Cleveland Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Common Medical Malpractice Injuries

Any medical procedure has its risks, and a medical professional should take proper care to warn patients of these risks. However, there is a difference between experiencing injuries from common risks and side effects and experiencing injuries due to the negligent medical errors of a healthcare provider. Some of the more common injuries our Cleveland medical malpractice lawyers see in a malpractice claim include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Serious and catastrophic injuries
• Birth trauma
• Spine, neck, and back injuries
• Paralysis
• Sepsis
• Amputation
• Wrongful death

How To Prove Medical Malpractice

Though they range from state to state, medical malpractice claims are often very complex in any jurisdiction. Ohio is no different. This is because your Cleveland medical malpractice attorney must be able to prove that a specific violation occurred and that this violation directly caused you serious harm.

For Ohio medical malpractice lawsuits to proceed, they must be supported by what is called an “Affidavit of Merit.” This means that qualified medical experts must swear under oath that they 1) have gone through all of the plaintiff’s medical records, 2) are familiar with the standard of care applicable to the plaintiff’s treatment, and 3) fully believe that the plaintiff was harmed as a result of the medical professional in question not following the appropriate standard of medical care.

Due to the difficult nature of these claims, it is important that you hire an experienced Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer to ensure your best shot at a favorable outcome.

What Damages Are Awarded For Medical Malpractice Cases?

In Ohio medical malpractice cases, an injured plaintiff may be awarded for calculable losses, known as economic damages, and noncalculable losses, known as non-economic damages. Economic damages are losses that you can essentially put a price tag on. This includes financial losses such as:

• Medical bills (including those that may occur in the future)
• i.e. ambulance rides, emergency medical treatment, surgery expenses, overnight hospital stays, rehabilitative services, medication costs, etc.
• Property damage
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity
• Value of domestic services

Noneconomic damages, on the other hand, are those which are meant to compensate a victim for intangible losses. As such, these tend to be more subjective and vary from case to case. Non-economic damages may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental duress
• Permanent disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium