Are you one of the many individuals who has been injured, misdiagnosed, suffered physical or emotional distress, or have lost a loved one because of a medical mistake?

“First of All, to Do No Harm…”
It is common knowledge that when physicians enter the medical profession, they take an oath that in part promises to "never intentionally do harm". Unfortunately, some doctors do cause harm through their mistakes, ignorance, negligence, lack of skill and misdiagnosis. Medical malpractice is the result of a health care provider’s failure to provide the expected standard of care.

The medical profession brings health and hopes to millions of Americans everyday, however far too many are injured or die due to medical mistakes. In November of 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report estimating that as many as 98,000 patients die each year as a result of medical errors in hospitals. Compound this number with the unreported mistakes made in other healthcare settings (physicians’ offices, urgent care centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and home care) and the magnitude of medical malpractice becomes staggering. In addition to the high-costs of medical mistakes in terms of lives and quality of life, our nation pays an estimated $17 billion per year in costs due to preventable errors.

In legal terms, healthcare professionals are only required to give a standard of care that is ordinary or normal. When a physician is determined to be negligent, it means that they have failed to use the same degree of skill and learning, under the same or similar circumstances, that are used by other members of the medical profession. Some of the most common ways that medical malpractice occurs is through failure or errors in timely diagnosis and ordering appropriate treatment, ordering necessary tests and proper medication, consulting with specialists; and surgical procedures.

The Harm That is Done
Medicine is a complicated and varied field so it is impossible to provide a comprehensive list all of the types of malpractice claims. However, the leading types of malpractice claims include:

• Wrongful death
• Birth defects or injuries
• Hospital, physician, and nursing negligence
• Misdiagnosis
• Nursing home injuries and elder abuse
• Pharmaceutical errors

Restitution for Harm
Damages are intended to help you return to the condition you were in prior to the injury. There are several forms of damages that you may recover in a medical malpractice award. These include economic (for lost wages or medical expenses), non-economic (for pain and suffering), or punitive (to punish reckless behavior) damages. You may also receive compensation for future medical expenses and loss of future earnings. Punitive damages occur only in rare cases when it is proved that the medical practitioner had malicious intent.

Medical malpractice claims are one of the most difficult areas of litigation, since the negligent action must documented and proven within specific guidelines. Only a skilled medical malpractice attorney has the experience and resources to thoroughly investigate and validate your case. Brown & Crouppens' expert medical litigation attorneys can help prepare your medical personal injury claim, wrongful death suit and any other lawsuit where a healthcare practitioner may have caused harm to you.

Is Litigation Fair?
It is important to remember that your personal feelings towards your doctor are not at issue in a malpractice action, the facts determine whether your physician was negligent. If negligence is proven, then you are entitled to receive fair compensation to help restore your life as well as helping to prevent others from suffering a similar fate. If the facts do prove that your case received satisfactory medical care, you may take comfort in the fact that the medical community acted in your best interests and this knowledge can help you move forward in recovery.

We know you may hesitate to pursue your case out of concern about litigation and its effect on rising medical costs. Hopefully, you will take solace in the fact that that while medical costs have increased by 113% since 1987, the amount spent by the healthcare industry on medical malpractice insurance has only increased by 52% over the same period of time. According to the director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, insurance companies are raising rates because of poor returns on their investments, not because of litigation and justice.

If you suspect that you are a victim of malpractice, time is of the essence. Consult one of our medical malpractice lawyers immediately to discuss your case and make an important step in taking control of your situation.

The experienced attorneys of Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed decisions about your future, so please call Brown & Crouppen at 1-800-536-HELP for your free legal consultation or save time with our online Contact Form.

My name is Terry Crouppen, I, along with my partner Ron Brown, founded Brown and Crouppen almost 20 years ago. There was never any doubt from the beginning, that medical malpractice would be an area of the law we wanted to concentrate in. Many lawyers believe medical malpractice cases are the most intellectually challenging in all of tort law. We believe that a great law firm must work on the most difficult cases; medical malpractice provides these difficult cases every day.   CONTINUE

Donald and I were never the kind of people to run to lawyers when we had a problem. That’s why I waited before I contacted Brown and Crouppen about a possible medical malpractice case. None of the doctors ever came forward and discussed why the tests were misread, as a matter of fact no one would even admit it had happened. I learned that when doctors and hospitals mess up they cover up, at least that’s what happened when I tried to get answers to my questions.    CONTINUE

Unfortunately, this is true. There are definite time limits in taking care of your case. These time limits are called statutes of limitations and if you wait past this time set out in the statute your case is over, forever, regardless if you have gotten any money or not. Don’t let this happen to you, if you have a medical malpractice case don’t wait until it’s too late, call Brown and Crouppen now.  CONTINUE

Call Brown & Crouppen at 1-800-536-HELP for your free legal consultation or save time with our online Contact Form.

1-800-536-HELP