Kirkland Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Dealing with a medical error or misdiagnosis can leave you feeling frustrated, confused and overwhelmed. You place your health in the hands of doctors, nurses, clinics and hospitals expecting competent, attentive care. When that doesn't happen, the consequences can be devastating. Maybe you suffered an injury during childbirth, had the wrong leg amputated, or a doctor missed a life-threatening diagnosis. Whatever went wrong, you don't have to shoulder the burden alone. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can review your case, answer your questions, and help determine if you have grounds to pursue financial compensation.

At Moseley Collins Law, our team has over 40 years of combined experience representing victims of medical negligence. If you believe substandard medical care led to significant injury or harm for you or a loved one, we have the expertise to build a strong claim for maximum compensation on your behalf.

This page covers the basics of proving medical malpractice in Washington state, typical errors and injuries that lead to lawsuits, legal time limits, working with lawyers, and more. We'll also provide an overview of major hospitals in Kirkland and the Eastside area we commonly deal with. Our goal is to give you a better understanding of your options if you or a loved one experienced medical negligence locally.

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to meet accepted standards of care, resulting in avoidable patient injury or harm. Some examples of malpractice include:

• Misreading X-rays, lab reports or other diagnostic results
• Prescribing the wrong medications or dosages
• Operating on the wrong body part
• Leaving surgical instruments or sponges inside a patient
• Failing to detect cancer, infections or other serious conditions
• Surgical complications due to negligence
• Birth injuries due to doctor/nurse errors
• Releasing a patient prematurely
• Ignoring troubling symptoms
• Administering incorrect anesthesia dosing
• Unnecessary procedures or tests
• Violating patient privacy

For a malpractice claim to be valid, your lawyer must demonstrate:

• A healthcare provider owed you a duty of care that was breached
• This breach represented a failure to adhere to accepted medical standards
• The breach directly caused identifiable injuries or damages
• You incurred financial losses and personal harm as a result

If a doctor simply makes a judgment call that differs from what another provider may have done, that alone does not constitute malpractice. Medicine is often not black-and-white. However, if treatment clearly deviates from normal standards of care in a way that causes you avoidable harm, that establishes grounds for a lawsuit.

An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can analyze your case specifics to determine if negligence appears to have played a role.

Pursuing a malpractice claim without legal guidance is extremely difficult, for a few key reasons:

It's complex proving negligence. Establishing that substandard care directly caused your injuries involves battling defense lawyers, insurance representatives and healthcare providers aiming to undermine your claim. Having a seasoned medical malpractice lawyer in your corner levels the playing field.

You need medical experts. The stronger the expert testimony supporting your version of events, the better your chances of success. Good lawyers have connections to trusted medical experts and know how to get them to speak plainly regarding negligence issues.

Hospitals don't make it easy. Obtaining complete medical records and internal hospital communications requires legal resources. Healthcare organizations will drag their feet responding to requests without a lawyer demanding prompt cooperation.

You must act quickly. Every state has strict statutes of limitations dictating the timeline for filing malpractice lawsuits. A lawyer ensures you take action within prescribed time limits.

You deserve compassion. Suffering a major injury because of medical negligence adds trauma to an already difficult situation. The right lawyer provides guidance while prioritizing your emotional well-being.

The Moseley Collins Law team has decades of combined experience handling malpractice cases and a proven track record of results. Having compassionate and accomplished lawyers fighting for you increases your chances of a just outcome.

Medical errors happen across all types of healthcare settings and specialties. Some of the negligence cases we encounter most often include:

Botched operations can leave patients permanently damaged or disabled. Surgery mishaps we see include:

• Wrong-site surgery
• Operating on the wrong patient
• Leaving foreign objects inside a patient's body
• Puncturing organs or blood vessels
• Hemorrhaging, infections or complications due to negligence
• Poorly performed procedures
• Anesthesia errors

No surgery is risk-free, but patients suffer needlessly when basic protocols and safety standards are not followed. Botched procedures can worsen conditions and lead to additional surgeries to repair damages.

One of the most common yet devastating errors doctors make is missing a serious diagnosis. Symptoms get misdiagnosed as a minor problem. Or needed tests aren't ordered to confirm a condition. Failure to diagnose cancer, heart disease, stroke, aneurysm and other critical illnesses in time often drastically reduces survival outcomes.

When labor & delivery errors or lapses in pediatric care lead to nerve damage, brain bleeding, cerebral palsy, facial paralysis or other major harm for babies, the effects can last a lifetime. Birth injuries often happen when medical staff fail to promptly perform a C-section when fetal distress signals emerge. Pediatric misdiagnoses and medication errors also cause significant injuries.

You rely on ER doctors and nurses to act swiftly and competently during medical crises. Yet crowded ERs, communication breakdowns and other factors can compromise care. We see failure to recognize heart attacks, strokes, sepsis, trauma and other emergent conditions that require urgent response. Discharging patients too quickly or unnecessary testing also leads to poor outcomes.

Elderly nursing home residents depend upon staff for basic needs yet often suffer preventable problems like bedsores, falls, malnutrition, broken bones, dehydration, infections and abuse or neglect. Ignoring pressing medical issues, operating understaffed facilities, not assisting with daily living activities, and medication errors are common forms of nursing home malpractice.

Anesthesia is crucial for surgical procedures but also introduces serious risks. Too much anesthesia can stop breathing, not enough leads to patients awakening during surgery. Mismatched blood types, negligent monitoring, incorrect administration, and other errors related to anesthesia result in brain damage or death in some cases.

Regardless of what type of medical negligence occurred, the skilled lawyers at Moseley Collins Law can fully investigate your situation to determine if you have a valid claim under Washington medical malpractice law.

Our lawyers have extensive experience handling medical malpractice cases involving major hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers in Kirkland and Eastside cities. Facilities we commonly investigate include:

EvergreenHealth Medical Center - Kirkland

EvergreenHealth Medical Center - Kirkland is a 318-bed regional medical facility offering emergency care, cancer treatment, stroke care, childbirth services, surgeries, imaging, lab services and primary care clinics. It is affiliated with the EvergreenHealth medical system.

Overlake Medical Center & Clinics

Overlake Medical Center is a 328-bed nonprofit regional hospital with a Level II trauma center, cancer center, heart center and network of primary and specialty clinics. It provides emergency medicine, surgeries, childbirth services and other healthcare for Kirkland and Eastside communities.

Virginia Mason Medical Center

Virginia Mason hospital in Seattle works closely with the Virginia Mason Kirkland Medical Center and other Eastside clinics. This 336-bed non-profit hospital has nationally recognized centers for cancer, orthopedics, transplant services and other specialties.

Seattle Children’s Hospital

Seattle Children’s provides specialized pediatric care ranging from cancer, heart conditions, NICU services, surgeries, emergency treatments and other children’s care. It is routinely involved in Kirkland-area childbirth injuries and complex pediatric cases.

UW Medical Center - Northwest

UW Medical Center – Northwest is the primary hospital for northeast King County and offers emergency medicine, cancer care, neurology, heart services, high-risk maternity care and other medical treatment.

Under Washington law RCW 7.70.030, patients injured by medical negligence have the right to collect damages through a malpractice lawsuit. To build a successful claim, your lawyer must prove:

• Duty of care - A healthcare provider owed you a duty of care that was breached. There must be a documented patient-provider relationship.
• Breach of care - Through errors or omission, the provider failed to meet accepted medical standards. Experts are needed to establish these breaches.
• Injury caused by breach - Substandard medical care directly caused your injury or damages rather than pre-existing conditions. Expert testimony must establish causation.
• Damages incurred - You suffered direct monetary losses and personal harm due to the provider’s negligence. Damages claimed must be thoroughly documented.
• Injury wouldn’t have occurred otherwise - Your lawyer must refute any allegation you had health conditions that caused your situation absent negligence.

Successfully proving all these elements involves battling against dedicated hospital risk management teams, healthcare providers aiming to evade liability, reluctant expert witnesses, and insurance company claim denials. Having an accomplished medical malpractice lawyer levels the playing field. The Moseley Collins Law team has the resources and "know-how" to stand up against negligent hospitals and medical groups. We fight aggressively so victims and families receive proper compensation without added stress during an already difficult time.

If you believe medical negligence caused significant injury to you or someone you love in the Kirkland area, choosing the right lawyer is critical. Here are some questions to ask during initial consultations that can help you select experienced counsel:

• How many years have you been handling medical malpractice cases specifically?
• What percentage of your current caseload involves medical malpractice clients?
• How many malpractice cases have you taken to trial rather than settling? What was the outcome?
• Do you have experience handling cases against the healthcare providers involved in my potential claim?
• Will you be taking the lead on my case directly? If not, who will be my primary point of contact?
• What medical experts do you work with? How will you obtain medical opinions supporting my claim?
• Will my case undergo a medical review by doctors before you agree to represent me?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses you see in my potential malpractice claim?
• How do you keep clients informed throughout the legal process? How responsive can I expect you to be?
• What are typical timelines for resolving medical negligence cases in Washington?

The Moseley Collins Law lawyers welcome your questions. We will provide honest guidance regarding your chances of success during a free case assessment. If we cannot take your particular case, we will offer direction to help you find a lawyer suitable for your needs.

Don't wait to have an experienced medical malpractice lawyer review your situation if you or someone you love suffered harm due to medical negligence in Kirkland or surrounding communities. We understand how traumatic medical errors can be for Washington families. The dedicated Moseley Collins Law team is here to help you understand your legal options and fight for the justice you deserve. Contact us online or call 800-426-5546 for a free consultation.

Medical malpractice is when a doctor, nurse, hospital, or other healthcare provider injures you or makes an existing injury worse due to negligent treatment. This includes things like surgical mistakes, misdiagnosis, medication errors, childbirth injuries, and more. The key is proving the provider failed to meet reasonable standards of care, which directly caused you harm.

Most malpractice lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only collect if they recover damages for you. The fee is typically 30-40% of your final settlement or award amount. This makes legal help affordable, as the lawyers front all upfront costs like hiring experts. Reputable Kirkland lawyers offer free consultations too.

You can claim both economic and non-economic damages. This includes medical bills, lost income, rehabilitation and home health care costs as well as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, disability, and more. An experienced lawyer will calculate and document your full losses.

While most medical malpractice cases settle out of court, your lawyer should be fully prepared to take your case to trial if needed to maximize recovery. How far they are willing to go to fight for you is key. Be sure to ask about their trial experience during a consultation.