CHICAGO, IL – When you’re putting your life in the hands of someone else, you should be able to trust them completely — especially a medical professional. Unfortunately, sometimes the trust between a doctor and a patient is sometimes broken. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, even doctors, but medical professionals are held to a higher standard due to the level of responsibility they have to provide care that protects a patient’s health and well-being.
Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor fails to meet these standards and causes harm to a patient due to their negligence. There are certain elements you must prove in order to have a case for medical malpractice. Read this week’s blog as we dive into this more.
Components of medical malpractice cases
To pursue a medical malpractice case in Illinois, you must prove that all of the following has occurred:
- Violation of the Standard of Care
The most basic element to prove medical malpractice is to prove your doctor committed an act of negligence or violated the standard of care. There are certain practices considered deamable in the medical field, even if your doctor deviated from it, you may have a case for establishing negligence. Examples of negligence may include a misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose, failure to order tests or act on test results, not following up with the patient, misprescribing medication or leaving items inside of a patient during surgery. - Injury Was Caused by the Violation
You cannot have a medical malpractice case without an act of negligence and an injury that resulted from that negligence. If you have an injury without negligence or negligence without injury, you do not have a medical malpractice case. - Damages Resulted From the Injury
Damages from the injury are what you can claim in court. Due to the cost of litigating medical malpractice cases being so high, it might not be worth it to pursue compensation unless damages are severe or extensive. Viable damages can include suffering, extreme or constant pain, hardship, loss of income, significant medical bills or permanent disability.
Contacting a Cook County medical malpractice lawyer
Medical malpractice can be devastating because of the trust you placed in your doctor who failed you. If you believe you are a victim of medical malpractice in Illinois, you may be able to recover damages that address the personal and financial impact of the injuries you have suffered.
One of our compassionate Chicago medical malpractice attorneys can help you determine if you have a case. The lawyers at the Dinizulu Law Group have the knowledge, resources and experience to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
Call our office now at (312) 384-1920 to schedule a free consultation today!
