When a doctor’s actions or inactions cause an injury or fatality, you might be entitled to receive compensation, depending on the circumstances. This involves a relatively lengthy process where you have to file a medical malpractice lawsuit, wait for a response, present proof through an expert physician, calculate the value of your losses, negotiate the settlement amount, and so on.
You’ll also need to learn the basics of medical malpractice lawsuits and all the legal complexities involved in the process.
If you were recently a victim of medical malpractice, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to do to pursue your compensation while also focusing on recovering from the injuries. A
Lexington malpractice lawyer can take this burden off by helping you in the following ways:
Calculate Your Claim’s Value
The total worth of your malpractice claim will mostly depend on the nature and magnitude of your injuries.
Without legal support, it might be difficult to determine exactly how much compensation you should ask for. Insurers can also take advantage of your lack of legal knowledge and offer a lowball settlement that does not address the entirety of your losses.
A malpractice attorney will start by examining your case and collecting the necessary evidence to quantify the value of your claim.
Negotiating with Insurance Companies
When it comes to injury lawsuits, you’ll likely be dealing with insurance companies from filing a claim to receiving compensation. For most people, this is usually an intimidating task especially because they have no such experience.
You’ve also heard people have ruined their chances of receiving proper compensation because their words were used against them during negotiations. One way to avoid this is by hiring a malpractice lawyer who will take over all the negotiations and meetings with insurance companies.
To Avoid Errors That Might Disqualify Your Claim
When you file a claim, insurance companies might be looking for the smallest of reasons to disqualify or minimize your compensation. Filing errors, inputting the wrong data, and
waiting too long to file a claim are some of the mistakes that can hurt your injury claim.
Malpractice lawyers know about these common errors and will doggedly protect the validity of your claim.
Dealing With the Paperwork
If you’ve ever been involved in any legal process however minor, then you know how much paperwork is involved. Worse, the documents might be full of legal jargon you need to fully understand before you can proceed.
An attorney has years of experience and knowledge dealing with such paperwork so they’ll know where and when to send the documents, how to respond, and the proper jargon to use.
Finding an Expert Witness
Most medical malpractice claims require sworn testimony from an expert doctor to support your injury claim. In fact, some states require this statement in writing as the first thing before they can formally open a lawsuit.
Attorneys who have helped thousands of victims like you have a pool of contacts where they can find the best
expert witness to support your case.
Saving Yourself Some Time
Filing a medical malpractice claim can be time-consuming, especially if you are doing it alone. From drafting a demand letter, filing a claim, and attending negotiations. Such a case can eat into your time and finances. The resulting stress can also be bad for your health and can even exacerbate your injuries.
Delegating these tasks to a malpractice attorney will leave you with sufficient time to heal or attend to other important matters such as work and family.