Personal Injury -

Medical Malpractice: Did My Doctor Breach His Standard of Care?

Attorneys for Victims

The Institute of Medicine published in 1999 that medical errors kill 98,000 people each year.  This statistic is widely accepted by hospitals and medical professionals.  More recent studies published in the Journal of Patient Safety and the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that the number is actually much higher.

The more recent studies show that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States each year. 

Yet, the actual number of preventable deaths may be even higher still, because of cover-ups in hospitals and the culture of physicians not reporting their colleagues’ mistakes.  Despite this astounding statistic, deaths caused by medical error are rarely publicized.

Patients who have been injured by a physician’s error may be able to seek recovery under a medical malpractice claim.

If a doctor or other medical professional fails to use a reasonable degree of care and skill, he may be held liable for medical malpractice.

A person professing to practice surgery or the administering of medicine for compensation must bring to the exercise of his profession a reasonable degree of care and skill. Any injury resulting from a want of such care and skill shall be a tort for which a recovery may be had.  O.C.G.A. § 51-1-127

In essence, physicians must exercise such reasonable care and skill for their patients as, under similar conditions and like surrounding circumstances, is ordinarily employed by a similarly situated medical professional .  Proving that a physician administered substandard medical care is a complicated and expensive issue that involves an expert witness to support the Plaintiff’s claims.  The expert witness should be able to defend his position even against the contrary opinions of the physician’s defending expert witness.  This “battle of the experts” can get technical and expensive.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to preventable medical error, retain an experienced medical negligence lawyer with the experience and financial resources to properly pursue your medical malpractice claim.

To ensure you receive the full recovery you and your family deserves, you should contact an experienced medical negligence attorney in Atlanta.  Call Atlanta’s skilled injury attorney, Terance Madden, at 770-978-6711.   Turning Injury To Cash: Visit our law firm at our website:  www.tmaddenlaw.com.

T. Madden & Associates | www.tmaddenlaw.com | 770-978-6711

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