Seattle Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Medical Malpractice & Negligence in Washington

Doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare providers are required to uphold certain standards of care.

Patients can expect to receive a reasonable level of treatment and to not be subjected to preventable medical errors that could lead to:

• Serious bodily injuries
• Life-threatening medical conditions
• Or even death

However, when medical providers fail to uphold the accepted standard of care, leading to patient harm or death, these medical providers can be held legally responsible. At Emery Reddy Serious Injury Department, our Seattle medical malpractice attorneys represent individuals who have suffered significant harm as a result of professional medical negligence.

We also assist the loved ones of those who have sustained incapacitating catastrophic injuries, as well as the surviving family members of wrongful death victims. Our attorneys have decades of trial experience and have recovered more than $200 million in compensation for our clients, including numerous million- and multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts.

If you believe your loved one’s injuries or death was the result of medical malpractice, contact our firm today at (206) 202-2562 for a free and confidential consultation.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice occurs when a medical provider—whether an individual person, such as a doctor, or a medical institution, like a hospital—fails to uphold the standard of acceptable care in the given circumstances, leading to injury and/or death.

If you or your loved one received medical treatment, it is not enough to prove that you or your loved one did not get better, or even that the condition worsened. Instead, you must prove that the medical provider either acted in a way that another qualified provider would not have or failed to act in a way that another qualified provider would have in the same or similar circumstances.

For example, if you went to the doctor because you had a skin rash, you could reasonably expect your doctor to examine the rash and provide an accurate diagnosis. If your doctor was unable to diagnose the rash, you could expect them to conduct various tests and/or refer you to a specialist, such as a dermatologist.

This is an example of the standard of care in this type of situation. If your doctor failed to order tests, misdiagnosed the condition, prescribed the incorrect treatment, and/or failed to refer you to a specialist despite being unable to diagnose the condition, this could constitute medical malpractice.

It is important to note that, in order to have grounds for a medical malpractice case, you must prove that the medical provider’s failure to uphold the standard of care led to an injury and/or damages. Even if a medical provider was negligent or made a mistake, if you or your loved one did not suffer an injury, you do not have a case.

Examples of Medical Malpractice

Some of the most common examples of medical malpractice include:

• Diagnostic errors, including misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and failure to diagnose
• Delayed treatment and failure to treat
• Surgical errors, including leaving objects in the body and unnecessary surgery
• Medication mistakes, including incorrect dose, incorrect administration, and wrong medication
• Anesthesia errors, such as administering too much or too little anesthesia
• Failure to obtain informed consent from a patient
• Birth injuries, including failure to monitor for signs of fetal distress and delayed C-sections

These and other acts of medical negligence can lead to catastrophic, life-altering injuries and health conditions. Victims may experience permanent disabilities or impairments that negatively affect various aspects of their lives, from their ability to get around on their own to their ability to work to their ability to care for themselves and complete everyday tasks.

At Emery Reddy Serious Injury Department, we recognize just how serious medical malpractice is, as well as the impact it has on the lives of victims and their families. Our attorneys are dedicated to recovering maximum compensation for our clients, including fair compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and more.

Who Is Liable for Medical Malpractice?

Determining who is liable for a preventable medical error or act of negligence typically involves identifying how the incident occurred.

Some of the most common causes of medical malpractice, negligence, and errors include:

• Inexperience, overconfidence, and lack of proper training
• Poor communication between medical providers/departments
• Misanalysis or misreading of diagnostic test/lab results
• Failure to properly communicate with the patient
• Lack of infection-prevention training and/or procedures
• Failure to keep proper medical records checks
• Failure to obtain a patient’s medical history (when possible)
• Negligent hiring practices, such as failing to conduct background
• Insufficient medical supervision
• Improper triage/prioritization of patients and/or treatment processes

Depending on how the incident occurred, as well as whether the provider who caused the injury or death was an employee of a medical institution or a self-employed practitioner, you may have a claim against the actual medical professional who committed the error or act of malpractice or the institution that employed them.

Our firm has helped clients successfully bring claims against all types of negligent practitioners and medical providers, including but not limited to:

• Doctors
• Nurses
• Surgeons
• Dentists
• Physician assistants
• Anesthesiologists and anesthetists
• Obstetricians
• Specialists
• Hospitals
• Emergency rooms
• Urgent care centers

We can go over the details of your case and determine who is liable for your damages during a free consultation and case review. We encourage you to contact our Seattle medical malpractice attorneys today to learn more.

How Long Do You Have to Sue for Medical Malpractice?

There are several statutes of limitations that may apply to your medical malpractice case. Generally speaking, you have three years from the date of alleged malpractice to file a medical malpractice lawsuit in Washington.

If you did not discover the injury right away, you typically have one year from the date of discovery or the date on which the injury reasonably could have been discovered to sue for damages. Washington also has a statute of repose of eight years in medical malpractice cases.

This means that you cannot file a lawsuit if more than eight years have passed since the date of alleged malpractice, regardless of when the injury was discovered or reasonably could have been discovered. There are some circumstances in which the statute of repose may be tolled, or deferred, but they are relatively rare. It is important that you consult an experienced attorney as soon as possible.

How Emery Reddy Serious Injury Department Can Help

Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit is a complex and challenging task. It is strongly recommended that you hire a knowledgeable attorney with experience in this area of law.

In Washington, you are required to attend mediation before you file a medical malpractice lawsuit (with some exceptions). This process involves both you (the plaintiff) and the other party (the defendant) attending a mediation conference. If the case cannot be resolved (i.e., settled) via mediation, you may proceed to litigation.

At Emery Reddy Serious Injury Department, we assist clients who have suffered serious injuries, as well as the families of those who have been incapacitated or sustained fatal injuries, as a result of medical malpractice. We have longstanding relationships within the local medical community, including access to some of the top medical professionals in the state.

This allows us to obtain powerful expert testimony on behalf of our clients in addition to extensive evidence in support of their claims. As your legal team, we will be there to guide you through each stage of the legal process.

We know that the impact of a medical error or act of negligence can be extremely difficult to overcome. Because of this, our Seattle medical malpractice attorneys provide highly compassionate and personalized client service, as well as tireless advocacy for you and your family.

Contact us online or call (206) 202-2562 today to set up a free, no-obligation consultation with our experienced Seattle medical malpractice lawyers.