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Our dedicated team of Washington, DC, medical malpractice lawyers has handled thousands of medical negligence cases across the DC Metro Area. In the past 30 years, we have achieved millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients and have received accolades from major legal organizations for our work. We offer the unique blend of expertise and medical knowledge essential for handling medical malpractice claims carefully.
If you or a loved one was injured by a medical professional’s negligence, Regan Zambri Long is here to help. Contact our medical malpractice attorneys in DC today to schedule a free consultation.
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Every personal injury case is different. However, there are three qualities you should consider when choosing a medical malpractice attorney for your case — all three that Regan Zambri Long possesses:
Regan Zambri Long has handled thousands of cases in the DC area. We’ve received some of Washington, DC’s most significant settlements and verdicts for medical malpractice victims. We are here for you and ready to discuss how we can support and assist you today. Contact Regan Zambri Long to schedule a free case evaluation.
Medical malpractice occurs when the medical professional either acted negligently or failed to act, causing further injury or serious harm to the patient’s life. For your injury to be considered negligence, your DC medical malpractice attorney must show that another healthcare professional would not have acted in the same manner under the same circumstances.
According to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine, over eight years, more than 250,000 deaths were caused by a medical error in the United States. It is considered the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. today. Unfortunately, medical malpractice does take its toll on the victim — a study published in the peer-reviewed journal BMJ found that medical errors impact one in every 20 patients annually. The study further found that approximately 12 percent of preventable patient harm results in either a permanent disability or death.
Anyone who administers medical care to the injury victim could be liable for negligence. The following are examples of healthcare professionals and entities that could be held responsible for your injuries:
Determining the specific parties responsible in a medical malpractice case can be complex. Consult with a DC personal injury attorney promptly to understand your legal options.
Negligence comes in several different forms — from a doctor missing a diagnosis, emergency room errors, and medical staff failing to treat a patient properly to nursing home abuse. The most common types of medical malpractice cases our law firm handles include:
Misdiagnosis or Delayed Diagnosis: The most common type of medical malpractice is misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. This is when the doctor fails to diagnose a condition properly or delays the proper diagnosis, which can seriously impact the patient’s treatment options and survival rate and lead to wrongful death.
Surgical Errors: A surgical error is known as a “preventable mistake” because often, what happens is not a known or expected risk but is the result of the surgeon’s negligence. Some examples of surgical errors include physicians leaving tools or sponges inside the body during surgery, ineffective sterilization during surgery, or anesthesia errors that endanger the patient’s life and cause nerve damage or brain damage.
Failure to Treat Properly: Harm occurs when doctors diagnose the problem quickly but fail to treat or prescribe the correct medication. Failure to treat a patient properly could result in discharge too soon, lack of follow-up care, or failure to prevent or treat infection.
Medication Errors: Medication errors can include prescribing the wrong medication or incorrect dosage of prescription drugs, a healthcare professional administrating the wrong medication to a patient, and failing to warn patients about the risks associated with the medication.
Birth Injuries: Birth injuries can be devastating to a family. Obstetrical malpractice makes up a large portion of medical malpractice cases in Washington, DC, and around the country. Injuries to an infant can occur at any point during pregnancy and delivery, like cerebral palsy.
In Washington, DC, if you’re considering filing a lawsuit, you’ll need to start by notifying the medical provider you believe was negligent at least 90 days before you officially file your lawsuit. This notice is a precursor to the mediation that the District requires both parties to attend. This non-binding mediation occurs early on, before the lawsuit’s discovery phase. According to DC law, all named parties are required to participate in mediation in these cases. The law has strict timetables for when mediation must occur.
Once you formally start your lawsuit by filing a complaint, the process involves several steps and can take anywhere from a year to three years. The discovery phase allows both sides to thoroughly examine each other’s claims and defenses, including exchanging documents, sending interrogatories, and depositing.
Most cases are resolved through negotiating settlements, which tend to provide quicker and often favorable patient outcomes.
If a settlement cannot be reached, your case may go to trial. Trials can extend the timeline further due to court schedules and potential delays.
It’s also essential to consider DC’s contributory negligence rule, which could affect your case if you’re found even 1 percent at fault for your injury. This rule could prevent you from recovering any damages, so if you think you might share some responsibility for your injury, consult an experienced Washington, DC personal injury lawyer at Regan Zambri Long to understand all your legal options.
The burden of proof, which is the responsibility to prove the claim you made, falls on the victim. Your DC medical malpractice lawyer from Regan Zambri Long will work to determine who is at fault and how to prove it. There are four elements needed to prove medical negligence:
If you suspect you’ve suffered due to medical malpractice, consider scheduling a free consultation with a Regan Zambri Long injury attorney to discuss your case and explore your options.
While there is no set amount for malpractice damages, your Washington, DC medical malpractice lawyer will work hard to secure several damages categorized as compensatory and punitive.
Compensatory damages cover the losses related to the malpractice, such as:
Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are awarded in cases of egregious negligence or when the defendant’s actions are deemed especially harmful or malicious.
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The statute of limitations, or the period injury victims have to file a medical malpractice claim in Washington, DC, is three years. This time limit usually means three years from when the medical error occurred. However, the three-year clock can also start when you discover a medical error harmed you.
The discovery rule, also known as the discovery of harm rule, is an exception to the statute of limitations. According to District of Columbia law, the timer does not start if the patient could not reasonably have known about the medical malpractice. This could happen months or even years after the date of treatment. The three-year deadline begins once the person knows they were injured and has some evidence of the hospital’s wrongdoing.
To ensure you don’t miss any critical deadlines to recover compensation, consult with a DC medical malpractice attorney as soon as you believe you or a family member may have been a victim of medical malpractice. Once it is outside the prescribed period, the victim or their family members cannot pursue a claim and potentially collect compensation.
Each case is different, but these types of claims are often complicated and can take several years to resolve. However, our medical negligence attorneys have the knowledge, experience, and financial backing to take on large hospitals and insurance companies. You can rest assured that your Washington, DC medical malpractice lawyer will be with you every step of the way.
At Regan Zambri Long PLLC, our medical malpractice law firm in Washington, DC, we have investigated and litigated hundreds of medical malpractice cases in DC, Virginia, and Maryland. We have obtained significant settlements and verdicts for our clients, providing them with the financial resources to restore their lives.
Fill out the form to schedule a free medical malpractice case consultation today. We look forward to hearing how we can help you or a loved one with your case.
