San Francisco, CA Medical Malpractice Lawyer - Hospital Negligence Attorneys
Medical errors cause over 250,000 deaths each year in the United States, making it the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. If you or a loved one suffered an injury or wrongful death due to the negligent actions of a San Francisco doctor, nurse, hospital, or other healthcare provider, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. The dedicated medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law have over 40 years of experience holding healthcare providers accountable when they fail to meet the standard of care. We have an extensive record of results, having won millions for past clients throughout negotiations, settlements, and jury verdicts.
Understanding Medical Negligence in San Francisco HospitalsTo have a valid San Francisco medical malpractice case, three key elements must be proven:
- A doctor-patient relationship existed where the healthcare provider owed the patient a duty of care
- The doctor or medical professional breached this standard of care through negligent actions or omissions
- This breach of duty directly caused significant injuries or wrongful death
Common examples of medical negligence in San Francisco hospitals include:
- Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: Failing to properly diagnose a medical condition or recognizing symptoms in time to begin urgent treatment. This is shockingly common with cancer, stroke, and heart attack diagnosis.
- Surgical Errors: Leaving surgical equipment inside patients, operating on the wrong body part, carelessly inflicting cuts or wounds during surgery, or causing infections.
- Medication Errors: Prescribing the incorrect drug or dosage leading to unexpected side effects, allergic reactions, organ damage, or overdose.
- Anesthesia Errors: Administering too much anesthesia leading to brain damage, coma, cardiopulmonary arrest, permanent disability, or death.
- Childbirth Injuries: Using excessive force with vacuums or forceps leading to physical damage to infants during delivery or failing to perform emergency C-section when necessary.
- Discharging Too Soon: Releasing patients before it is medically safe to do so.
The threshold for what is considered medical negligence is whether the doctor or healthcare provider delivered care that aligns with the professional standard of care reasonably expected of someone with similar training and experience. Simply a bad outcome does not necessarily indicate negligence took place. This makes proving hospital negligence quite complex.
When we take on a new medical malpractice case, our firm's San Francisco medical negligence lawyers immediately secure the patient's full records and appoint an investigatory team that includes nurses, physicians trained in record review, and other medical experts. Records alone often consist of thousands of pages that must be thoroughly examined to construct a timeline and identify potential breaches in the standard of care.
Some mistakes can be obvious even to non-medically trained professionals, but others require the clinical knowledge, expertise, and impartiality of additional specialists. We work with doctors from fields including:
- Surgeons
- OBGYNs
- Neurologists
- Oncologists
- Cardiologists
- Pediatricians
Bringing just one qualified medical expert onboard is the bare minimum effort when prosecuting a medical negligence claim. To demonstrate a pervasive, systemic lack of care as is often necessary to achieve case success and maximum compensation in settlements and verdicts, enlisting five or more specialists to analyze records is standard practice. The top medical malpractice lawyers have cultivated relationships with dozens of medical experts across every specialty.
San Francisco Hospitals and Medical CentersBelow we have listed main medical institutions and hospital networks serving San Francisco area patients and families:
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital - Public safety-net hospital in Mission Bay hosting acclaimed trauma center and urgent care clinic meeting community needs.
California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) - Leading Sutter Health facility providing world-class care and specialty research across multiple campuses in Presidio Heights, Pacific Heights, California Street, St. Lukes and Davies locations near downtown.
UCSF Medical Center - Nationally ranked University of California medical institution affiliated with top doctors and nurses delivering cutting edge inpatient care.
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center - Large Kaiser managed care hospital and ER services near Golden Gate Park.
St. Mary's Medical Center - Providence St. Joseph Health facility providing broad services from the Mission district serving vulnerable populations.
St. Francis Memorial Hospital - Downtown hospital housing centers specializing in cancer, orthopedics, neurology and women's services.
Chinese Hospital - Specialized provider catering to San Francisco's historic Chinese community located in Chinatown.
How Surgical Errors Destroy Patients' LivesSurgeries carried out poorly compromise all San Francisco patient hopes fighting aggressive disease or traumatic injuries curable through properly executed procedures. Botched surgeries often cause lasting disabilities or disfigurement negatively impacting victims’ mobility, vitality and self-image for life.
Far too frequently, we encounter severely injured clients facing bleak outcomes after preventable surgery room errors including:
- Operating on incorrect limbs or organs
- Uncontrolled surgical bleeding triggering further complications
- Improper anesthesia dosing leading to hypoxic brain damage
- Retained foreign objects left inside surgical sites
- Failure to promptly recognize surgical infections spreading
Such fundamental surgery failures breach established standards of safety and care when leading to ongoing, irreversible patient suffering. By accepting surgical cases without question and failing to perform due diligence upholding ethical protocols, preventable mistakes pass silently while patients’ wellbeing hangs in the balance. Accountability provides the only path to closure.
Injuries Our San Francisco Medical Malpractice Lawyers Commonly See in Negligence CasesThe types of injuries caused when healthcare professionals fail to meet reasonable standards of medical care are often catastrophic, painful, and life-altering. Some unfortunately result in unexpected death. Common severe injuries caused by medical negligence treated by our San Francisco malpractice lawyers include:
- Brain damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Permanent disability
- Internal organ damage
- Surgical injuries
- Birth injuries
- Amputation of wrong limb
- Severe infections
- Medication overdoses
- Undiagnosed cancer
- Misdiagnosed heart attacks
- Treatable infections that turned fatal
- Misdiagnosed strokes
- Anesthesia errors
Cases involving injuries that require around-the-clock care for basic living functions or result in wrongful death are extremely complex clinically and legally. The doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and other parties responsible work vigorously with their own counsel to avoid consequences.
You need an accomplished medical malpractice lawyer with superior investigative resources and a proven history of courtroom success. Moseley Collins Law devotes substantial time, expert testimony, and evidence-building to establish negligence for even our most difficult cases. We have the experience, medico-legal experts, and litigation skills to stand up to negligent hospitals and hold them fully accountable.
The San Francisco Region Cities and Communities We ServeMoseley Collins Law provides legal representation to San Francisco medical malpractice victims living throughout surrounding regions and distinctly local neighborhoods, including:
- Daly City - Southern residential community featuring significant Asian and Pacific Islander populations along San Bruno Mountain foothills.
- South San Francisco - Former industrial hub now supporting growing biotech and software industries.
- San Bruno - Lies between SFO International Airport and the Pacific Coast. Home to over 41,000 residents.
- Pacific Heights - Affluent northern urban enclave overlooking the San Francisco Bay featuring lavish Victorian architecture.
- Richmond - Diverse working class East Bay community near Berkeley supporting heavy industry along its dynamic shoreline parks.
- Sunset - Residential Outer Sunset southwest's neighborhoods resting up against Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.
Regardless which San Francisco area community you call home, our accomplished medical injury legal team offers steadfast support during difficult times for localized families and individuals harmed by clinical negligence. Justice bears pursuing after medical errors damage citizens when local healthcare system safety nets fail. By holding perpetrator hospitals and doctors fully accountable regionally, national ripple effects spread wider - improving patient protections universally.
Millions Recovered in Settlements & VerdictsAs your dedicated advocates, our goal first and foremost is winning the compensation you require to pay past and future medical bills related to injury caused by medical negligence. We also tirelessly seek further damages deserved for lost income, diminished quality of life, and pain and suffering brought on by incompetent healthcare providers.
Moseley Collins Law is proud to say our medical malpractice lawyers have won millions for past clients in both settlements collected outside courtroom arguments and jury verdicts within trial proceedings. No case value is too small or too substantial for our lawyers to investigate if medical negligence appears evident. We take on malpractice claims to get victims the justice they deserve.
Trust an Accomplished Medical Malpractice Law Firm to Fight for YouDo not delay in contacting dedicated San Francisco medical malpractice lawyers ready to investigate what went wrong in your case. Call us directly at 800-426-5546 for a free consultation on your medical negligence claim. Over four decades we have helped victims secure rightful compensation and legal justice. Moseley Collins Law has the expertise, resources, and proven record of results to advocate for you against even the most influential hospitals and negligent medical professionals responsible for causing life-altering harm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)If clear surgical errors caused my ongoing medical problems, do I have a strong malpractice case?Clear surgical mistakes constituting malpractice include operating on the wrong body part, leaving foreign objects inside patients, puncturing organs accidentally, uncontrolled bleeding indicating negligent technique, etc. Such obvious breaches typically satisfy the burden of proof for negligence claims when directly causing ongoing patient suffering, disability or injuries warranting extensive correction. Our lawyers thoroughly investigate case merits.
How much does hiring a medical malpractice lawyer cost upfront in San Francisco?Reputable California medical malpractice firms like ours work on a contingency fee basis meaning injury victims pay no money out of pocket upfront to retain representation. We earn lawyer fees only if your case settles favorably down the road first. This unique payment structure facilitates urgent legal help for devastated patients without capacity to fund complex litigations privately. However, if no settlement results, then no fees ever get charged for our legal services.
What medical records do your lawyers need to review when assessing my potential malpractice claims?Our firm will require all medical charts, surgical records, laboratory test results, imaging scan reports, nurse notes, hospitalization records, physical therapy files, primary care visit summaries and essentially any documentation related to the patient's condition and treatment timeline to identify potential breaches in standards of care. We retrieve all pertinent medical files directly from involved healthcare facilities and providers. Having your written HIPAA release authorization speeds this process.