When you seek the services of a medical professional or physician, you entrust your health and life to the expertise and care of the professional. This experience is unpleasant, whether you require immediate treatment/surgery or a routine health examination. It would be best if you understood that there is an appropriate standard that the healthcare provider in your assessment and treatment must follow. If the medical service provider fails to comply with the existing care standards and thus leads to a patient’s injury or even death, there may be a medical malpractice claim.
If you or a loved one has been injured because of the negligence of a health or medical provider, there is no doubt that, as a victim, you will suffer in different ways. As a victim of medical malpractice, you will suffer from various catastrophic consequences, including economic losses, debilitating injuries, emotional pain, and shortened life expectancy. It would be best not to suffer alone when you are in a problematic situation that could have been prevented. You should seek legal help to ensure that a negligent medical professional is held accountable for the harm inflicted.
You should hire a law firm that has the resources and experience to successfully litigate against any defendants, including powerful medical institutions and even the insurance companies that are usually well-financed that defend them. Choose an attorney who can successfully prosecute high-stakes cases which may involve:
Orthopedic Injuries- This kind of injury results from a surgical mistake when performing a procedure involving bones and joints. A doctor may implant a defective artificial hip or knee or improperly set a fracture.
Diagnostic errors- This medical mistake involves the medical professional failing to recognize an injury, disease, infection, syndrome, or other condition.
Surgical Errors-When performing surgery, there are always risks and dangers. However, most of the surgical errors and risks that occur are unnecessary and can be prevented. These surgical risks may include: performing unnecessary surgery.
Performing wrong-site or wrong-side surgery- Negligently cutting or nicking arteries, nerves, or organs, Leaving surgical instruments in a patient.
Hospital Negligence-This occurs when there are systemic institutional issues such as lack of appropriate care due to poor staff training, poor management, and substandard hospital conditions.
Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries- The injuries suffered here may be due to misdiagnosis or a failure to treat an aneurysm, stroke, or bacterial meningitis. The possible surgical errors involved in spin/back surgery may include postoperative infections.
Alaska Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Time Limits-Alaska, just like other states, has a comprehensive statute of limitations concerning medical malpractice lawsuits and personal injury claims. The law of rules limits the right of a prospective medical malpractice plaintiff (the injured patient or their legal representative) to file a lawsuit after suffering from medical negligence. This means that a deadline is set for when a case must be started.
You are given two years to file your Alaska medical malpractice case lawsuit, and the two-year period starts when harm or injury is inflicted. You lose the right to sue if a medical malpractice lawsuit is not filed within the required time. However, you should note that the two-year period may start from the date you discovered or were expected to discover harm, courtesy of medical malpractice in Alaska. This is often referred to as the discovery Rule. Of course, as the petitioner, you must prove that you could not discover harm from medical malpractice within the provided 2-year time limit.
Damages Awarded
After a claim of medical practice has been successful, the victim of medical negligence will be awarded damages. Damages are just monetary awards. You may receive any of these kinds of damages granted:-
Special Damages– This compensates for the financial losses incurred because of your injury. The economic losses may include prescription fees, future lost wages, medical bills, the cost of physical therapy, etc.
General Damages– This compensates you for any occurrences difficult to value, such as pain and suffering and the loss of employment.
Punitive Damages– This is not for compensating the plaintiff but instead intended to punish the defendant. Punitive damages are only awarded if it clearly and convincingly proves that the defendant’s conduct was reckless and outrageous.