Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer

At Harrison Injury Law, we are committed to providing the highest quality of legal representation to our clients, and our case results are a testament to our commitment. We have recovered millions of dollars for injured Atlanta residents in recent years, which include: 

• $775,000 for a victim of medical malpractice in 2019
• $40 million for a car wreck victim in 2022
• $6 million for a traumatic brain injury victim in 2020
• $1.5 million for a trucking collision victim in 2019

When you turn to our medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta, you can expect us to put the same level of dedication into your case.

The steps you take after experiencing medical malpractice have a major impact on the outcome of your claim. As soon as you suspect that you experienced malpractice, be sure to do the following.

1. Switch providers by asking for a referral

Remaining with the same provider after experiencing medical malpractice can put you at risk for further harm. If you require ongoing care — whether to treat the original issue or the injuries caused by malpractice — you should switch providers as soon as possible.

You may be able to independently choose your new provider in some circumstances, but if your insurance plan requires a referral, you should request one from your current provider.

2. Obtain a copy of your medical records

To prove that malpractice occurred, you need to provide evidence of the medical treatment you received and any resulting diagnoses. Be sure to ask for a copy of your medical records from all providers involved in your care, including the one who caused your injury, and keep the records in a safe place.

The Georgia Composite Medical Board provides instructions for obtaining your records.

You can look up the reportable medical malpractice history on a licensed physician here:  

https://gcmb.mylicense.com/verification/ 

3. Meet with an Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer

The complex nature of medical malpractice claims means that you will need experienced legal representation to have the best chance of recovering compensation.

If you have any reason to suspect that you were injured due to malpractice, contact a qualified medical malpractice lawyer in Atlanta right away. They can assess your case to determine the best course of legal action and guide you through the process of filing a claim, if necessary.

4. Report the incident to the appropriate Licensing Boards

While a malpractice claim can help you recover compensation for your losses, you should also report the incident to the appropriate licensing boards. This ensures that the healthcare provider responsible for your injury is held accountable for their actions and that necessary steps are taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

The Georgia Secretary of State manages the licensing boards for certain types of healthcare professions, including nurses and chiropractors, but others, including physicians, pharmacists, and dentists, have their own designated boards and reporting procedures.

5. Manage your condition carefully

As your claim for compensation progresses, you have a responsibility to manage your condition carefully and follow the advice of doctors.

This includes attending all scheduled appointments, taking medication as prescribed, following lifestyle recommendations, and engaging in physical therapy or other forms of rehabilitation. By doing this, you can both improve your chances of a successful recovery and demonstrate that you are making a good-faith effort to lessen the impact of your injuries.

Any time a healthcare professional fails to provide the appropriate level of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. This means that medical malpractice comes in many forms.

Misdiagnosis

When a healthcare provider misidentifies the cause of a patient’s symptoms, the patient may not receive the treatment they need, resulting in the worsening of their symptoms.

In some cases, the patient may even receive treatment for a condition they do not have, which can lead to new health complications.

Delayed diagnosis

The longer a patient waits for an accurate diagnosis, the less likely they are to make a full recovery, and the greater the chance of permanent damage to their health.

Delayed diagnosis is particularly likely to be classified as malpractice if the patient had symptoms, imaging, or test results that a competent healthcare provider should have been able to diagnose correctly.

Negligent failure to treat

Sometimes, the correct diagnosis is made but the healthcare provider fails to provide the necessary treatment to prevent the condition from worsening. This could include:

• Failure to prescribe medications according to the standard of care for the patient’s diagnosis
• Inadequate monitoring of the patient’s condition
• Failure to refer the patient to a specialist for further treatment

Surgical malpractice

Mistakes made during surgery are among the most devastating types of medical malpractice. During surgical procedures, the smallest mistake in technique, judgment, or use of equipment can lead to serious and lasting harm.

Common examples of surgical malpractice include:

• Operating on the wrong body part
• Leaving surgical tools inside the patient’s body
• Administering the improper amount or type of anesthesia
• Causing infection

Birth injuries

During labor and delivery, healthcare providers must take special care to ensure that both the mother and baby are safe. Mistakes made by doctors, nurses, or midwives during the birthing process can lead to serious injuries for the newborn, including cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, and skull fractures. 

The mother may also suffer from complications due to medical negligence, such as postpartum infections or hemorrhaging.

Improper follow-up/aftercare

Medical procedures and treatments often require follow-up visits or other forms of aftercare to ensure the patient’s health continues to improve. If a healthcare provider fails to provide the necessary aftercare or fails to follow up with the patient in an appropriate amount of time, the patient’s condition may worsen unnecessarily.

Every medical malpractice case is subject to a strict deadline, called the statute of limitations. If you fail to file your claim within the allotted time period, you will be barred from bringing a lawsuit against the negligent healthcare provider.

The statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims in Georgia is two years. The clock starts ticking on the date that the injury occurred. In some cases, the two-year countdown may begin on the date that the injury was discovered. However, even in those cases, a five-year maximum time limit still applies.

Medical malpractice can have serious and lasting consequences for victims, both physically and financially. If you are successful in your medical malpractice claim, you may be able to recover damages — both economic and non-economic — to compensate for the losses you suffered as a result of the medical provider’s negligence.

Economic damages

Any losses that have a clear financial value may be included in an economic damages award. Common examples of economic damages include medical bills, lost wages, future loss of earning capacity, and other out-of-pocket expenses the victim incurred and is expected to incur in the future.

Non-economic damages

Non-economic damages encompass the physical, mental, and emotional harm that a person suffered as a result of medical malpractice. These damages are less tangible than economic damages, but they’re just as real in terms of impact. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.

The skilled injury attorneys with Harrison Injury Law don’t just strive to obtain fair compensation for our clients — we seek maximum compensation which accounts for the full impact of the malpractice on the victim’s life.

Malpractice insurance companies have a variety of tactics to try to settle for a minimal amount, but we don’t back down from tough negotiations. We are equipped to take your case as far as necessary, including going to trial if it comes to that.

Healthcare facilities often have multiple staff members who are involved in a patient’s care. As a result, more than one party may be liable for a medical malpractice injury. These may include:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Anesthesiologists
• Physician’s assistants
• Medical device manufacturers or distributors
• Laboratory technicians
• Hospitals
• Other medical facilities, such as nursing homes

Identifying all liable parties is vital to ensuring that the victim receives appropriate compensation for their losses. If you have a viable claim, your Atlanta medical malpractice lawyer will conduct a thorough investigation of your case and leave no stone unturned when fighting for the compensation you deserve.

Once we’ve identified all potentially liable parties, we’ll need to prove that they failed to meet the applicable standard of care and, as a result, caused you harm.

Your medical records can be the key evidence to support your claim, but expert testimony is often required to determine the standard of care, show that the healthcare provider failed to meet it, and demonstrate how their failure directly contributed to your injuries.

We have access to leading medical experts in a range of specialties, and they play an essential role in helping us build the strongest possible cases.

You’re dealing with enough financial stress as it is following a medical malpractice incident, and the last thing you need is to worry about the cost of hiring a lawyer. That’s why we represent victims of medical malpractice on a contingency fee basis. 

This means that our medical malpractice attorneys will not charge you any fees upfront. Instead, we’ll receive a portion of the compensation that we help you recover. On top of that, the fees we charge are extremely reasonable compared to those of our competitors, resulting in a greater cost-benefit ratio for our clients.