When you go to the hospital, you expect the medical professionals to heal you, not make you feel worse. However, that is not what happens in many cases. You might contract an infection, such as MRSA, or a medical professional could err, causing you more pain and suffering.
The Chicago hospital negligence attorneys at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers have experience handling Chicago hospital negligence cases. We provide compassionate yet vigorous representation while ensuring you recover the compensation you deserve.
Contact Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers for your free case evaluation after suffering Chicago hospital negligence.
Chicago Hospital Negligence Guide
Why Choose Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers
The Chicago hospital negligence attorneys at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers provide individual attention to every person, so you are not just another case number. The firm updates you often during settlement negotiations, even if they are still waiting on a response from the defendants.
When you suffer injuries because of medical malpractice, you want to recover the compensation you deserve for those injuries and additional medical expenses as soon as possible. Medical malpractice cases are complex cases that require attorneys with medical knowledge. Not all personal injury attorneys have the medical knowledge that our attorneys have.
Our attorneys will come to you if you are not able to come to us. We can also set up a telephonic or video conference if that is your preference. Our case evaluations are always free and without obligation. And, if we don’t win your case, you don’t pay our fees.
Chicago Hospital Negligence and Injuries
When a medical professional breaches the standard duty of care that all medical professionals owe to their patients, you could suffer injuries, pain, and suffering. Any medical professional that is under the direction of the hospital makes the hospital liable for the professional’s negligence as long as the medical professional was performing job-related care when you suffered injuries.
However, if a doctor is an independent contractor, which is often the case, the hospital is most likely not liable for the doctor’s negligence. In this case, you would take legal action against the medical professional that caused you harm.
Examples of hospital or medical professional negligence include:
- Medication errors including giving the wrong medication or the wrong dosage.
- Neglecting patient care in lieu of savings pursuant to pressure from an HMO.
- Discharging a patient too early.
- Wrong diagnosis or late diagnosis.
- Delaying care and/or medication.
- Misusing a medical device.
- Performing a procedure without your consent or the consent of a medical power of attorney.
- Careless behavior by hospital staff.
- Lack of training.
- Lack of supervision.
- Failing to follow hospital rules and procedures.
- Failing to communicate.
- Surgical errors, such as leaving a foreign object inside a surgical wound.
Injuries You Could Suffer from Hospital Negligence
The injuries you could suffer from hospital negligence could range from something minor to death.
Injuries include:
- Amputation of the wrong digit or limb.
- Poisoning from ingesting the wrong medication.
- Internal bleeding.
- A myriad of infections, including MRSA.
- Sepsis caused by infections.
- Heart failure.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Organ failure.
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome.
If you suspect that you are suffering from a condition caused by medical malpractice or hospital negligence, contact a medical malpractice attorney at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers as soon as possible.
Recovering Compensation for Hospital Negligence in Chicago
If you suffered injuries because of a hospital’s or medical professional’s negligence, you could recover economic damages and non-economic damages. The type and amount of damages you recover depends on the severity of your injuries. If your injuries are not permanent—your doctors expect you to recover in a matter of weeks or months, and you will most likely recover economic damages.
However, if the injuries inflicted on you result in long-term or permanent disabilities or caused the death of a loved one, you could recover non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as special damage, economic damages have a monetary value and include:
- Medical expenses: Doctor’s appointments, surgeries, follow-up appointments, prescriptions, prescribed over-the-counter medications, ambulatory aids, home health care, nursing home / rehabilitative care, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, psychological therapy, physical therapy, hand controls for your vehicle, and home updates, including wheelchair ramps, grab bars, handrails, and widened doorways.
- Income: Current and future loss of earning capacity.
- Death-related expenses: Funeral and burial expenses, cremation expenses, probate attorney’s fees and costs, and certain probate expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages do not have a monetary value and include:
- Pain and suffering, including emotional distress.
- Loss of quality of life if you have to make life changes, including taking prescriptions or using ambulatory aids for the rest of your life.
- Loss of use of a body part, such as a foot or hand.
- Loss of use of a bodily function, such as your eyesight or bladder.
- Loss of companionship if you can no longer enjoy family activities and events.
- Loss of consortium if you can no longer enjoy a physical relationship with your spouse.
- Excessive scarring and/or disfigurement.
- Inconvenience, if you have to hire someone to do the chores you usually do, such as grocery shopping, house cleaning, laundry, lawn maintenance, and home repair and maintenance.
Our attorneys review your case and apply the severity of your injuries to the types of compensation you can recover, ensuring you recover all of the compensation you deserve.
FAQs
How Much is My Hospital Negligence Case Worth?
The value of your hospital negligence case depends on the severity of the injuries and, to some extent, the severity of the negligence perpetrated by the hospital. If you suffer injuries that take less than a year to recover from or that doctors do not expect to cause your death, you might recover economic damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, and death-related expenses, such as funeral and burial costs and probate attorneys’ expenses.
However, if the negligence caused long-term or permanent injuries, resulted in the death of a loved one, or will result in your death, you or your family could recover non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, loss of use of a body part or bodily function, excessive scarring, disfigurement, and inconvenience.
What Injuries Could Hospital Negligence Cause?
Hospital negligence could cause illnesses and injuries such as infections, amputation of the wrong digit or limb, medication errors, broken bones, cuts, bruises, scrapes, dehydration, and malnourishment, to name a few.
What are some additional signs of hospital negligence?
Additional signs of hospital negligence might include:
- The treatment prescribed no longer works while receiving the treatment.
- Your symptoms do not match the diagnosis.
- Different doctors give you different diagnoses.
- Instead of doing a full workup, the doctor relies only on lab results for a diagnosis.
- Your doctor does not listen to you or address your concerns.
Contact a Chicago Hospital Negligence Attorney at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you suspect you have injuries or an illness because of the negligence of a Chicago hospital or medical professional, you may be able to recover damages. A Chicago hospital negligence lawyer will review your case to determine whether you have a valid claim and can recover damages in the form of compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages.
If you suffered injuries because of hospital negligence or the negligence of any medical professional in Chicago, contact a Chicago hospital negligence lawyer at Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers for a free consultation by calling 312.883.6907 today.
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