An analysis of professional insurance records has revealed that three-quarters of all doctors in the United States are sued at least one time for malpractice during their careers. At the same time, just 1.6 percent of the lawsuits resulted in payments to injured patients or surviving family members of people who lost their lives because a doctor made a mistake or was negligent. When a verdict or settlement was reached for a malpractice plaintiff, the average award was about $275,000.
Surgeons were sued most often, but pediatricians paid the highest average malpractice awards — $520,924 for pediatricians, compared with $344,811 for neurosurgeons.
Interestingly, doctor friends of ours have admitted that most malpractice errors do not result in any claim because the patient never knows. Some medical negligence claims that are made, though, are not strong, and lawyers not specialized in handling tough cases may not help matters by bringing lawsuits they likely will lose to court. Insurance companies, at least in Virginia (VA), fight every claim and fail to settle many claims that are worthy just because the insurers think they can win in court, regardless of what is just given the serious injury and the carelessness of the health care provider.
If you or a loved one gets injured by improper medical care, hold medical professionals accountable with the assistance of experienced Virginia medical malpractice attorneys.
LC