If you’re considering bringing a medical malpractice suit, it’s important that you understand what the term means. Medical malpractice is defined as having happened when a healthcare provider causes harm to a patient through the provider’s own negligence. In order for medical malpractice to have taken place, three things must be present: The patient must have suffered demonstrable harm, the provider must have delivered substandard care, and there must be a direct link between the quality of that care and the injury suffered by the patient. Medical malpractice can happen in numerous ways, including unnecessary treatment, failure to diagnose, medication errors, and premature discharge.

If you are concerned about a misdiagnosis or possible medical error, contact the law firm of Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, in New York. For 45 years, we have advocated for people of all ages, in order to help our clients financially and make healthcare safer for everyone. You can reach us today by calling (516) 684-2900.

When most people go to the doctor, they bring with them the assumption that they will find out if there is anything wrong with their health. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. It is nowhere near as rare as you might assume for medical practitioners to fail to diagnose a serious health problem—or to diagnose it too late. Here are some facts that might surprise you:

Diagnostic errors are extremely common. According to a recent study by the Institute of Health, about 5 percent of all Americans who visit a medical professional in the course of a year will receive a faulty diagnosis. This adds up to about 12 million people. The study also observed that the number of diagnostic errors appears to go up over time, as medical treatments increase in complexity.

Almost everyone will receive at least one wrong diagnosis. While 5 percent may not sound like an enormous amount, the number of people who are wrongly diagnosed multiplies with each passing year. The Institute of Health study found that most people living in the U.S. will experience at least one late—or flat-out wrong—diagnosis at some point in their lives.

Diagnostic errors can be hard to identify. It’s easy to assume that you’ll know when you’ve been wrongly diagnosed—but that isn’t necessarily true. Many people do not discover for years that they have gotten the wrong diagnosis. Diagnosing a patient is a challenging and multifaceted process, and there are many points at which the diagnosis can go astray. In many cases, the issue is lack of proper communication between medical professionals and their patients.

If your life—or the life of a loved one—has been disrupted by a delayed diagnosis, you may have a medical malpractice claim. Talk to one of the attorneys at Pegalis & Erickson, LLC, for legal guidance that will help you protect your rights. You can set up a free consultation at our office in Long Island, New York, by calling us at (516) 684-2900.

After sustaining a serious injury, it’s to be expected that your top priority is recovering and getting your life back on track. However, it’s well worth your time to schedule a consultation with a personal injury attorney to discuss your situation. You should also consult an attorney if you believe that you may have the basis for a wrongful death lawsuit, which may apply if you have lost a loved one due to negligence.

Your Lawyer Is a Valuable Source of Information

One compelling reason why it’s a good idea to consult a lawyer is that he or she will likely have years of experience handling cases similar to yours. Your attorney will likely know the ins and outs of the laws that apply to your situation and how they might affect you. If you have any questions about determining liability, recovering compensation, or other matters, your personal injury attorney is your best source of information.

Your Attorney Can Explain Your Options

There are multiple ways to resolve a complaint. It isn’t always necessary to bring a case to trial. Your attorney can explain all of your options to you, which might include mediation. Even if you prefer to avoid a lengthy trial, you should still make the time to see a personal injury attorney.

Your Lawyer Can Secure More Compensation on Your Behalf

Another way your case might be resolved is through a settlement. A settlement agreement involves the plaintiff accepting a set sum of money in exchange for dropping the complaint. Settlements can help individuals get their lives back on track by compensating them for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. However, individuals who have lawyers representing them are much more likely to secure more favorable amounts of compensation in a settlement agreement than individuals who try to represent themselves.

If you would like to meet with a personal injury attorney free of charge, you can contact Pegalis & Erickson, LLC at (516) 684-2900. Our personal injury lawyers near Long Island, New York have dedicated their careers to successfully advocating on behalf of individuals who have sustained injuries because of someone else’s negligent actions. In addition to representing personal injury clients, we routinely handle cases involving wrongful death, birth injuries, and medication errors.

Before just recently, if you were medically injured while on a cruise, you could not bring a medical malpractice lawsuit against the cruise line. But, just last week the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals maintained an avenue for medical malpractice lawsuits against cruise ships. Martime law previously indicated that cruise ship passengers could not expect the same level of medical care on a ship as on land. The recent l aw suit filed by the family of a man who died from a injury sustained on a cruise ship, has changed that for now, yet the cruise industry could still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If you have been personally injured, consider contacting Pegalis and Erickson for a free consultation.