When doctors, nurses, or hospitals make preventable errors, patients suffer serious injuries that impact their health, ability to work, and quality of life. If you or your loved one was injured at the hands of a negligent medical provider in Chester, you have the right to file a medical malpractice claim to recover compensation for your losses.
Munley Law’s top-rated team of medical malpractice attorneys have helped Pennsylvania families recover millions in compensation after medical errors – from misdiagnosis and surgical mistakes to birth injuries and medication errors. While you focus on your health and recovery, our Chester medical malpractice attorneys will hold negligent medical professionals accountable and get you the money you need for medical bills, lost wages, and ongoing care. Call Munley Law for a free consultation about your medical malpractice case.
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What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to deliver care that meets accepted medical standards, resulting in patient harm. Your doctor might miss obvious symptoms leading to a wrong diagnosis, make a serious error during surgery, give you the wrong medication, or fail to get your informed consent before treatment. These errors can leave you with new injuries, worsened health conditions, or permanent disabilities that affect your daily life.
In Chester hospitals and medical offices, common forms of medical malpractice include:
- Surgical errors, where doctors operate on the wrong body part or leave instruments inside patients.
- Misdiagnosis, when providers overlook clear signs of serious conditions like cancer or heart disease, delaying lifesaving treatment.
- Birth injuries occur when medical staff fail to properly monitor mother and baby during labor, leading to conditions like cerebral palsy.
- Medication errors, whether through incorrect prescriptions or wrong dosages, can cause severe reactions or lasting health problems.
- Emergency room negligence, including failure to properly triage patients, delayed treatment, or discharge without proper evaluation. These errors can turn treatable conditions into life-threatening emergencies.
- Anesthesia errors that can result in awareness during surgery, brain damage from oxygen deprivation, or severe allergic reactions.
- Hospital-acquired infections due to unsanitary conditions or improper sterilization procedures. These preventable infections can lead to sepsis, organ failure, and extended hospital stays.
- Failure to obtain informed consent by not properly explaining the risks and alternatives of medical procedures.
- Post-operative care negligence, including failure to monitor vital signs, prevent blood clots, or identify complications.
- Testing errors, whether through mishandled lab samples, incorrect interpretation of results, or failure to order necessary diagnostic tests. These mistakes can lead to wrong treatments or missed diagnoses.
- Nursing home negligence, including medication errors, failure to prevent bed sores, or inadequate monitoring of at-risk patients.
- Wrongful death, when preventable medical errors or extreme negligence directly leads to a patient’s death, leaving families devastated and seeking accountability for their profound loss.
It’s important to note that not every poor medical outcome qualifies as malpractice. However, if your medical provider failed to meet standard of care practices and causes you harm, you have the right to seek compensation. The medical malpractice attorneys at Munley Law know how to identify when true medical negligence has occurred and how to prove it effectively in court.
How Munley Law Helps Chester Medical Malpractice Victims
While Chester is home to an exceptional medical community and outstanding medical facilities medical errors still occur everyday. Munley Law’s award-winning medical malpractice legal team is here to help. Our lawyers, consistently named among the Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, have secured numerous multi-million-dollar settlements, including a recent $5 million medical malpractice verdict.
With 65 years of experience, we prove medical negligence by establishing breach of duty of care (when treatment falls below accepted standards), causation (how this breach led to injury), and damages (resulting harm). We determine liability among all responsible parties – from physicians and nurses to clinics and hospitals.
Pennsylvania law gives an injured patient two years to file a medical malpractice claim, and unlike other states, there is no cap on damages. Our firm leverages cutting-edge technology and an extensive network of medical consultants, including specialists from leading institutions, to build winning cases. As members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum (top 1% nationwide), we’ve developed proven strategies to maximize compensation while navigating Pennsylvania’s medical malpractice laws.
Contact an experienced Chester personal injury lawyer at Munley Law for a free review of your medical malpractice case. The sooner you call, the sooner we can begin working to protect your rights and secure the compensation you deserve.
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Compensation You May Receive in a Medical Malpractice Claim in Chester, PA
There are three types of damages you may recover in medical malpractice lawsuits. They are:
- Economic Damages: Cover all medical expenses – from emergency care and surgeries to long-term needs like physical therapy, medical equipment, and nursing care. This includes both current bills and projected future costs for medical attention. We also pursue compensation for lost wages, benefits, and reduced earning capacity if you can’t return to work.
- Non-Economic Damages: Compensate for physical pain, emotional suffering, and reduced quality of life. This includes depression, anxiety, and trauma following medical errors, as well as loss of ability to enjoy daily activities, hobbies, or time with family.
- Punitive Damages: In cases of extreme negligence, Pennsylvania courts may award additional compensation to punish reckless healthcare professionals.
Statute of Limitations for Chester Medical Negligence Claims
Pennsylvania law sets strict deadlines for filing medical malpractice claims. In most cases, you have two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered your injury to file a lawsuit. This means if you noticed symptoms or complications immediately after treatment, your two-year clock likely started then.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes injuries from medical malpractice aren’t immediately obvious. A surgical error might not cause problems until months later. A missed diagnosis might only become clear after your condition worsens. Pennsylvania’s discovery rule can extend your filing deadline in these cases. The two-year period may start when you first learned – or reasonably should have learned – that medical negligence caused your injury.
Different rules apply for children harmed by medical malpractice. Parents can file claims on behalf of injured children, or the child can file their own lawsuit after turning 18. However, waiting too long risks losing valuable evidence. Medical records may be destroyed, witnesses’ memories fade, and doctors may relocate.
Beyond these basic deadlines, Pennsylvania has additional requirements for medical malpractice cases. You must file a certificate of merit signed by a medical expert within 60 days of starting your lawsuit. This document confirms that a qualified medical professional has reviewed your case and believes malpractice occurred.
Common Questions About Medical Malpractice in Chester
How do I know if I have a medical malpractice case?
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider’s treatment falls below accepted medical standards and causes harm. However, not every bad outcome qualifies as malpractice. A doctor could follow all proper procedures and you might still have complications. At Munley Law, we review your medical records with expert physicians to determine if true negligence occurred.
How long will my case take?
Medical malpractice cases often take one to three years to resolve. Some settle sooner, while more complicated cases might take longer. We aim to resolve cases efficiently while still securing full compensation. Insurance companies often start with low settlement offers, hoping patients will accept quick payment. We prepare every case thoroughly to negotiate from a position of strength.
Can I sue both the doctor and the hospital?
Yes, if both played a role in causing your injuries. Hospitals can be responsible for their employees’ mistakes and for system-wide problems like understaffing or poor safety protocols. Other parties might also share liability, including nurses, anesthesiologists, pharmaceutical companies, or medical device manufacturers. We identify all responsible parties to maximize your compensation.
What if I signed a consent form?
Consent forms don’t protect healthcare providers from responsibility for negligent care. While you may have agreed to known risks of a procedure, you never consented to medical mistakes or careless treatment. If your provider failed to meet basic standards of medical care, you can still pursue a malpractice claim regardless of any forms you signed.
How much do you charge?
A Chester medical malpractice lawyer at Munley Law handles medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no upfront costs or hourly fees. We only get paid if we win compensation for you through a settlement or verdict. Our firm advances all case expenses, including expert witness fees and court costs. Call today for a free consultation about your potential medical malpractice case.
Contact Our Chester Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you suffered a personal injury due to a delayed diagnosis, negligent surgeons, or any other type of medical malpractice, Munley Law is ready to help. Since opening our doors in 1959, our attorneys have litigated many medical malpractice cases, fighting for patients harmed by medical mistakes in Chester and throughout Delaware County. We know the local medical systems, the courts, and what it takes to win medical malpractice claims.
When you contact our law firm, you’ll speak directly with an experienced Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer who will listen to your story and explain your options. We’ll review your case at no cost and give you an honest assessment of your claim. If we take on your case, you’ll have our entire team working to get you maximum compensation.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. You’ve already been through enough – let us handle the legal work while you focus on your health. Call an experienced medical malpractice attorney at Munley Law today or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free consultation. Evening and weekend appointments are available, and if you can’t come to our Philadelphia office, we’ll come to you. There’s no fee unless we win your case.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
1617 John F Kennedy Blvd
Suite 1690,
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 515-7747