Scranton Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyers / Scranton Personal Injury Lawyer / Scranton Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Contact a Scranton medical malpractice lawyer for a free consultation.

For over 60 years, the Scranton medical malpractice lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys have represented victims and their families in Lackawanna County. We have earned a national reputation for personal injury law expertise and multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts. Our board-certified trial specialists have consistently been named among the Best Lawyers in America and named to U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Law Firms. We believe in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure you receive the maximum compensation for your suffering.

$32 Million Wrongful Death

$26 Million Truck Accident

$17.5 Million Car Accident

$12 Million Product Liability

$9 Million Truck Accident

$8 Million Truck Accident

$7.5 Million Auto Accident

$6.9 Million Garbage Truck Accident

$6.5 Million Traumatic Brain Injury

$5 Million Medical Malpractice

$5 Million Bus Accidents

How Can a Scranton Medical Malpractice Attorney Help My Case?

Medical malpractice cases are among the most difficult personal injury cases, and you can expect the healthcare facility to put up a fight. Healthcare providers and their attorneys and insurance companies will fight hard to keep from admitting guilt and paying the compensation an injured patient deserves. At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we won’t let them get away with that.

As a patient, you are in a highly vulnerable position. You essentially place your life, or the life of your loved one, in the hands of the medical staff tasked with your care. You often have no choice but to trust that they will take good care of you or your loved one and cause no additional harm. Unfortunately, mistakes happen. In many cases, an “accident” is an act of negligence that could have been prevented had the person or persons involved taken proper care.

The at-fault party should be held responsible when an error or grossly negligent act results in injury, illness, additional surgeries, or death. As a patient, you have the right to seek compensation for your physical suffering and the considerable financial losses you have incurred.

Compensation for a medical malpractice claim in Scranton may include:

Medical bills
Rehabilitation
Long-term medical care
Pain and suffering
Lost wages
Loss of ability to work
Mental anguish
Trauma
And more

Let an experienced medical malpractice attorney at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys prove your case so you can recover from your injury with peace of mind.

What Are the Common Types of Medical Malpractice?

A study by Johns Hopkins published in the BMJ found that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Patient safety experts calculated that more than 250,000 deaths per year result from medical mistakes in the U.S. Common medical errors include:

Failure to Diagnose, Misdiagnosis, or a Delay in Diagnoses

Proper treatment begins with an accurate and timely diagnosis. When cancer, heart disease, stroke, or another serious illness is not diagnosed quickly and accurately, it can severely impact your health and life expectancy. Early diagnoses of certain diseases and other illnesses are vital to successful treatment. If a doctor fails to perform adequate testing or recognize the signs of a serious disease, or a lab technician misreads test results, proper treatment may be dangerously delayed and successful treatment may become impossible.

Birth Injuries

Negligence on the part of a doctor or nurse in the delivery room can lead to serious injury for a newborn. Childbirth injuries can include bone fractures, oxygen deprivation, and permanent injuries such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, blindness, or the wrongful death of the baby. Failure to perform a timely C-section can result in brain damage to the baby. If your child suffered from a serious medical error during birth, you need to call a Scranton birth injury attorney today at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys.

Surgical Errors

Surgical mistakes can result in injuries requiring years of recovery, permanent or life-changing injury. Mistakes such as damage to a nerve or blood vessel due to carelessness or the unskilled use of instruments, perforated organs, an infection caused by non-sterile instruments or equipment, foreign objects left in patients, wrong site surgeries, wrong patient surgeries, and more, can all be the basis for a Scranton medical malpractice case.

Hospital Negligence

Inadequate staffing, improperly trained staff, unclean conditions, failure to warn the patient of risks of treatment, failure to treat an injury, illness, or disease in a timely manner, failure to properly diagnose and treat an infection, and failure to refer a patient to a specialist can all be forms of medical negligence. A Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys Scranton medical malpractice attorney has the experience needed to handle all types of medical malpractice lawsuits, including those dealing with hospital liability, physician liability, and medical errors.

Medication Errors

Medication errors and pharmacy errors are all too common and can result in further injury. Dispensing medication in excessive dosage, dispensing something different that was described or a doctor failing to identify a past patient allergy before prescribing are all very common medication errors than can seriously injure a patient. Healthcare providers are required to administer medication properly to all patients at all times.

Anesthesia Errors

The use of anesthesia during surgery or even during minor procedures must be carefully managed. When not carefully monitored, a patient can experience illness, coma, or even death. If an anesthesiologist fails to do a complete pre-op patient evaluation and history or inform the patient of the risks involved, the resulting injuries can be devastating. Other anesthesia errors can include dosage errors, the administering of the wrong medication, failing to monitor the patient, improperly intubating, failure to recognize complications, or using defective equipment. If you or someone you love suffered due to improperly administered anesthesia, call a Scranton medical malpractice lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys today.

Nursing Home Neglect

Nursing home abuse is one of the most horrible forms of neglect. Abuse and neglect in nursing homes happen far too often and can go undetected for quite some time. The neglect may be by the healthcare providers themselves, through medication errors, sexual abuse, or just a failure to provide overall care to the nursing home resident. If you suspect abuse or neglect, report it to the proper authorities immediately. A Scranton personal injury lawyer at our firm will hold the negligent or abusive parties responsible.

Who Can be Held Liable in a Scranton Medical Malpractice Case under Pennsylvania law?

Any healthcare organization or medical professional can be held liable for injuries due to medical negligence. The list can include:

Medical facilities: These include surgery centers, urgent care, hospitals, nursing home, and rehabilitation facilities.
Medical staff: Not only can doctors, nurses, surgeons, and specialists be held accountable, but any visiting medical staff may be liable for your medical malpractice case.
Laboratories: From an incorrect lab result to a missed diagnosis on a sonogram, the laboratory staff could be held responsible for your injuries.
Pharmacies: If a pharmacist fills a prescription wrong, for example, they may be held responsible in your medical malpractice case.

We represent the victims of medical negligence throughout the Scranton area, including medical errors that occur at the following healthcare facilities:

Geisinger Community Medical Center
Regional Hospital of Scranton
Scranton Primary Health Care Center Inc.
Moses Taylor Hospital/Commonwealth Health
Regional Hospital Surgery Center
Post Acute Medical
All Scranton area surgery centers

Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice in Scranton

How Can You Prove Medical Malpractice?

Proving medical malpractice can be a difficult process. You will need to show that the medical professional or organization had been negligent at the time of the accident. To do that, you will need to show the following:

You were a patient of the medical professional. For example, if your friend, who is a nurse, told you that a mark on your hand was just a mole and you can ignore it. A month later, the mark turned out to be cancerous. In this case, you cannot sue your friend for medical malpractice since you were not a patient of theirs.
The medical professional acted negligently or wrongfully. A simple mistake that was easily corrected would not be considered malpractice. A doctor who ignored the signs of a patient in pain and did not run tests may be considered a medical malpractice claim.
The actions of the healthcare professional caused the injury or death.
The injury or death led to legal damages for the victims. This would include additional medical treatment, mental anguish, pain and suffering, and loss of income

Is There a Difference Between Medical Malpractice and a Medical Error?

Mistakes happen in all types of professsions. Unfortunately, when medical professionals make a mistake, it can cost someone their life. But how do you know whether a mistake is the result of medical malpractice?

A medical error occurs when the healthcare provider makes a mistake when diagnosing or treating a patient. But what makes a medical mistake different from medical malpractice is if the injury was the result of not a mistake but negligence.

For example, while operating on a patient, a surgeon accidentally cuts a vein. In post-op, the patient complains of pain in their stomach. Instead of running tests, the surgeon says it’s normal.

In addition, the patient will need to suffer actual harm from the injury. This can include additional medical treatment, create a permanent disability, causes significant pain and suffering, or result in the death of a patient.

What Are the Signs of Medical Malpractice?

Some common signs of medical malpractice include but are not limited to:

The treatment the doctor is providing or ordered does not make sense with your diagnosis.
Any treatment provided by the medical professionals doesn’t seem to be working
The healthcare provider fails to follow up
An error was made during surgery
A loved one dies because of mistreatment or of an error
Lack of informed consent
You got a second opinion that differs from the original diagnosis

How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

In Pennsylvania, you have two years to file a medical malpractice claim. The clock starts on the date that the incident occurred. However, the deadline may be “tolled” (i.e. stopped) depending on when the injured victim knows about or should have known about the negligence. That’s why it’s easier to speak to a medical malpractice attorney as soon as you know malpractice caused your injuries.

What Should I Do If I Suspect Medical Malpractice?

Your first step is to get a second opinion. It’s very important for your own health to seek medical attention. You will need another medical professional to determine whether your injury was a result of negligence.

Once you get treatment for your injury, you should get your medical records. These records are vital for medical malpractice cases because they will explain what happened at the time of your injury and what may have caused that injury.

You should keep a journal and record what occurred, what injuries you sustained, and when the injuries happened. You may also want to keep track of any medical expenses or lost time at work.

Finally, speak with an experienced Scranton medical malpractice lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys. We will examine your case and will let you know what legal options are available.

What Role does a Scranton Medical Malpractice Lawyer Play in a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?

Lawyers perform numerous important services in the process of filing a lawsuit on behalf of their clients. They provide legal advice and guidance to clients regarding their rights, options, and the legal process involved in pursuing a medical malpractice claim. In preparing a case, they perform thorough investigations, reviewing medical records, consulting with experts, and analyzing relevant legal precedents. They determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support a claim and advise clients on the likelihood of success.

Lawyers collect and compile evidence to support their clients’ claims of medical negligence. This may include medical records, expert opinions, witness statements, and other documentation that can demonstrate breach of the standard of care and causation of harm. They also consult expert witnesses such as physicians, surgeons, and specialists, to evaluate the standard of care provided by healthcare professionals and assess whether it deviated from accepted medical practices. These experts can provide critical testimony to support the plaintiff’s case.

Finally, medical malpractice attorneys negotiate with insurance companies, healthcare providers, and their legal representatives to seek a fair settlement on behalf of their clients. If a fair settlement cannot be reached through negotiation, lawyers represent their clients in court proceedings. They prepare legal arguments, present evidence, examine witnesses, and advocate for their clients’ interests during trial. Lawyers are skilled in courtroom procedures and strive to secure a favorable outcome for their clients through litigation.

Call Our Scranton Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today for a Free Consultation

Speaking to a Scranton medical malpractice lawyer is an important first step to take if you suffer harm or lose a loved one because of substandard medical care.

The experienced medical malpractice team at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys in Scranton will answer all of your legal questions and help you understand your rights. We will review your medical records and carefully examine the facts surrounding your injury to determine if there is a legal basis to file a medical malpractice claim against the hospital, doctor, or facility. We will determine all of the negligent parties, carefully build your case, and fight for justice on your behalf.

We don’t get paid unless we win

At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we understand how a medical ordeal can leave you in physical pain and financial distress. We believe in justice for all, not only for those who can afford it. That’s why we do not collect a fee for our services unless we win your case. You never pay anything upfront or out of pocket. If we cannot get you the justice you deserve, you owe us nothing. And, our fee will never be more than the amount paid to you. The initial consultation is free and confidential.

Personal Injury Claims We Handle in Scranton, PA:

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Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

227 Penn Ave,
Scranton, PA 18503
(570)865-4699

Scranton Practice Areas