When you visit a healthcare center, you assume that your providers are competent and adequately educated to help you. However, this is not always the case, as medical accidents, errors, and oversights occur. These incidents referred to as medical malpractice, can have devastating and irreversible effects. If you have suffered injuries or harm at the hands of a healthcare provider, keep reading to learn how a Chesterfield County medical malpractice lawyer can fight for your case.
What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
In some instances, you may not know that you were the victim of medical malpractice, as it may not be completely evident at first. Understanding what constitutes medical malpractice is essential to ensure you file a suit as quickly as possible to receive compensation for your pain and suffering. Generally, this is categorized as any form of negligence on behalf of the doctors, nurses, or other healthcare providers caring for you.
Examples of medical malpractice include, but are not limited to the following:
- Incorrect or delayed diagnosis
- Medication administration errors
- Surgery errors, including foreign objects, wrong site, and wrong patient errors
- Failure to order testing
- Disregarding patient history
If you have experienced any of these complications, you are entitled to compensation. Ensure you keep all records of any treatment, or lack thereof, received during the period you were in the care of the doctor or provider. This can help prove your case.
Is There a Statute of Limitations in South Carolina?
Understanding what constitutes medical malpractice is crucial, as there is a statute of limitations in South Carolina for these claims. You’ll have three years from the date you received treatment or from the date you discovered that you were a victim of medical malpractice.
Ensuring you file a claim as soon as possible is essential. Though you have time, waiting too long can hurt your case. Not only will your memory of events be fuzzy, but any other healthcare professionals who may be questioned can also misremember events. Similarly, gathering evidence of malpractice takes time, so you will need to give yourself as much time as possible to ensure you can get the justice you deserve.
How Much Am I Entitled to Recieve?
In regard to medical malpractice, many states, including South Carolina, place a cap on how much victims can receive. This cap applies only to non-economic damages related to pain and suffering or emotional distress.
The most a single care provider can relinquish as a result of medical malpractice is $512,773, while claims against multiple parties cannot exceed $1,538,319 in compensation.
In order to ensure you get the full amount of money you deserve from your injuries caused by a medical professional, you’ll want to contact Cockrell Law Firm, P.C. Our seasoned lawyers will fight to ensure you get the justice you deserve to help you regain a sense of normalcy after incompetent care.
