Imperial, CA Medical Malpractice Lawyer - Hospital Negligence Attorneys

Have you or a loved one experienced negligence at the hands of a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional that resulted in significant injury or death in Imperial County, California? You may have grounds to file a medical malpractice lawsuit and recover compensation, but complex laws and insurance company pushback make the process challenging to navigate alone. This guide from the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law provides an overview of hospital negligence and your legal options in Imperial, CA.

Medical professionals in Imperial County have a legal duty to provide patients a reasonable standard of care. If they fail to meet this standard through an act of negligence or omission, and it directly results in injury or death, it is considered medical malpractice. Some examples include:

• Misdiagnosing or delaying diagnosis of a serious illness or condition
• Surgical errors like operating on the wrong body part
• Birth injuries to mother or child from doctor/nurse errors
• Medication errors and pharmacy mix-ups
• Failure to recognize worsening symptoms
• Inadequate infection control practices

The most common medical negligence cases we see involve:

Doctors have a responsibility to perform adequate testing and analysis to reach the correct diagnosis for a patient’s symptoms in a timely manner. Failure to do so gives the illness or disease time to progress, delaying treatment and often causing preventable harm.

Even routine procedures carry some inherent risks. But if a surgeon causes an avoidable complication by operating negligently, like cutting or puncturing organs accidentally, it constitutes malpractice.

If an OB/GYN, nurse or pediatrician fails to meet the reasonable professional standard of care during prenatal care, labor & delivery or postpartum, resulting in injury, the child and/or mother have grounds to pursue compensation.

Doctors and nurses must carefully administer medications as prescribed to prevent patients from receiving the wrong drug, wrong dose or improper combination that leads to an adverse reaction, permanent damage or death. Likewise, pharmacists can make catastrophic dispensing errors.

A 161-bed facility offering comprehensive emergency, surgical, cardiac, cancer, labor & delivery and other medical services. Website: https://www.elcentroregional.org/

A 143-bed hospital with 24/7 ER, advanced imaging, specialized rehabilitation care and more for residents of Imperial Valley.
Website: https://pioneersmemorial.org/

A military hospital providing care to armed forces personnel and their families in Southern California. Website: https://pendleton.tricare.mil/

A 245-bed facility with cancer center, stroke program, Level 3 NICU and broad network of outpatient specialty clinics. Website: https://www.primehealthcare.com/find-a-hospital-details/?id=83

A newly constructed facility offering emergency, surgical, imaging, therapy and other medical services in Calexico.
Website: https://www.heffernanmemorial.com/

Other facilities also include:

• Local clinics like Imperial Medical Group
• Urgent care centers
• Private practice doctor’s offices
• Nursing homes & long-term care facilities

Depending on factors like the type of negligence and overall health at the time of the incident, the harm caused can range from temporary setbacks to life-altering conditions requiring extensive care. Some possible injuries include:

• Brain damage resulting in permanent disability
• Spinal cord injuries causing paralysis
• Amputation of limbs
• Blindness
• Third degree burns
• Loss of fertility
• Chronic pain syndromes
• Delayed cancer diagnosis
• Birth defects in infants

In severe cases like those above, the patient requires round-the-clock medical assistance. Additionally, they experience reduced ability to work and earn an income, high healthcare and living expenses, adaptions to home/vehicle, and lowered life expectancy.

We help clients file and win fair verdicts in medical negligence claims across Imperial County and surrounding areas, including:

• Brawley
• Calexico
• Calipatria
• El Centro
• Holtville
• Imperial
• Niland
• Ocotillo
• Salton City
• Seeley
• Westmoreland
• Winterhaven

• Blythe
• Eagle Mountain
• Desert Center

• Campo
• Jacumba
• Ocotillo Wells

No amount of money can erase what happened or make up entirely for grave injuries. But financial recovery is intended to alleviate the burden moving forward. With an expert Imperial medical malpractice lawyer assisting to maximize your payout, available compensation includes:

• Past & future medical bills
• Rehabilitation & assistive living expenses
• Loss of past and future earnings

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Physical impairment or disfigurement
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium for the spouse

Additionally, in cases of wrongful death caused by negligence, the surviving family members can pursue damages like funeral costs and loss of financial support from the deceased.

Building a strong medical malpractice case requires in-depth investigation and analysis by specialized legal and medical experts. Here is an overview of how our award-winning Imperial, CA medical malpractice lawyers thoroughly examine negligence claims to prove liability and maximize compensation for clients.

The first step after meeting with a potential client is to gather all relevant medical records, using subpoenas if needed. This includes files from:

• The hospital/facility where the incident occurred
• Clinics and doctors before and after
• First responders like ambulances
• Pharmacies that filled prescriptions
• Rehabilitation centers and specialists

Our lawyers meticulously review these documents for early evidence of negligence and assess overall case validity.

We retain physicians in fields related to the client’s injury to scrutinize all records for errors and omissions. Identifying four to six credible experts from across specialties like surgery, emergency medicine, pharmacy, pediatrics etc. ensures no stone goes unturned. They create detailed reports outlining how the standard of care was breached.

Beyond records, our investigation explores factors like:

• Facility procedures and protocols
• Medical equipment functioning
• Doctor/nurse credentials, disciplinary history
• Interviewing witnesses, family members and others involved

Skilled lawyers know what extra evidence holds up best in court for medical negligence claims.

Our legal team analyzes all gathered information to build the strongest argument for every client’s unique situation. We determine the liable parties, major areas of negligence and best approaches to prove causation of damages. Clients are kept informed during the entire process. Settlement negotiations come after we calculate potential case value and recovery amounts to pursue.

Moseley Collins Law has secured millions for clients injured or lost due to medical negligence since the 1980s. Our award-winning lawyers offer decades of litigation expertise along with compassion for clients during their time of trauma and hardship after an incidence of malpractice.

We conduct our own rigorous investigation to build strong cases, hiring multiple medical experts across specialties to analyze mistakes made in your care. We then aggressively fight on your behalf, going to trial when insurance companies offer unfavorable settlements. Our ultimate goal is to ease the financial constraints through maximum compensation so clients can focus energy on healing and moving forward.

Contact our Imperial medical malpractice lawyers for a free, no-obligation consultation if you have questions or believe negligence caused your injury. Call 800-426-5546 or submit a simple case review form to get started today. We take cases on contingency, charging no fees upfront, and point you in the right direction even if we cannot directly handle your case. Let our award-winning lawyers fight for the justice and compensation you deserve in Imperial, California.

You may still have grounds to pursue compensation even if the negligence did not cause catastrophic harm. Our lawyers can advise if the impact justifies action.

California has statutes of limitation on different types of malpractice cases, ranging from 1-3 years typically. Call now to avoid missing your window.

Ethical standards prevent healthcare providers from retaliation or refusing treatment because of a lawsuit. Let our lawyers handle negotiations.

Compensation typically comes from the liable provider’s malpractice insurance or Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act funds, not the doctor/hospital directly.

While no official statistics specific to Imperial are available, studies suggest medical error is the 3rd leading cause of death nationwide.