economic and non-economic damages you’ve suffered due to the injury
  • The provider’s insurance coverage
  • The strength of the evidence proving the claim
  • Whether you gain compensation through a settlement directly from the insurance company or go to court and receive a jury award for damages in your favor.

A consultation with your attorney will give you a better idea of the amount of compensation that could be available for your unique claim. 

Will I Have To Go To Court For My Medical Malpractice Claim?

The overwhelming majority of personal injury claims—including medical malpractice claims—settle out of court through a skilled medical malpractice attorney’s strong, evidence-backed negotiations with the provider’s malpractice insurance company. Only if the insurance company fails to compensate a valid claim or offers an unacceptably low settlement amount does the case proceed to a courtroom in a malpractice lawsuit. If litigation in court occurs in your case, you may be required to testify about your injury and the related damages. A Chicago medical malpractice attorney from Smith Lacien, LLP will gladly defend your rights and best interests in court if required to maximize your compensation.

“Very helpful and very professional experience working with them.”

-Thomas

When Does A Medical Malpractice Claim Become a Wrongful Death Case?

Illinois state law allows wrongful death claims against the responsible party when medical malpractice causes the death of a loved one. The personal representative of the deceased’s estate brings the wrongful death claim in medical malpractice cases in Chicago. This is typically the surviving spouse but may also be a parent in cases of the wrongful death of a minor child or an adult child without a surviving spouse. Medical malpractice cases that result in wrongful death bring some additional damages such as:

  • Funeral and burial expenses
  • Loss of earnings and benefits
  • Loss of companionship, guidance, and support

These are often in addition to damages such as medical expenses and emotional anguish. While recovering financial damages cannot bring back a loved one or undo the harm, it can help the family members left behind to move through their grief and anguish with fewer financial worries.

Is There A Difference Between Medical Negligence And Malpractice?

Medical malpractice in Chicago

Many people use the terms “medical negligence” and medical malpractice” interchangeably, but there are subtle differences in the meanings of the terms and how they’re viewed in a claim. Proving medical malpractice requires showing that the doctor or medical provider acted negligently by not treating the patient at the industry-accepted level of care; however, there are differences in the way an attorney, the insurance company, and a judge treat a case depending on whether or not it’s medical negligence or malpractice.

The main difference between the two types of claims depends on the provider’s intent:

  • In a malpractice claim, the evidence shows that the doctor knew what level or standard of treatment they must apply under the patient’s circumstances, but failed to provide the treatment
  • In a medical negligence claim, the evidence shows that the provider made an unintended error during the patient’s treatment and it caused the patient an injury

Mistakes in the medical field have serious and sometimes grave consequences. Even if a doctor’s mistake was unintentional, if they did not treat the victim the way another reasonable medical professional would have under the same circumstances, they are liable for damages.

Contact A Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

If you believe you are a victim of medical malpractice, it is important to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the higher the chance that these medical professionals will take advantage of more innocent malpractice victims. Call our office in Chicago today for a free consultation at (312) 509-8900 to learn more about how we can help. You can also email us.

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