Youngstown Medical Malpractice Lawyer

When you receive treatment at the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital or any other medical treatment center in the area, you have the reasonable expectation that you will receive safe and effective treatment for your injury or illness. Unfortunately, medical negligence is more common than many people realize. An experienced Youngstown medical malpractice lawyer can help if you or a loved one is injured by a medical professional’s negligence.

Experienced Medical Malpractice Counsel in Youngstown, OH

Spangenberg Shibley & Liber has been representing injured clients in Youngstown and throughout Mahoning County since 1946. With more than 80 years of experience, our team is confident we can provide unmatched representation for your medical malpractice case, and you can trust our firm to do everything we can to help you resolve your case efficiently.

Medical malpractice occurs when a medical professional’s negligence during treatment results in harm to their patient. Medicine is an inherently uncertain field in many ways, and every individual has unique medical characteristics, so there is a reasonable margin of error with almost every known treatment. However, there is a clear difference between an honest mistake and an error resulting from negligence, and your attorney can help make this distinction.

You have a limited time to build and file a medical malpractice case in Youngstown. Gathering the evidence you require to establish liability can be challenging, and there are strict procedural rules you must follow to file a medical malpractice case in Ohio successfully. When you hire a medical malpractice lawyer at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber to handle your case, you have a dedicated legal representative prepared to help with every step of your proceedings.

Building Your Medical Malpractice Claim in Youngstown

Medical malpractice can occur in various ways:

• Diagnostic errors are among the most common medical errors that lead to medical malpractice cases. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that an estimated 795,000 Americans suffer fatal or permanently disabling injuries from diagnostic errors each year. When a doctor fails to accurately diagnose a patient because of negligence, resulting harm can form the foundation of a medical malpractice case.
• Medication errors can result in allergic reactions, dangerous drug interactions, and various other adverse outcomes. Failure to accurately prescribe or administer medications could lead to a medical malpractice case, or a pharmacist could be held accountable for failure to fill a prescription correctly.
• Almost any surgical procedure entails some degree of risk, but an incompetently performed surgery could be disastrous. Medical malpractice cases can arise due to failure to perform a surgery correctly, causing traumatic injury inside a patient’s body, or leaving surgical materials inside a patient’s body.
• Birth injuries can potentially result in lifelong disabilities for the child. Any injury during childbirth can form grounds for a medical malpractice case. Failure to monitor for signs of fetal distress, failure to recognize the need for a C-section, or using excessive force during delivery are just a few examples of birth injuries that might lead to medical malpractice claims.
• Emergency room errors can potentially result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. The emergency department may be one of the most stressful and hectic places in any hospital, but emergency room staff are expected to follow specific procedures to ensure all patients are treated as swiftly as possible according to the severity of their displayed symptoms.

These are just a few examples of situations that may lead to medical malpractice cases in Youngstown. If you are unsure whether a recent experience qualifies as malpractice, it’s crucial to consult an experienced Youngstown medical malpractice attorney right away so they can review your case.

In Ohio, filing a medical malpractice claim requires obtaining an affidavit of merit from a medical professional who can explain how the defendant in question failed to meet the standard of care the plaintiff required. Ohio law also requires sending an advance notice of the medical malpractice claim to the defendant with a copy of this affidavit. Once the plaintiff submits this notice, they can file their claim within 180 days.

Claiming Compensation for Medical Malpractice in Youngstown

A medical malpractice case is a type of personal injury case, and the main objective of a personal injury case is for the injured plaintiff to prove liability for their damages and secure the compensation they need to recover as fully as possible from their damages. The plaintiff in a medical malpractice case can claim compensation for economic and non-economic damages, but Ohio law places a limit on non-economic damages in these cases.

Your Youngstown medical malpractice lawyer at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber can calculate your claimable economic damages, and there is no statutory limit on economic damages that can be recovered. In medical malpractice cases, these usually include medical expenses, lost wages, and lost future earning capacity if the plaintiff has been permanently disabled by their injury.

Many medical malpractice cases in Ohio involve substantial damages. The effects of medical malpractice could be extensive, forcing the victim to adjust to disabilities and diminished quality of life. It’s crucial to hire a medical malpractice lawyer with proven experience to assist you with this difficult case.

What to Expect From Your Youngstown Medical Malpractice Lawyer

The team at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber has an extensive record of successfully securing substantial settlements and trial verdicts on behalf of injured clients in Youngstown and throughout Mahoning County. During the past two years, more than 25% of settlements valued over seven figures have been secured by our firm. In every case we accept, securing as much compensation for our client is our priority.

When you hire a medical malpractice lawyer at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber, we will immediately begin gathering the evidence you need to prove liability. We can obtain medical records, witness statements, and arrange for expert witness testimony to help you prove that the defendant failed to meet the standard of care you required for your situation. We will then determine the full extent of the damages you are eligible to claim from the defendant.

Some medical malpractice cases can be settled outside of court. Many defendants facing these claims wish to settle them as quickly and as quietly as possible. However, settlement isn’t always an option. Spangenberg Shibley & Liber is a team of seasoned trial attorneys, so we are fully prepared to represent you in litigation if necessary. We adapt our approach to suit each client’s situation and unique needs.

Ultimately, experiencing medical malpractice in any way can be incredibly harmful, and you are likely to have many difficult legal questions in the aftermath of this experience that you will not be able to answer for yourself. Spangenberg Shibley & Liber can provide compassionate, results-driven legal counsel when you need it most, so reach out to our firm as soon as possible to learn how an experienced Youngstown medical malpractice lawyer can assist you.

FAQs

Q: How Do I Know if I Have a Medical Malpractice Claim?

A: Your attorney can determine whether you have a medical malpractice claim. You must show that the defendant in question failed to meet the standard of care your situation required due to some form of negligence. You must prove they breached the standard of care or failed to take appropriate action that another medical professional likely would have taken, that this breach caused actual harm, and then prove the full extent of the harm the defendant has done.

Q: How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in Ohio?

A: In Ohio, the statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice claim is usually one year from the date the injury occurred. This statute of limitations can extend in some cases. For example, if the injury could not have been immediately discovered, then the statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice case may begin on the date the victim discovered the harm that was done to them.

Q: How Much Pain and Suffering Compensation Can I Claim for Medical Malpractice?

A: Pain and suffering compensation in a medical malpractice claim is limited by state law. The statutory limit on non-economic damages in these cases is the greater of $250,000 or three times the total of the plaintiff’s economic damages, to a limit of $350,000 per plaintiff or a limit of $500,000 for each occurrence. A Youngstown medical malpractice lawyer can help their client secure as much pain and suffering compensation as possible.

Q: Why Should I Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Youngstown?

A: You should hire a medical malpractice lawyer in Youngstown because these are some of the most inherently challenging personal injury cases anyone can face in Ohio. You need a skilled attorney with proven experience handling cases like yours to have a better chance of achieving a favorable outcome. You are more likely to succeed with your case and obtain suitable compensation with an experienced local attorney representing you.

The attorneys at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber excel at resolving complex personal injury cases, and we have an extensive record proving our commitment to our clients’ recoveries. If you believe you have grounds to file a medical malpractice claim, we are ready to leverage our skills and experience on your behalf. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Youngstown personal injury lawyer you can trust.