Tacoma Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If you’ve been harmed by a doctor, a Tacoma medical malpractice lawyer from our team could help you.

How Do I Know if My Case is Medical Malpractice?

It’s important to understand the difference between a mistake and true medical malpractice. Remember, all medical interventions carry potential benefits and risks. Nurses and doctors are human and despite their good intentions, may miss something. Or you may experience a complication, such as an allergic reaction to a medication. On the other hand, medical malpractice is a term reserved for the times a patient ends up with a serious injury that was entirely preventable.

In general, a medical malpractice case requires three conditions:

The doctor failed to provide the standard of care his or her colleagues would have in the same situation.
The doctor’s actions or negligence directly resulted in your injuries.
Your injury was severe, permanent, or long-lasting.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are very expensive for an injury attorney to bring forward and take many hours of work. As a result, our attorneys are selective in the number of malpractice cases we take on each year. It’s important that we have the time and resources available to ensure the best possible outcome for every client.

We consider every situation on a case-by-case basis, because there are many variables when it comes to medical negligence. With decades of experience, our Tacoma malpractice attorney s have a good handle on what warrants a lawsuit.

What Does “Standard of Care” Mean?

Standard of care is a term used to describe the regular, expected way a doctor would care for a patient. The standard of care will differ depending on the area of a doctor’s practice and the patient’s needs. For example, imagine a patient who comes to urgent care complaining of a twisted ankle. In this situation, most urgent care doctors would order an x-ray. Ordering an x-ray would be the standard of care.

When a doctor deviates from the standard and hurts a patient in the process, that patient might have a malpractice claim. Let’s go back to our patient with the twisted ankle. Suppose the urgent care doctor doesn’t order an x-ray and the patient is misdiagnosed as a result. As a result, the patient doesn’t receive the right treatment and their ankle ends up worse than before. The doctor’s error could cost that patient extra medical expenses and suffering.

Often, we’ll bring in a specialized medical expert who can testify about what the standard of care should have been in your situation.

What are Some Common Medical Errors that Could Lead to a Malpractice Suit?

When it comes to healthcare, there are many opportunities for malpractice to occur. We’ve helped victims who have been harmed by doctors, nurse practitioners, mental health therapists, and even facilities such as hospitals and emergency rooms.

Here are some of the medical errors we’ve seen in our practice:

This list is by no means exhaustive. The best way to know if you have a case is to reach out to our law firm for a free, no-obligation consultation.

What Kind of Compensation Can I Receive for my Medical Malpractice Claim?

There’s no easy way to predict what your medical malpractice case may be worth without speaking to you. Even once we take on a case, we may learn additional information through our investigation that changes the value over time. Many things can impact your settlement, such as the severity of your injuries, the cost of your medical bills, and the impact on your life. In general, the more severe or permanent an injury, the higher the value of your claim.

Our goal is to negotiate a fair settlement that will reimburse you for all the ways you’ve been harmed, including:

Medical bills
Anticipated future medical costs (surgeries, rehabilitative care, etc.)
Lost wages
Disability (long- or short-term)
Pain & suffering
Funeral expenses

There isn’t a cap on the amount of damages you can receive in Tacoma, Washington. This has helped our ability to recover maximum settlements for plaintiffs over the years. When we meet with you, we’ll gather information to help determine the potential value of your claim.

How Long do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Tacoma?

Time is critical when it comes to filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. In the State of Washington, you generally have three years from the time of negligence occurred to file a lawsuit (RCW 4.16.080). There are a few variations to this statute:

If the injury is discovered outside the three-year window, you have one year from discovery to file a claim.
A minor child has one year from their 18th birthday to file a claim for malpractice that occurred during their childhood.
Family members have three years to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

If the limit has passed, you will be unable to file a claim. We’ve had to turn people away before because they waited too long to contact us. Please, don’t let this happen to you.

Can a Tacoma Medical Malpractice Lawyer Help Me?

Medical malpractice lawsuits are complicated and need skilled attorneys who understand Washington State law. Consider this: doctors spend thousands of dollars for medical malpractice insurance. And those insurance companies are prepared to fight hard to minimize their losses and discredit your injuries. There are many obstacles to bringing forward a medical malpractice claim in Tacoma; please don’t go it alone.

Here’s how our Tacoma medical malpractice attorneys can help you:

Explain your legal options and the process in plain terms you can understand.
Gather key evidence, reports, and witnesses to build your case.
Navigate all relevant Washington state laws to your benefit.
Draw from a network of trusted medical professionals to testify on your behalf.
Meet you at your home or hospital if you’re unable to come to our office.
Argue your case before a jury, judge, and other attorneys as required.

Finally, we recommend that you involve a lawyer as early as possible in your case. The sooner you have a malpractice lawyer, the better. Your lawyer can secure evidence and ensure that the process is handled correctly from the get-go.

Talk to a Tacoma Washington Lawyer Today

Are you ready to talk to a medical malpractice attorney near you about what happened to you? If so, we hope you’ll reach out to our team. We offer free, no-obligation consultations. In other words, there’s no risk to just see if we think you have a case. If we decide to work together, you’ll only pay us a fee if we’re able to win you a settlement. This means you’ll be able to get legal help on your case without the burden of paying for it upfront.

You can reach out to us however is most convenient for you. You can call us at (253) 272-5229 right now or fill out the short contact form on our website. When you choose that option, we’ll review your request and respond by text or email.