bannertitleimg

Practice Areas

Medical Malpractice
Anesthesia Errors
Birth Injuries
Bone Fractures Brachial Plexus Injuries Brain Damage Cerebral Palsy Developmental Delays Electronic Fetal Monitoring Facial Nerve Damage Labor and Delivery Negligence Midwife Malpractice Spinal Cord Injuries
Birth Injuries to Children Birth Injuries to Mothers Failure To Diagnose Cancer Failure To Diagnose Strokes Hospital Errors Hospital Falls Medication Errors Nursing Home Negligence Prescription Errors Surgical Errors
Personal Injury Motor Vehicle Accidents Workers’ Compensation Vaccine Injury Claims Wrongful Death

When we turn to medical professionals, we do so because we trust them to support our health and well-being, and we’re generally well served. While doctors and medical facilities like the Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center are not immune to errors, they are responsible for adhering to the recognized and accepted standards of the profession. When patients are injured by failing to do so, it amounts to medical malpractice. If you have questions or concerns about the medical care you or a loved one has received, don’t wait to discuss your situation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Not Every Error Is Malpractice

Medical malpractice is more than an honest mistake made from unawareness. Medical facilities like the Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center and the medical professionals who work there are held to specific standards established by the medical profession, and when they diverge from these standards, it can translate to malpractice. 

The elements you must prove to support a medical malpractice claim include each of the following:

  • You were owed a duty of care, valid once a doctor/patient relationship is established.
  • That duty of care was breached, which refers to negligence and means that the medical professional or facility either acted in a way that their peers wouldn’t have or failed to act in a way that their peers would have under similar circumstances.
  • The medical professional or facility’s breached responsibility was the direct cause of your injuries.
  • You suffered legal damages, which means you experienced losses addressed by the law.

Determining Your Losses

Suppose you or someone close to you was harmed by medical malpractice at a hospital or any other medical facility in the city. In that case, you can seek compensation in each of the following categories:

  • The medical expenses you experienced as a result, which may be ongoing
  • Your lost income, which may need to address lost earning potential
  • Your physical and emotional pain and suffering, which can be immense and could outpace your other losses combined

Points to Keep in Mind 

Some points to keep in mind concerning medical malpractice include each of the following:

  • In Pennsylvania, you have only two years to file a medical malpractice lawsuit, which is a brief window of opportunity given the legal complexities of such cases.
  • Medical malpractice claims are often based on failure to diagnose, failure to order adequate diagnostics, misdiagnosis, failure to follow up, prescription errors, and facility-related infections.
  • There are also forms of malpractice that are so egregious they’re called never events, which include performing surgery on the wrong patient or body part, performing the wrong surgery, and leaving a surgical implement inside the patient.

An Experienced Lancaster Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help

The seasoned Lancaster medical malpractice attorneys at Marzella & Associates have earned a solid reputation for skillfully defending our patients’ legal rights, and we’re here for you, too. Learn more about what we can do to help by contacting us online or calling us at 717-876-8681 for a free consultation today.