The Right Time to Call a Norfolk Medical Malpractice Lawyer

by Emily Mapp Brannon ebrannon@hsinjurylaw.com

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Emily is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

A big fear many Norfolk, Virginia (VA) patients have when being admitted to the hospital is getting seriously injured or losing their life due to a doctor or surgical error. This mistake may occur while you are under the knife (i.e. during surgery) or while you're receiving a powerful prescription medication.

Your concerns are justified. The sixth largest killer of Americans is preventable medical errors, according to the American Association for Justice.

Close to 200,000 people die from medical mistakes like a perforated bowel, surgical instruments such as sponges or clamps left inside a patient from a surgery, and misdiagnosis every year in the United States. In addition, over 1.5 million people are seriously injured due to prescription medication errors.

If you have suffered a serious injury due to a prescription medication error or doctor's mistake while at the hospital, you are probably feeling a little overwhelmed with questions and concerns about what to do. Your medical bills may be piling up and the injury could be so serious that you cannot work to generate any income. Getting seriously hurt at the local Norfolk hospital is like having a sacred trust violated. Most of us believe that when you go to the hospital to see a doctor you are going to get better, not to wind up with a potentially life-altering injury.

The questions and issues surrounding your injury need to be sorted out and this is why you should consult with a Norfolk medical malpractice lawyer. We can help answer some of those questions you're likely to be asked by your insurance company when you seek compensation and we can analyze your situation to see if you should pursue a personal injury claim against the doctor or surgeon who caused the injury.

The biggest mistake many people make is trying to pursue compensation on their own without the services of a medical malpractice lawyer in Norfolk. Insurance companies prey on people who do not have legal representation. The laws in VA are already designed to make it difficult for an individual to receive compensation from a medical malpractice claim. For example, before you can initiate litigation against a health care provider, you must obtain a "certificate of merit" signed by an expert witness who is qualified and trained in the field of medicine that concerns your type of injury.

Do not make this process harder on yourself than it needs to be by trying to battle an insurance company on your own. Give our medical negligence law firm a call for a free, no-hassle consultation or fill out our quick contact form on the right side of your screen.

For additional medical malpractice information, check out our free consumer guides and frequently asked questions about medical mistakes...

Top 10 Tips from an Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Surgeries Gone Wrong: Top 5 Surgical Errors and How NOT to Become a Victim

Frequently Asked Questions about Doctor Mistakes and Medical Negligence

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We offer free special reports on the Top 10 Tips from a Medical Malpractice Insider and the top five surgical errors you must know about. 

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can return your call.