Snellville Surgical Error Lawyer

Snellville Surgical Error Attorney

Surgery can cause people a lot of anxiety. Patients need to feel like they can rely on their medical team to take care of them throughout the procedure. When an error occurs, it can have traumatic consequences on the survivor. Reach out to a Snellville surgical error lawyer to understand what legal options are available to you.

Hire a Surgical Error Lawyer With Years of Professional Experience

When you hire The Tolson Firm, LLC, you’re working with a team of proud Black attorneys who can advocate for the compensation you need. Our founding attorney, Audrey Tolson, has dedicated her practice to making sure vulnerable communities have access to quality legal services.

We offer case evaluations for our new clients. When you come in for your confidential consultation, you can tell us your situation in detail. From there, our attorneys can provide clear legal advice so you can make informed decisions regarding your case.

Statistics for Snellville Hospitals

When requiring emergency medical care, patients often don’t have a choice in the hospital they go to. If they do, many don’t think to research the experiences past clients have had there.

We have extensive experience in representing clients who’ve experienced medical malpractice at local hospitals. Surgical error cases could result from malpractice at the Piedmont Eastside Medical Center, where common surgical errors have been documented, and other hospitals near Snellville, Georgia. Piedmont has two out of five stars for patient experience.

These surveys are taken by real patients after leaving the hospital. Compared to the 75% state average, Piedmont scores 65% for satisfaction with communication about medicines.

When errors happen, it can feel pointless to try to pursue a legal case. Hiring a lawyer can give you the confidence to file a claim for your fair compensation.

Georgia’s Surgical Error Laws

Under Georgia law, a patient can open a legal claim against those who caused them harm. For Snellville residents, these cases are filed at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, located at 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville. To win a case, the patient’s attorney must show the court that:

1. The doctor had a duty to treat them.
2. The doctor failed to use the proper level of skill and care.
3. The failure directly caused their injury.

When a court awards compensation, the amount is calculated based on the filing party’s real losses. There are two main types:

1. Economic damages. These are monetary losses, such as your medical bills to fix the surgical error or lost income due to missing work from your injuries.
2. Non-economic damages. These are emotional losses, such as pain and suffering, along with the loss of enjoyment of life. While these are more subjective and can be more complicated to calculate, they’re just as important as economic losses. The emotional impact a surgical error can have can completely change a survivor’s life, especially if the mistake resulted in a catastrophic injury under Georgia law.

Crucial Evidence in Surgical Error Cases

Courts rely heavily on the evidence provided in a case to make their final decisions. Your lawyer can gather as much proof as possible to bolster your legal claim. The most significant evidence is your medical records. These can show:

• Treatments
• Tests
• Notes from doctors and nurses
• The timeline of your care
• Missing information

At The Tolson Firm, LLC, our attorneys consult professionals to acquire their testimony about the accepted medical standards of care, how your provider failed to meet that standard, and how it caused your injury.. Other pieces of evidence can include:

• Detailed timestamped notes about your daily suffering after the incident
• Your medical bills
• Security footage of the incident
• Records from 911 calls

FAQs

What Are Punitive Damages in a Surgical Error Case?

Punitive damages are a type of compensation that can be pursued in specific situations. They’re awarded on top of economic and non-economic damages. They are used to further punish guilty parties in cases of extreme malice or negligence. In most cases, this is capped at $250,000. However, if a surgeon was found to be operating while intoxicated or intentionally harmed the patient, punitive damages aren’t capped. Any amount may be awarded to deter any similar behavior from happening in the future.

How Long Do I Have to File My Surgical Error Legal Claim in Georgia?

In Georgia, a surgical error case generally has to be filed within two years from the date the injury occurs. No case can be filed more than five years after the error happened, even if the injury was discovered later. The exception to this rule is when a foreign object is left inside the patient’s body. While this deadline may seem long, it’s important to act quickly, as preserving evidence becomes harder the longer you wait.

Can I File a Claim Against the Hospital for Medical Malpractice, or Only the Doctor?

You’re allowed to file a medical malpractice claim not only against the doctor who directly treated you but also against the hospital where the incident occurred. Hospitals can be held responsible for the actions of their staff. These include nurses, technicians, and other employees. Claims can be filed against other healthcare providers, such as clinics, private practices, or medical groups, whenever their actions result in injury.

What Is Georgia’s Comparative Negligence System?

In Georgia, courts use a comparative negligence system to assign everyone involved in the case a percentage of fault. This means that guilty parties only pay what percentage they’re assigned. For example, if your case is against the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses involved in the surgery, they would each be assigned a percentage of fault. In certain cases, the patient may be partially at fault for their injuries, and any compensation awarded would be reduced by your percentage of fault.

Choose a Trusted Snellville Surgical Error Attorney

When taking on a hospital or corporation, you can’t fight it alone. It’s important to hire a surgical error lawyer to represent your unique case. The skilled legal professionals at The Tolson Firm, LLC, have over 30 years of professional experience, having represented many past clients in similar situations.

Reach out to our Atlanta office today to schedule your case evaluation. Let us be the ones to take care of your legal case so you can focus on your well-being.