St. Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyer

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Have you or a loved one been the victim of medical negligence? The St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers at Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help you get fair compensation for your damages. Contact our lawyers near you at (314) 400-0000 to request a free consultation today.

We have represented victims in St. Louis County for over 20 years. Our team also handles motorcycle accidents, wrongful death claims, workplace accidents in St. Louis, dog bite cases, St. Louis boating accidents, and more.

Medical malpractice is sadly a common problem. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain, and more.

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How Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You with a Medical Malpractice Claim in St. Louis

You trust doctors and hospitals to take care of you, figure out what’s wrong with you, offer the correct treatment, and help you get better. When a medical provider’s negligence causes you harm, you deserve fair compensation for the damages you have sustained.

However, medical negligence claims are notoriously complex, especially in states like Missouri, which require an affidavit of a physician’s written opinion before a lawsuit can go forward.

You deserve one of the best St. Louis personal injury attorneys with the experience and insight necessary to go up against the well-funded insurance companies. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is committed to fulfilling our mission statement of seeking maximum compensation for all of your injuries, from every possible source, and to the fullest extent of the law.

Our personal injury lawyers have secured some of the largest settlements and verdicts in Missouri. Founding attorney E. Ryan Bradley is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He has a 10.0 Superb AVVO rating and the prestigious AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Let us put our decades of experience handling medical malpractice claims in St. Louis, Missouri, to work for you.

Choose Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers, and we will:

Conduct a thorough investigation into your case
Work with top medical experts to establish the standard of care in your case and how your medical providers deviated from it
Gather evidence that supports causation, negligence, and the extent of the injuries you suffered
Accurately value your damages and fight for maximum compensation
Negotiate on your behalf and handle administrative tasks
Offer sound legal advice and guidance at every stage
Take your case before a jury to seek maximum damages if the insurance company refuses to make a fair offer

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is here to fight for you. Call our law office today for a free case review with a St. Louis medical negligence lawyer to discuss your case.

How Common Is Medical Malpractice in St. Louis, MO?

According to a groundbreaking John Hopkins study, medical malpractice is believed to be the third leading cause of death in the United States. The study estimated 440,000 people are killed every year in the U.S. due to some type of medical mistake.

The death of a patient triggered around 30% of medical malpractice payouts. Almost 19% were due to major permanent injury, and over 18% were due to significant permanent injury.

Approximately 34% of all medical negligence payouts were related to misleading or incorrect diagnosis. This is the leading cause of medical negligence claims.

There are an estimated 4,000 surgical mistakes in the U.S. every year alone.

Medical malpractice claims are often paid out by medical malpractice insurance which means statistics are available for payout amounts, claims amounts, and more.

In 2018, the U.S. had $4.03 billion in malpractice payouts, according to the 2019 Medical Malpractice Payout Report. Missouri had 179 malpractice claims paid out, totaling $52.44 million.

Between 2012 and 2016, Missouri had 32.86 malpractice claims per year per 1 million residents. There were 0.90 annual claims for every 100 practicing physicians. Missouri ranked right in the middle nationwide.

What Is Medical Malpractice in Missouri?

Any type of medical professional may commit medical negligence. This includes doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, anesthesiologists, and hospitals.

What Causes Medical Malpractice in St. Louis, Missouri?

Despite decades of training, education, and experience, medical professionals are still human and prone to making errors. Unfortunately, medical errors are unlike other simple mistakes; they can have a lasting and devastating effect on patients.

Medical malpractice can occur in many ways and for many reasons:

Delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. This is the most common reason for a medical malpractice claim. A physician may diagnose the wrong condition or incorrectly tell a patient there is nothing wrong. This can allow a patient’s health to worsen, sometimes to the point of being untreatable or fatal.
Failure to treat. Physicians have a duty to provide the standard of care for a patient’s condition. Failing to treat a condition or providing the wrong treatment can be disastrous. This includes failing to treat healthcare-related infections such as hospital-acquired infections. Some research indicates hospital-acquired infection causes a larger burden than chronic diseases like HIV/AIDS and TB.
Surgical errors before, during, or after surgery. This may involve anesthesia mistakes, leaving surgical equipment inside a patient, operating on the wrong part of the body, perforating on organ, failing to monitor vitals, and more.
Prescription errors. These may happen when the wrong dose or drug is administered or prescribed. It may also happen if a patient is prescribed a drug that interacts with other medications. It’s believed that up to 9,000 people die every year due to medication mistakes alone.
Birth injuries can harm mothers and infants. These errors can include failing to recognize and treat a prenatal condition, causing injury during birth with the use of a vacuum, and failing to recognize signs of distress and taking immediate action.

Medical negligence comes in many forms, but all types have the potential to cause patients very real harm. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers will help you investigate your case to determine if a medical provider was negligent, how they deviated from the standard of care, and how your injuries happened.

What Is My Medical Malpractice Case Worth?

Every medical malpractice claim is different. The average Missouri medical malpractice payout in 2018 was $292,960, but the value of your claim is highly dependent on your individual losses.

Factors that may affect the value of your St. Louis medical malpractice case include:

The type and degree of negligence
The cost of your economic losses
The type and severity of your injuries
Whether you were left with disfigurement, impairment, or disability
Whether your injury is considered “catastrophic” under Missouri law

Our St. Louis medical malpractice lawyers will help you understand what your case may be worth after reviewing the details of your claim. You can count on Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers to fight for the maximum compensation you are owed to fully compensate you for your injuries.

What Compensation Can I Recover for My Medical Malpractice Injury in St. Louis, Missouri?

When you are injured due to medical errors, you are entitled to fair compensation for the injuries you suffered. You may recover both economic (financial) and non-economic damages through a medical malpractice claim.

These damages can compensate you for:

Current and future medical expenses related to your injuries or worsened health.
Lost wages, including future lost earnings due to impairment or disability.
Non-economic losses like pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Missouri law limits the amount you can recover in a medical malpractice case. Previously, Missouri’s cap on non-economic damages was ruled unconstitutional. It was reworked and now applies only to medical malpractice claims.

In 2015, Missouri instituted a cap on non-economic damages at $400,000 for “non-catastrophic” and $700,000 for “catastrophic” injuries. These caps apply no matter how many health care providers were negligent. Wrongful death due to medical negligence is included as a “catastrophic injury.”

Note that these caps increase by 1.7% every year. In 2021, for example, you may recover up to $442,574 in non-economic losses for non-catastrophic injuries.

Your St. Louis medical malpractice attorney can help you understand the damages you may be entitled to recover and fight for the full compensation you deserve.

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

The Missouri statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit is just two years from the date of the mistake, far shorter than the deadline for regular personal injury claims. However, if the negligence involved leaving a foreign object in your body, you have two years after discovering the object to file your claim

Contact a St. Louis Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Do you suspect you have been the victim of medical negligence? Contact Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a St. Louis medical malpractice lawyer. You pay nothing out of pocket and no attorney’s fees unless we win. Let us put our decades of experience and sterling reputation to work for you.

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