Everyone deserves the right to live without the fear of someone’s negligent behavior causing them harm. But when someone behaves irresponsibly and injures other people, the victims have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. Retaining experienced legal counsel is critical to making the strongest possible case for the most amount of damages.
If your injury claim specifically involves medical malpractice, you need a law firm that is knowledgeable about this unique area of law. Medical malpractice is serious and can cost victims their health, financial well-being, and sometimes even their lives. But providing medical malpractice requires much more than demonstrating that someone made a mistake.
At the Gill Law Firm, we know what is on the line when it comes to Arizona personal injury and medical malpractice cases. That’s why we work hard to advocate on behalf of victims and their families. Find out how we serve the legal needs of Surprise, AZ clients every day.
Representing Personal Injury Victims
After being in an accident, you want results. And it starts with hiring a law firm that understands the unique challenges of your personal injury. We represent clients in the following personal injury matters:
- Car Accidents: Negligent driving breaches the duty of care that motorists owe other drivers, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Common examples of negligence include drunk driving, texting while driving, and violating traffic laws.
- Bicycle accidents: Bicyclists in Surprise, AZ have the same right to use the road as motorists have. When drivers fail to operate their vehicles in a reasonably safe manner, however, the results can be catastrophic.
- Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcyclists aren’t always easy to spot in traffic, but motorists must pay attention and avoid unsafe driving behavior. We not only help motorcyclists win compensation, we work to overcome insurance and jury biases against them.
- Truck Accidents: Large trucks can cause serious collisions that leave victims with major medical expenses and disability. You need a firm that knows how to hold the at-fault parties liable for their role in the accident.
- Premises Liability: Anyone who owns property in Surprise has a legal obligation to keep it free of hazards. If they fail to do so, and someone gets injured, the victim can file a personal injury lawsuit.
- Slips and Falls: This specific type of premises liability case involves uneven, slick, and otherwise dangerous floors, surfaces, and stairs. Our team is ready to fight for the compensation you need for your injuries.
- Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Families trust nursing homes and similar facilities to care for their aging parents. When these establishments neglect their duties, we work for justice on behalf of victims and their families.
- Wrongful Death: We also represent Surprise, AZ survivors in wrongful death lawsuits. Similar to personal injury lawsuits, these claims seek damages for funeral and burial costs and other losses that families experience.
Helping With Your Medical Malpractice Claim
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider fails to abide by the accepted standard of care they must deliver to patients. The victim must show that the medical professional’s actions were unreasonable in light of the situation. Some common examples of malpractice are:
- Medication Errors: These include errors such as administering the wrong medication or the wrong dosage. Not only is the patient deprived of the medicine they need, they may suffer avoidable side effects as well.
- Surgical Errors: Some examples are operating on the wrong part of the body, leaving surgical tools inside the patient, and not sterilizing equipment. Victims will likely need additional surgeries to correct the mistake.
- Birth Injuries: Doctors should care for the mother and baby up to and immediately after birth. Any negligence that takes place along the way could harm the health or the life of both parties.
- Anesthesia Errors: Administering anesthesia incorrectly can cause injury or death, or cause the patient to wake up during surgery. If you were the victim of an anesthesia error, make sure you see a doctor and follow their advice.
- Diagnosis Mistakes: When a physician incorrectly diagnoses a disease, or is delayed in diagnosing it, the patient is deprived of urgent medical care. This may aggravate their condition or cause additional problems.
- Failure to Follow Up or Monitor: Healthcare providers should take reasonable steps to follow up with a patient after treatment, especially a major operation. Monitoring the patient can help prevent infection and address complications.
- Failure to Review Medical History: As a basic practice standard, doctors should ask thorough questions to find out the patient’s medical history. The goal is to learn such critical information as the nature of the condition, any past procedures and treatments, and medication history.
- Clerical Mistakes: Patients may assume that the digitalization of medical records has made clerical errors a thing of the past. Unfortunately, doctors and hospitals still make these mistakes and cause harm.
Our Approach to Representing Clients
When you hire a law firm to handle your Surprise, Arizona personal injury or medical malpractice claim, you naturally want someone who understands the law. However, your lawyer also needs to know the various rules that govern civil lawsuits. These include rules of civil procedure, evidence, and discovery.
Your attorney should also be familiar with mediation, which is an out-of-court alternative dispute resolution method used to settle most cases. During mediation, your attorney will make offers to settle, review counteroffers from the other parties, and explain the legal consequences of settlement. The objective is to help you decide whether to settle or take your case to trial.
Another important role your lawyer plays is helping you determine which damages to claim and how much they are worth. Some of these damages include future losses you can reasonably be expected to incur, like medical bills. Expert witnesses help our lawyers calculate a fair amount of money to ask for.
Finally, although we make every effort to settle cases for our clients, there are some situations in which the opposing parties simply will not negotiate in good faith. If this is the case, we will proceed to trial and apply our litigation experience to advocate for the damages you deserve.
Contact Our Surprise, AZ Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Attorney
There’s a lot at stake in your legal case, and hiring the right law firm will make a difference in the outcome. Put our experience to the test and find out why so many clients have relied upon us for their personal injury and medical malpractice matters. Call us or complete our online contact form to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice
What types of damages am I eligible for?
Although every case is different, most personal injury and medical malpractice victims can claim damages such as medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. They can also usually ask for compensation to cover future losses they are likely to have. These may include medical needs and decreased earning capacity.
Is there a time limit to file a lawsuit?
Surprise, AZ victims of personal injury and medical malpractice do not have an unlimited amount of time to file a lawsuit, thanks to a deadline known as the statute of limitations. Plaintiffs must file these cases within two years of the accident or injury giving rise to the claim (or, for wrongful death, within two years from the date of death). Under the discovery rule, the clock on malpractice claims starts to run when the patient knows or should reasonably know about the mistake.
What are expert witnesses?
Expert witnesses are individuals with highly specialized knowledge who can explain complex subjects to judges and juries. In the context of personal injury, expert witnesses include (among others) accident reconstructionists and economists who can testify about decreased earning capacity. For medical malpractice, expert witnesses testify about a number of topics such as the applicable standard of medical care.