Toll Free: 1 800 752 0042
Practice Areas
- Auto Accidents
- Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Wrongful Death Claims
- Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
Firm News
- Surgeon sues his own Spinal Surgeon for Medical Malpractice, Alleges Back Surgery Medical Negligence
- Single-Vehicle Tanker Trailer Crash Kills One
- Teen Driver Killed by Garbage Truck
- I-81 Tractor Trailer Accident
- Two Williamsburg, Va., Teens Killed in Crash
- John Cooper is Elected Chair of the Railroad Law Section of the American Association for Justice
- Trucker Health Problems Could Cause Collisions
- Truckers: Know your English or Pay the Fine
- Toxic Heavy Metal in Chesapeake, VA Water?
- The Jere Beasley Report – June 2008 “Jury returns verdict of $8,000,000 for seaman”
Library
Auto Accidents
- High traffic and bad driving cause headaches and accidents
- Road Fatalities Fall as Gas Rises
- Hazardous Road Conditions in Chesapeake, Virginia (VA) Seriously Injuring Motorists
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Train Accident in Massachusetts Caused by Speed and Possibly Cell Phone
- The Higher Duty Owed by Railroads
- What Not To Do In A Railroad Accident
Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Head injury: forgotten trauma
- Spinal cord injuries are frightening.
- Hurrican Katrina: Seventeen Months and Counting
Wrongful Death Claims
- Having A Good Support Staff Is Key To Being A Strong Personal Injury And F.E.L.A. Law Firm
- Confidentiality Agreements Keep Information About Personal Injury Settlements From The Public
- Videotaping Lay Witnesses Can Be A Powerful Settlement Tool In Personal Injury And Death Cases
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- BREAST IMPLANT CASE WINS SUPREME COURT APPEAL
- Five Tips for Choosing a Cardiologist
- Stroke Symptoms & Diagnosis
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- FMCSA Hours of Service Regulations
- Six Things You Must Remember if You're in a Truck Accident
- Top 10 Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- INSURANCE COMPANIES CONTINUE TO OVERCHARGE CUSTOMERS AND UNDERPAY CLAIMS
- North Carolina's Court System
- Boating accidents and injuries in Hampton Roads, Virginia (VA)
Firm Newsletters
General
The “Rules” Help Medical Malpractice Lawyers Win Complex Lawsuits
As a Plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer practicing in Virginia (VA)and North Carolina (NC), I am always trying to continue my education in the best ways to win compensation for my clients who are hurt by mistakes made by doctors and hospitals. I recently shared with my law firm a great book to help the attorneys I work with get the maximum results for people injured by medical malpractice. The book is called Rules of the Road: A Plaintiff Lawyer’s Guide to Proving Liability, by top injury lawyers, Rick Freidman and Patrick Malone.The “rules” provide a guide to attorneys who help injured people and those families whose loved ones have been killed by medical mistakes to simplify the cases involving complex surgical procedures so the jury can find for the injured person or wronged family rather than the insurance company. A typical kind of medical malpractice case is a failure to diagnose case. One of the key rules of medicine is that “a doctor who is diagnosing a patient’s symptoms has a duty to rule out the most dangerous, treatable potential diseases first.” This rule of differential diagnosis is something that the defendant doctor and the insurance defense lawyers must agree with because it is basic medical school training. Then the plaintiff’s lawyer can establish that this rule was violated because the doctor mistakenly sent the patient home from the emergency room without ruling out the most catastrophic medical condition leading to the person’s death. In some ways this may seem easy, but the point is to simplify and explain to the jury and judge why the doctor did not act reasonably under the circumstances to prevent the insurance lawyer from making this seem so complicated or confusing that the right result doesn’t happen in court. The power of this technique has been confirmed by the best trial lawyers in the U.S. as well as in Virginia (VA).
Medical malpractice cases will never be as simple to prove and win as automobile accident cases. However, the best personal injury lawyers representing families who have suffered as a result of medical or surgical errors are learning ways to increase the chances of forcing the medical malpractice insurance companies to pay for the harm done by their insured.
Free Reports
Quick Contact
Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton, P.C.
1294 Diamond Springs Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Toll Free: (800) 752.0042
Phone: (757) 460-7776
Fax: (757) 460.3428
Case Results
Auto Accidents
- Pedestrians Stuck by Automobile Recover $540,000.00
- Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome brings verdict of $170,000.00
- Crosswalk Accident With Broken Leg Settles For $227,000.00
- Soft Tissue Injuries Caused by Auto Accident
- Serious Auto Accident Causes Death of Infant
Railroad Accidents, Occupational injuries/diseases
- Railroad-Roadway Crossing Accident - Car Passengers Injured
- FELA
- AMTRAK ENGINEER SETTLES WITH AMTRAK AND CSX OVER DERAILMENT
- Locomotive Engine Fire causes Rail Engineer right arm and wrist surgery
- Shoulder Injury requiring surgery for Locomotive Engineer
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
- Gallbladder Surgery Error
- Medical Negligence
- Pharmacy-Prescription Error
- Gastric Bypass (stomach stapling) Surgery complications
- Retained Surgical Sponge and Subsequent Complications
Trucking/Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Collision Between Two Big Rigs Creates Fireball
- Automobile Accident Causing Coma and Paralysis
- Virginia Automobile Accident
- MACK truck wreck causes leg fractures
- Automobile wreck with drunk driver causes connective tissue injury
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
- Department Store Shelf Falls on Customer
- Pilot Suffers Electrical Shock Injury At Hotel Ending Commercial Pilot’s Career--Settlement Soon Before Federal Court Jury Trial
Other
- Hotel Guest-Glass Coffee Carafe Shatters-Hand Injury
- Faulty Product - Fiberglass Stepladder Failure
- Skiing Accident
FAQs
Auto Accidents
- What should I do if I am involved in a car accident?
- I was in a car crash. How quickly do I have to find an attorney and file a lawsuit?
- What is the minimum car insurance I'm allowed to carry in my state?
- What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and why should I think about having it?
- Does my state have a primary enforcement law for seat belts?
Surgical Errors, Medical Malpractice
General Personal Injury Claims We Handle
General
- Do I really need a lawyer?
- Can I afford to get into a lawsuit?
- How long will the whole process take?
- What if I do not want to go to court because I am getting nervous about testifying?
- How much am I likely to recover when in court?