Improper or Delayed Medical Treatment Claims in Tacoma

When a patient receives the wrong treatment, the results can be devastating. They may suffer from side effects or live with permanent outcomes which could have been prevented. If it’s a case of delayed medical treatment, a patient’s illness can progress to a more severe or even deadly level.

If this sounds like your story, our medical malpractice attorneys would like you to call us. At Ladenburg Law, we’ve served clients for decades in Tacoma, Lakewood, Olympia and surrounding areas. Read on to learn more how we can assist you during this difficult time.

What are some Examples of Improper or Delayed Treatment?

Here are some examples of improper or delayed medical treatment.

• Treatment not aggressive enough. For example, a patient needs surgery, but is only given pain killers.
• Unneeded surgery. The patient receives a surgery that isn’t necessary for their condition. Or, they were mixed up with another patient or received a wrong-site surgery.
• Incorrect medication. The medicine prescribed or filled isn’t appropriate for their condition. This could be due to a misdiagnosis or an error at the pharmacy.
• Communication errors. The doctor fails to communicate test results or treatment options. This leaves the patient in the dark about the seriousness of their condition.

This list is not exhaustive. There are many other ways patients have received the wrong kind of treatment.

Why Did I Receive Improper Medical Treatment for my Condition?

It’s understandable that you feel confused why you received the wrong treatment in the first place. While these drastic errors are inexcusable, here are some of the reasons why things go wrong:

• Misdiagnosis
• Overworked, understaffed hospitals and doctors’ offices
• Lack of proper procedures
• Patient mix-ups
• Wrong tests ordered, or no tests ordered
• No follow-up care with patient
• Faulty equipment
• Staff communication errors

It’s not unusual for more than one mistake to happen. For instance, a hospital may be under-staffed, so a tired doctor fails to order the correct test for a patient. The patient is then misdiagnosed and prescribed an unnecessary medication. Meanwhile, his true illness progresses.

Do I Have a Valid Medical Malpractice Claim?

Not every medical error is cause for a medical malpractice lawsuit. As experienced medical malpractice lawyers serving the Puget Sound (internal link here), here is what we look for:

• Patient-doctor relationship. First, we’ll want to establish that the doctor that injured you was a doctor you’d consented to treat you. (This part is usually pretty clear.)
• Breach of standard of care. To determine that the doctor was negligent, we’d need to see that she acted outside the norm. In other words, how would other doctors have treated you for the same condition? We’ll often reach out to medical experts to help us learn what the standard of care should’ve been.
• The breach of care must have caused injury. It’s not good enough to show that the error could’ve hurt you. We must prove that it did hurt you.
• Severe injury. If your injuries were mild or fleeting, you may not have a case. True medical malpractice cases tend to involve severe, long-lasting or permanent injuries.

The only way to know for certain what your best legal options are is to call us at 253.272.5226.

Why Should I Have a Washington Medical Malpractice Attorney Help Me?

There are several reasons it’s important to have a good attorney on your side when it comes to medical malpractice cases. Even if it’s obvious that your injury was the direct result of delayed or improper treatment, expect a fight to get compensation. The attorneys representing doctors will do all they can to discredit your claim to protect – or get it thrown out altogether. Besides this, if you miss a critical deadline or procedure, your claim could get thrown out. These are complicated cases. Please, don’t go it alone.

Here is what we offer our malpractice clients:

• In-depth investigation. We’ll gather all the key pieces to build a solid case. We prepare to take every case to trial.
• Connection to medical experts. We have a strong, extensive network of medical experts that we can draw on for testimony.
• Personalized service. Every client matters to our firm, and every client’s needs are unique. We have made house visits, assisted with paperwork, and taken phone calls after hours when a client had a question about their case.
• Contingency structure for fees. A lot of people are surprised to learn that there’s no fee for an initial consultation. Also, you only pay us if we win your case! We’ll cover all the upfront costs associated with your case.

You risk nothing by calling our office and having us review your case. You risk much more by trying to go it alone.

Call Us Today for a Free Consultation

When it comes to improper or delayed medical treatment cases, it’s important that you call us right away. In the State of Washington, there are key deadlines we must follow, or your case can be dismissed. Don’t let that happen to you.

At Ladenburg Law, our goal is to help take some of the burden off your plate so you can focus on your healing. Call us today at 253.272.5226 for a no-fee, no-obligation consultation about your case.