Michigan Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Why Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer?

Everyone makes mistakes, but when doctors and other medical professionals make mistakes, the results can be catastrophic. According to a 2016 report by Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 250,000 deaths in the United States are caused by medical malpractice every year, making it the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

In the state of Michigan alone, a total of $71.6 million was paid out in medical malpractice suits in 2015. This includes malpractice cases involving all types of practitioners, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and lab technicians.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, one of the best things you can do is get in touch with an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Medical malpractice cases are very complex and the sooner you able to get in touch with a lawyer, the sooner they can get to work helping you.

The Michigan medical malpractice attorneys at Scott Goodwin Law P.C. have successfully helped many people like you to get the settlement they deserve. We fully understand how difficult these situations are and will fight for you every step of the way. Contact us today for help with your medical malpractice case.

Types of Medical Malpractice Cases

At Scott Goodwin Law P.C., our medical malpractice attorneys handle many different types of malpractice claims, including:

• Surgical errors

• Medication errors

• Unsanitary conditions in healthcare facilities

• Incorrectly reading lab test results

• Misdiagnosis

• Errors resulting from inadequate staffing levels

• Incorrect prescriptions

• Birth trauma

Michigan Medical Malpractice Laws

Under Michigan law, medical malpractice cases must be filed within two years of the act that resulted in injury or death. However, in some cases, medical errors can take longer than two years to discover. In those cases, malpractice suits need to be filed within six months of the medical error being discovered or from the time it reasonably should have been discovered.

If birth trauma was caused by medical malpractice, symptoms of an injury might not become evident until months or years later when a child starts missing developmental milestones. In these types of situations, the statute of limitations is the child’s 10th birthday.

Michigan law also places limits on damages in medical malpractice cases. Non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, are capped at $445,500, but that limit can be increased to $795,500 under the following circumstances:

• The malpractice resulted in hemiplegia, paraplegia, or quadriplegia

• The malpractice caused permanent damage to a person’s cognitive abilities

• The malpractice damaged reproductive organs, resulting in infertility

While Michigan law limits non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits, there are no limits on economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost income, and in-home care.

Medical Malpractice Statistics

Medical malpractice happens when a doctor or healthcare provider is negligent in handling your medical care or the care of a loved one. It is a serious situation that can have acute consequences for the victims and their families.

• 10% of all deaths in the United States are caused by medical errors (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
• About 17,000 medical malpractice suits are filed annually (Hofstra University)
• Among physicians age 65 and older, 75% of physicians in low-risk specialties had faced a malpractice claim while 99% of physicians in high-risk specialties had faced a malpractice claim. (The New England Journal of Medicine)

Our attorneys are here to help, and to guide you through the complex judicial process for you and your loved ones. Remember, our lawyers fight for You.

Goodwin’s 5 Steps

The National Academy of Sciences reports that negligent doctors and hospitals are accidentally killing and harming more US citizens than AIDS, breast cancer, and auto accidents combined. The only way to improve health care is to get justice for those affected, and make the medical industry pay for their mistakes financially. If you suspect that you have suffered from medical malpractice take these five steps to protect your rights and ensure you receive the full compensation entitled to you by law: