At Nance Cacciatore Law we specialize in advocating for victims. Some of the areas that we specifically target are medical malpractice, medical misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose, birth injuries, surgical errors, and wrongful death. Healthcare in the United States is most certainly a hot button topic. Everyone has an opinion on it and most people have been affected directly by the healthcare system in some way.
While we can’t completely “fix” the healthcare system, we can certainly address issues as they arise, bring attention to them, and, hopefully, bring about change. One thing our team of personal injury attorneys CAN do is attempt to get our clients compensation when appropriate. You may feel like it’s impossible to fight a doctor or hospital, but that isn’t true. It is what we do, and we do it on your behalf!
A recent study published in the BMJ, a medical journal, and reported on by nbcnews.com included information on more than 300,000 patients. That is a huge study that brought alarming results. It found that more than 1 in 10 patients is harmed in the course of their medical care and that half of those injuries were preventable. This means that literally thousands of people are being harmed each year by the very people that are being paid to help them!
Such medical harm comes in various forms ranging from improper medications or dosages to surgical errors. It is no joke when a patient goes in for limb amputation and marks on their “good” limb with a permanent marker “NOT THIS ONE!” In fact, it’s a really smart thing for the patient to do! Something that is imperative for you, as the patient, to know is that you have rights – lots of them! Do NOT be afraid to ask questions. So many people, perhaps yourself included, are intimidated by doctors. They may have more years of school than you. Or, maybe they don’t, but your degrees aren’t in the medical field, so you still feel intimidated. It is perfectly acceptable for you to ask as many questions as you want. If the medical professional is annoyed or refuses to answer, then we suggest you go elsewhere. It is also within your rights to seek a second opinion. You do not have to agree with your doctor or take them at their word. It is a good idea to seek more than one medical opinion.
One woman shared this story with us: “My grandma had a stillborn baby girl before my dad and his brother were born. She told me that she smelled alcohol on her doctor’s breath. I asked why she didn’t say anything and she said, ‘Honey, we didn’t question doctors back then.’ They never knew if their daughter’s death was due to an error on the doctor’s part, but I think it’s entirely likely that it was. My grandma grieved her baby girl until she died in her 80s.”
If you or a loved one has suffered a mistake at the hands of medical professionals or even suspect that it has happened, don’t be afraid to speak up and PLEASE call the personal injury lawyers in Melbourne, FL at Nance Cacciatore Law. One of the partners in our law firm, Sammy Cacciatore, is board certified in medical malpractice by The American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys. We don’t just say we specialize in helping you with medical errors. We are truly trained to do it and to do it successfully. We look forward to helping you.
