Medical malpractice is a complicated area of the law. One of the reasons it is so complex is that it involves proving that a doctor was negligent in their care. This often means showing the court that another doctor would have handled the situation differently and that the allegedly negligent doctor should have known the right diagnosis or treatment. If you think you may have been a victim of Medical malpractice in Cedar Rapids, IA, you may learn more about your rights by consulting an attorney.
Malpractice can include failure to make an appropriate diagnosis or failure to provide the most appropriate treatment. The law understands that medicine is not an exact science and will give medical professionals allowances if they order tests and perform the steps of differential diagnosis. However, if your doctor discounted your complaints and didn’t run the right tests to allow them to diagnose your condition, they may be liable for medical malpractice.
There is another element to malpractice, though. The negligence must also cause harm. Even if a person dies because a doctor failed to run a test, it may not be considered Medical malpractice in Cedar Rapids IA if the patient would have died anyway from another condition. If your case goes to trial, the doctor or their insurance company may use this as a defense. They may also have other medical professional testify that another condition is responsible for your loved one’s death. Your attorney may also bring in expert witnesses to dispute those claims.
Many attorneys take malpractice cases on a contingency basis. This means that if your attorney feels that your case is valid and agrees to fight for you, you will not have to pay a fee unless your lawyer is able to settle with the doctor’s insurance company or wins your case in court. In most cases, the fee is approximately one-third of the amount you collect. In addition, you may also have to pay other costs associated with a trial, including the fee for expert witnesses. Your lawyer can explain the contingency contract to you at the initial consultation.
