Patients trust healthcare practitioners and medical staff to care for them when they need help. If they are harmed by negligence or errors during medical care, the patients may want to seek a consultation with a medical malpractice attorney in Gonzales, LA. These lawyers work to obtain financial compensation for clients to cover expenses associated with the malpractice incident.
Examples of Expenses
Examples of expenses include hospitalization, surgery, medications, and physical therapy. If the patient has suffered a permanent disability due to the malpractice, the compensation should cover future costs of medical care and noneconomic aspects like reduced quality of life, physical pain, and emotional trauma.
If the individual is unable to return to work full-time, an amount should be paid for loss of future income. This amount is calculated by considering the person’s previous salary and extending it forward through the number of years they could have been expected to continue working.
Settlements and Court Awards
Malpractice cases are usually settled out of court, but a lawyer may want to bring the more serious cases in front of a jury. The jury may decide on a substantial award for the injured person. Cases also proceed to trial if the practitioner’s or facility’s insurance company refuses to pay the amount the medical malpractice attorney in Gonzales, LA believes is deserved.
Subjects of Claims
Doctors, nurses and hospitals are not the only possible subjects of malpractice claims. Nearly any healthcare provider or medical center can cause harm to a patient through carelessness or a significant error. Although it is rare, patients have been seriously harmed during physical therapy, for example. They can suffer serious injury if a pharmacy provides them with the wrong medication or the wrong dosage.
Required Evidence
An attorney with a firm such as Pujol, Pryor & Irwin must have evidence that the client was injured by the practitioner’s or facility’s direct action or failure to act. These circumstances must have caused the injury, the worsening of an illness, or another negative outcome. Anyone who is considering legal representation can schedule a FREE initial consultation at their earliest convenience.
