Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Virginia Fighting for Justice for Victims

What is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice occurs when a patient is injured because a healthcare professional, such as a doctor, nurse, or surgeon, or a medical facility provides care that falls below the standard accepted in the medical community. Events that may lead to a medical malpractice claim can include such mistakes as failure to diagnose or treat a condition, a misdiagnosis, the wrong prescription or medicine given, or a procedure performed on the wrong body part of a patient.

Not every disappointing result after treatment by a medical professional is malpractice, however. Even perfectly proper care can result in undesired results. Orthopedic repairs may not turn out perfectly, and abdominal surgery performed on one organ can result in injury to nearby organs, for example. If the treatment was considered reasonable and prudent, the law does not consider such injuries to be the result of malpractice. But when the injury occurs because of a failure to provide standard or proper treatment, a legal claim for malpractice may be the best way for an injured patient to be compensated.

What is the Standard of Care?

The standard of care is a legal term used to describe the level of care and skill that a healthcare professional is expected to provide to a patient. It is the level of care that a reasonable, prudent healthcare professional in the practice or specialty would provide in similar circumstances. When a health professional fails to meet the standard of care, a case may be made for medical malpractice.

When hospital or medical facilities fail to uphold the standard of care, and patient injury occurs, a lawsuit against a medical corporation may be considered.

Our legal team has spent decades serving victims who have experienced injuries caused by medical mistakes. In instances of fatal injuries, we help pursue cases on behalf of the surviving family members or the estate of the deceased.

How Can You Prove A Medical Malpractice Claim In Virginia?

In order to prove medical malpractice in a lawsuit in Virginia, a plaintiff must show several things.

that the healthcare professional had a duty to provide treatment within the standard of care (i.e. that a doctor-patient relationship existed),
that this duty of care was breached, and
that the healthcare professional’s breach resulted in harm to the patient.

In Virginia, a qualified expert must attest that the standard of care was breached to prove malpractice.

Furthermore, the expert must be one who provides or has recently provided care in the same practice area or specialty. When the qualified expert determines the healthcare provider did not meet the standard of care, then a medical malpractice lawsuit may go forward.

An experienced medical malpractice attorney at Wallace Wason, PLLC will help to evaluate your malpractice claim to determine if you have a valid legal case and the likelihood that it can be proven.

What Kinds of Injuries Occur in Malpractice Cases?

The most serious types of mistakes are referred to as “never events,” because they should never happen in healthcare. Medical errors that can cause the types of serious injuries that lead to malpractice include:

misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose,
missed cancer diagnosis,
surgeon errors such as wrong sided surgery,
birth Injuries such as spinal cord injuries, kernicterus and Erb’s palsy,
birth defects arising from lack of oxygen or Cerebral palsy,
anesthesia errors,
prescription errors, and
foreign objects left in the body.

Wallace Wason, PLLC handles cases of all of the above types.

Injuries that may lead to medical malpractice suits include, but are not limited to, the following types:

chronic, debilitating pain resulting from inappropriate medical treatment,
loss of limb or function,
loss of eyesight,
loss of a large number of teeth,
loss of ability to perform daily activities of living,
partial or complete paralysis,
stroke or brain injury,
permanent disfigurement, or
unusual, excessive or unnecessary scarring.

Compensation For Medical Malpractice Claims

When injuries occur due to malpractice, filing a lawsuit is often the only way to ensure clients receive fair compensation.

Wallace Wason, PLLC is experienced in medical malpractice cases in Virginia and surrounding areas. Our legal team is experienced in pursuing the best results for our clients, whether by settlement or at trial.

Further, we have achieved recoveries valued over seven figures both by settlement prior to trial and in the form of jury awards at trial.

Finally, our staff is skilled at documenting and building the components of solid malpractice cases. This is what provides the basis for compensation to injured patients. Please contact us today to evaluate your medical malpractice claim as statutes of limitations limit your time to file.

Do You Have A Valid Medical Malpractice Case?

There are many important factors in how your legal claim may proceed:

your specific injury
the way it occurred
the treatment you have needed
the statute of limitations
the degree of your recovery from the injury (if any)
the availability and likely success of future treatment

Accordingly, it’s important to have your claim evaluated by an attorney experienced in medical malpractice lawsuits. Wallace Wason, PLLC will evaluate your claim help answer these questions and identify the best path to recovery.

If you have been seriously hurt, we will help you make a serious recovery ™