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According to the Journal of Patient Safety, 210,000 to 440,000 people needlessly die each year from medical negligence. That makes medical errors the third leading cause of death in our country.
Medical malpractice in Phoenix, AZ, is negligence caused by the acts or omissions of a healthcare provider, like doctors, nurses, and hospital staff. When preventable errors occur within a healthcare facility, patients may need the guidance of a hospital malpractice attorney to determine who should be held responsible. Hospitals can be liable for the actions of their employees, inadequate staffing, communication failures, medication errors, patient safety violations, and other forms of institutional negligence. A hospital malpractice lawyer can investigate whether a hospital’s policies, procedures, or personnel contributed to a patient’s injuries.
When their conduct falls below the accepted standard of practice in our community, it may cause permanent, irreparable harm to you or your family. Insurance companies have spent millions of dollars in an attempt to convince the public that medical malpractice cases are bad for our country and for the healthcare system. These claims have routinely been proven to be false and misleading. More importantly, though, medical malpractice cases act as a check and balance on doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Without this check and balance, patient safety would become an afterthought and more people would needlessly die. Thankfully, all healthcare providers carry some type of professional insurance coverage. This means that they are not personally responsible for any settlement or verdict against them. Instead, their insurance company is responsible for paying any settlement or trial verdict.
When doctors, nurses, and hospitals make errors, the results can be catastrophic. These errors often result from poor communication and a failure to recognize important details. The Phoenix medical malpractice lawyers at Snyder & Wenner, P.C., have a national reputation for holding healthcare providers responsible for their negligence. Medical malpractice cases can be very challenging, very difficult, and very expensive. Our attorneys have over 80 years of combined experience in medical malpractice in the greater Phoenix area. Based on that experience, we:
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Medical malpractice cases require a careful review of records, timelines, provider notes, test results, symptoms, and the sequence of care. At Snyder & Wenner, P.C., that review includes input from our in-house medical provider who helps our attorneys analyze potential claims from a clinical perspective.
This added medical insight helps our team better understand what happened, where the care may have broken down, and what questions need to be answered before a claim can move forward. It also helps us prepare for deeper review by outside medical consultants when additional clinical input is needed.
For patients and families, this means the case is not reviewed from a legal perspective alone. Snyder & Wenner combine legal analysis with medical insight to better evaluate whether the care provided fell below accepted standards and whether that care caused serious harm.
That is only the beginning of the process. After we have evaluated your case, we then spend countless hours researching the physician, the hospital, and the nurses who treated you or your loved one. No stone is left unturned in investigating what happened, why it happened, and how the tragic outcome could have been avoided. These investigations often involve reviewing hospital policies, staffing records, internal communications, and patient safety protocols to determine whether hospital negligence contributed to the injury. Our hospital lawsuit lawyers understand how complex these cases can be and work diligently to identify every responsible party.
Many law firms in Phoenix, AZ, prepare cases to settle at mediation; if the case does not settle, they are ill-prepared to go to trial. That strategy can have catastrophic results. We prepare every case as though it will go to trial. In Arizona, doctors often must agree to settle the case before their insurance company can even make an offer to settle the case. We fight hard to achieve a fair and beneficial settlement, but if the doctor will not consent to settle, we are then prepared to go to trial to protect your rights. When you have us on your side, you will know that you are in the hands of experienced lawyers who will do everything possible to win your case.
Our years of experience have resulted in our law firm being nationally recognized as top medical malpractice lawyers. In fact, Snyder & Wenner, P.C. was named US News Best Law Firms 2015. We know that we have a responsibility to our clients and to our community. Because of that, we only take the most important medical malpractice cases with serious injuries. In doing so, we have been very successful in the following areas of medical malpractice:
In Arizona, there are three elements that we must prove to be successful in your case:
First, we must prove that the healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, etc.) was negligent, or “fell below the standard of care.” The standard of care is what our community thinks is appropriate care under the circumstances. To prove this element, we hire experts from the top medical institutions around the country to review the records and tell us whether the conduct was inappropriate.
Once we have an expert who says that the healthcare provider was negligent, we then are required to prove that the negligence was “a cause” of the injuries. This is called “causation.” If we are unable to link up the negligent conduct with the injuries, we cannot pursue the case. We again go to experts in the particular field who work at the very best medical institutions in the country. They review the records and tell us whether the negligent care was “a cause” of what eventually happened.
The third, and final, element that we are required to prove is damages. Damages are the injuries that you or your loved one suffered due to the medical malpractice. For example, if the patient passed away, the damages are the pain and suffering that the surviving family members suffered as a result of the wrongful death. Every case is different, and everyone responds to adversity differently. Because of that, we spend countless hours interviewing you and your family and friends to see how the injuries have affected your life. If the medical malpractice resulted in a permanent injury, such as an amputation, we will hire experts to testify about your condition, the pain and suffering that accompanies it, and how the injury will affect you for the rest of your life.
Unfortunately, there are time limitations on when you or your loved ones may file a lawsuit. How long you have depends on when you knew or should have known of the conduct that led to your injuries. Once the deadline passes, you may be unable to hold the person or hospital responsible who caused your injuries. Please do not delay in contacting us to discuss your potential case.
If you or your loved in Phoenix, AZ, one has been catastrophically injured by medical malpractice, call us today. We will investigate your case and help you to determine if there is a valid lawsuit.
Hospital malpractice occurs when a hospital, its employees, or its systems fail to provide care that meets accepted medical standards, resulting in patient harm. A hospital malpractice lawyer can evaluate whether a healthcare facility’s actions or failures contributed to an injury, illness, or wrongful death.
There really is not any practical difference. Negligence is considered malpractice when a medical provider or hospital is involved. Hospital negligence can include a hospital’s failure to provide appropriate care, supervision, staffing, training, or safety procedures. Hospital malpractice is a broader legal claim that includes negligence and requires proof that the hospital’s conduct directly caused harm to the patient. A hospital negligence attorney can help determine whether the facts support a legal claim.
You may have grounds to pursue legal action when a hospital’s negligence causes injury or worsens a medical condition. Examples include medication errors, delayed treatment, inadequate monitoring, patient falls, infections, communication failures, or other preventable errors. An attorney for hospital negligence can review the circumstances and explain your legal options.
Common examples include surgical errors, emergency room errors, medication errors, failure to monitor patients, diagnostic delays, patient safety violations, infections, inadequate staffing, and communication breakdowns among healthcare providers. Hospital lawsuit lawyers frequently investigate these types of claims to determine whether negligence occurred.
Yes. Hospitals may be held responsible when emergency room staff fail to properly assess, diagnose, monitor, or treat patients. These cases often involve delayed treatment, missed diagnoses, medication errors, or failures to recognize life-threatening conditions.
A hospital malpractice lawsuit may allow injured patients or their families to recover compensation for medical expenses, future healthcare needs, lost income, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other damages related to the injury.
No. While medical records are important evidence, most hospital lawsuit attorneys can help obtain the necessary records as part of their investigation. The sooner you speak with an attorney, the sooner important evidence can be preserved.
Yes. Snyder & Wenner represent clients throughout Arizona in complex medical malpractice and hospital negligence cases. Whether you need a hospital injury lawyer, hospital malpractice lawyer, or experienced hospital mistreatment lawyers to evaluate your claim, our team is prepared to investigate what happened and protect your rights.
Yes. Snyder & Wenner’s review process includes input from our in-house medical provider who helps analyze medical records, treatment timelines, and clinical concerns involved in potential medical malpractice claims. Since she is an employee and in the office with us, Snyder & Wenner has access to insight that most other firms do not have. The firm also works with outside medical consultants when a case requires additional review.