Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury: What’s the Difference?

Lawyers Handle 5 Types of Personal Injury Cases for Clients

It is essential to know the differences between medical malpractice and personal injury cases when filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit after you have been injured.

An injury lawsuit based on medical malpractice allows you to sue a health care provider for injuries caused by medical negligence or error. In order for your lawyer to win a medical malpractice case, he or she must demonstrate that your doctor or other health care practitioner failed to treat you according to the required level of care. Medical malpractice is not the same as personal injury.

You can sue someone who injured you through their recklessness or negligence through a personal injury claim. For a personal injury claim to be successful, your lawyer must demonstrate that the responsible party’s actions resulted in bodily harm to you.

How to Prove Your Medical Malpractice Claim

To file a medical malpractice claim, you need to show that the medical professional’s conduct led to your injuries in a hospital-like setting. There are a number of ways your attorney can prove your medical malpractice claim.

Your attorney may hire trained experts to look over your medical records and evaluate the treatments you received. An expert witness may also be able to establish if the treatment and services provided to you by your health care team meet the appropriate level of care.

Your lawyer may conduct an investigation and submit documentation to demonstrate the accepted level of care. Your lawyer may also be able to show that your injuries were caused by a lack of appropriate medical treatment or a misinterpretation.

How to Prove Your Personal Injury Claim

Although there are differences between medical malpractice and personal injury claims, both can result from another’s negligence. Personal injury claims can result from automobile accidents, defective products, and physical assaults.

In order to win, your lawyer must prove someone else failed to exercise reasonable care in their treatment of you. Moreover, your lawyer must prove the negligence of the other party caused your injuries.

You or your family should not have to struggle financially because you were injured through no fault of your own. Your injury-related expenses should be covered by the person who caused the injury. Loss of income, medical expenses, and pain and suffering are just a few of the expenses that may be recoverable as a result of a personal injury. An attorney can explain your options for a fair financial settlement.

Claims and Errors in Medical Malpractice

Various negative physical outcomes may result in a medical malpractice claim due to professional negligence. There are a variety of “catastrophic” injuries that can result from medical malpractice. These injuries include short- and long-term paralysis, severed limbs, severe brain damage, and treatment-related infertility.

Medical errors can result in medical malpractice claims, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The following are examples of hospital errors that could be considered medical malpractice:

  • Errors in prescription medicines
  • Surgical blunders
  • Misdiagnoses
  • Diagnoses that were missed
  • Diagnoses that are delayed
  • Medical equipment that is defective
  • Errors in laboratory reports and findings

With your lawyer, go over your original medical condition as well as your current medical condition. Share all relevant medical records with your lawyer, who may identify the important difference between medical malpractice and personal injury when filing your claim for financial compensation.

Claims for Personal Injury

Accidents involving cars can cause physical injuries that can leave you permanently disabled. Personal injuries can also be caused by:

  • Accidents involving slips and falls in retail stores or on sidewalks
  • Consumer product injuries caused by faulty or defective products
  • A bite caused by an animal attack

Personal injuries may result from a wide range of incidents that make it difficult for you to return to work to support yourself and your family. A lawyer can help you understand how the incident that led to your injuries occurred.

You can take the first step in seeking compensation if you know you are entitled to file a lawsuit against the person who injured you. To file a lawsuit, you also need to understand the difference between a personal injury claim and a medical malpractice claim. Deldar Legal Injury Attorneys can play a significant role in helping you understand the difference between medical malpractice and personal injury.

 

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Posted in: Auto Accidents, Personal Injury, Product Liability, Slip & Fall

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