Were you or a loved one a victim of medical malpractice in Laredo, TX? You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, emotional distress, and more. An experienced Laredo medical malpractice lawyer at Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you hold the negligent medical provider accountable.
Our founding attorney has over 24 years of experience standing up for injured clients like you. Our law firm has won over $30 million in settlements and verdicts over the years.
Let us protect you during this difficult time. Contact our law offices in Laredo, Texas, at (956) 529-7336 to schedule your free consultation today.
How Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Medical Malpractice Claim in Laredo
If you were injured because of a doctor’s mistake, it can be difficult to know where to turn for help. You know that something went wrong. But how do you prove it? And how do you hold the responsible parties accountable for their negligent actions?
You have enough on your mind without worrying about a lawsuit. Our Laredo personal injury lawyers at Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers, can help you get justice. Over the years, we’ve been recognized with the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award. We’ve also been listed among Avvo’s Top Attorneys and earned a place on the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
While you focus on recovering, our lawyers will:
- Identify the mistake that caused your suffering
- Investigate to pinpoint the cause of the malpractice
- Determine who is legally responsible for paying your damages
- Gather the expert witness testimony you need to prove your case
- Handle all negotiations with the insurance companies and defense lawyers
We’ll never push you into accepting a lowball settlement. Our Laredo personal injury attorneys are known for being fierce advocates in court. To learn more about how we can help, call for a free consultation today.
How Common is Medical Malpractice in Texas?
Medical malpractice is extremely prevalent in the United States. In fact, medical errors are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Every year, it’s estimated that more than 250,000 people die due to medical negligence in the U.S.
In Texas, medical malpractice insurance companies paid out more than $95 million to victims of medical negligence in 2022 alone.
Most medical errors are completely avoidable. After all, doctors, nurses, and other medical providers must complete years of training before they’re allowed to treat patients. If you or a family member were a victim, contact our team today. We’ll do everything we can to help you recover the fair compensation you deserve.
Overview of Texas Medical Malpractice Laws
Not all medical errors amount to malpractice. After all, doctors are only human. They make mistakes like anyone else. A healthcare provider commits medical malpractice when they are negligent.
Negligence means:
- A duty of care was owed to the victim
- The defendant breached the duty of care
- The breach of duty caused the victim some type of harm or damages
All medical professionals in the state of Texas owe a duty of care to their patients. They have a duty to provide the level of medical care that a reasonable, trained professional would provide under similar circumstances. Doctors are negligent when they deviate from this standard of care.
The quality of care that doctors are expected to provide is often referred to as the “medical standard of care.”
What is the Medical Standard of Care?
One of the most important issues in any medical malpractice case is establishing the medical standard of care. The medical standard of care varies from case to case. Generally speaking, the standard of care is developed by the medical community itself.
The standard of care can vary based on:
- The patient’s age, medical history, and overall health
- The type of medical condition involved
- The medical professional’s skill level
- Geographic location
Under Texas law, victims of medical malpractice must provide testimony from medical experts to back up their claims. This expert testimony can be used to establish the medical standard of care and prove that your doctor deviated from the level of care required in your case.
What is My Laredo Medical Malpractice Claim Worth?
Many different variables are important when assessing the value of a personal injury claim.
Some of the most important factors include:
- The impact the mistake had on the patient
- Whether the patient will make a full recovery
- The nature of the medical error
- Whether the patient will need additional or ongoing medical care
- The cost of treating the condition
- The types of emotional and mental suffering the patient endures
- The patient’s age and life expectancy at the time of the error
- Your physical pain and suffering
Medical errors that result in serious injuries tend to lead to higher settlements and verdicts. As a general rule of thumb, the more the mistake impacts your life, the more compensation you will be awarded.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Medical Malpractice in Laredo?
Victims can recover compensation for economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the financial losses associated with the medical error, including:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Property damage
On the other hand, non-economic damages are paid to compensate victims for more subjective losses.
Non-economic damages often include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced life expectancy
- PTSD
- Fear
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Loss of consortium
In Texas, there is a cap on the amount of non-economic damages you can recover. The cap is generally $250,000. When a case involves multiple healthcare providers, the cap is $500,000. However, no single healthcare provider can be liable for more than $250,000 in non-economic damages.
Medical Malpractice Can Cause Serious and Life-Changing Consequences
Medical mistakes can have serious long-term consequences, including:
- A need for more invasive and extensive medical treatment
- A worsened underlying condition
- Surgeries to correct a mistake
- Inability to work and earn a living
- Reduced life expectancy
- A need for around-the-clock care
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Infections
- Pain medication dependency
- Blood clots
- Internal organ damage
- Stroke
- Wrongful death
Many victims of medical negligence struggle with mental health disorders, including severe depression and PTSD. You can count on our team at Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers to fight to recover fair compensation for all of the harm your family has suffered.
Why Does Medical Malpractice Happen?
Medical errors happen for many different reasons.
Some of the most common causes of medical malpractice include:
- Overworked medical professionals and physician burnout
- Outdated technology
- Failure to supervise
- Negligent hiring practices
- Communication failures and charting errors
- Failure to take a complete patient history or review their medical records
- Failure to recognize a patient’s symptoms
- Failure to refer a patient to a specialist when appropriate
- Unsanitary conditions
- Understaffing
- Failure to order proper diagnostic tests
- Misinterpreting lab results
- Mistaking patients’ identities
- Wrong site surgery
- Failure to provide proper post-operative care
- Failure to monitor a patient’s vitals during a procedure
- Defective medical devices
- Failing to recognize the potential for adverse drug interactions
- Overtreatment or undertreatment
As the patient, it can be tough to prove exactly what went wrong. You may suspect that you were a victim of medical negligence. Our experienced medical malpractice lawyers in Laredo have the experience to help you pinpoint the cause of the harm you have suffered.
We Handle All Types of Medical Malpractice Cases in Laredo, Texas
Medical errors can happen at any stage of care. Similarly, any medical professional can be held responsible for negligence.
Our Laredo medical malpractice attorneys handle all types of medical malpractice claims, including those involving:
- Emergency room errors
- Surgical errors
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose
- Anesthesia errors
- Prescription drug errors
- Birth injuries
- Nursing negligence
- Hospital negligence
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Pharmacy errors
- Radiology errors
Contact our legal team today to learn more about how we can protect your legal rights.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit After a Medical Error in Texas?
The statute of limitations in medical malpractice cases is two years. Typically, the two-year clock starts to run on the date the malpractice occurred. When a patient is receiving ongoing care, the clock starts running on the last date of treatment.
In some cases, courts will consider when the patient reasonably should have known about the medical error when determining when the statute of limitations starts to run.
Texas law also imposes a “statute of repose.” Regardless of when the patient’s treatment ended or when the patient should have discovered the mistake, the lawsuit must be filed within ten years of the date the malpractice occurred.
Contact an Experienced Laredo Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you suspect you were injured as a result of medical malpractice, it’s important to take legal action now. Our lawyers at Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers can step in and preserve your right to seek compensation. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a Laredo medical malpractice lawyer.
Roderick C. Lopez Personal Injury Lawyers
6557 Metro Court, Suite 1 Laredo, TX 78041
(956) 529-7336
Our personal injury law firm in Laredo, TX also provides:
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