Alton Medical Malpractice Lawyers
When you’re harmed by medical negligence in Illinois, we want to help
All medical professionals – doctors, nurses, surgeons, technicians, and the medical facilities themselves – owe you a duty of competent care when they provide you treatment. At the very least, no one should ever leave a physician worse off than when they started. You have the legal right to expect that your medical provider will offer you a timely diagnosis, treatment plan, and respond to complications or emergencies in a proper manner.
When they fail to do so because of their negligent action (or inaction), our Alton attorneys will step up on your behalf and work to hold them liable for medical malpractice. We understand from our 25 years of experience that medical malpractice can cause serious and irreversible injuries. If this has happened to you or someone you love, let us help. We work with our network of expert resources to determine the scope of your injuries and explain to a jury why they never should have happened, as well as why you deserve the maximum compensation permitted for your damages. Contact us today.
How can we help?
- What is a medical malpractice claim?
- What types of medical malpractice claims does your firm handle?
- What are some examples of medical malpractice?
- What are the most common reasons medical malpractice happens?
- What is the value of my Alton medical malpractice claim?
- Do you have a medical malpractice lawyer near me?
What is a medical malpractice claim?
Medical malpractice claims arise when people are injured by their healthcare provider’s negligence. These providers can include doctors, hospitals, surgeons, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, podiatrists, and other medical professionals. Medical malpractice cases are often complex and time-consuming, so it’s important to consult with a knowledgeable attorney if you believe you have a claim.
In a medical malpractice claim, you (actually, your attorney) don’t have to prove that your doctor intentionally caused you injury, but that they deviated from the “standard of care.” This means that your healthcare provider failed to exercise reasonable care when providing medical treatment.
To put it simply, Medical News Today defines malpractice as “when a health care professional or provider neglects to provide appropriate treatment, omits to take an appropriate action, or gives substandard treatment that causes harm, injury, or death to a patient.”
What types of medical malpractice claims does your firm handle?
Our malpractice attorneys handle a wide variety of medical malpractice cases, including:
- Nursing home abuse
- Birth Injuries
- Emergency room injuries
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Lack of informed consent
- Improperly prescribed medications
- Bed sores
- Infectious diseases
- Heart attacks
- Aortic dissections
- Failure to restrain
We will investigate how your healthcare provider’s negligence caused your injuries, and get to work holding the right people and parties responsible.
What are some examples of medical malpractice?
A medical professional’s negligence can result in a variety of dangerous mistakes, including:
- Surgical errors, like performing the wrong procedure or leaving instruments inside a patient's body
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, which can lead to the progression of a serious condition like cancer
- Birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy or Erb's palsy, resulting from mistakes made during delivery
- Medication errors, including prescribing the wrong medication or the incorrect dosage
- Anesthesia errors, like administering too much or too little anesthesia
- Healthcare-acquired infections
- Improper treatment or follow-up care, resulting in further injury or illness
- Psychological injuries, including PTSD as a result of medical trauma
Because these cases can be difficult – but not impossible – to prove, our attorneys work with expert physicians to fully demonstrate that the harm your doctor caused was completely preventable and avoidable.
Good To Know: Vascular events, infections, and cancers account for nearly three-fourths of all serious harms from diagnostic errors. [Johns Hopkins]
What are the most common reasons medical malpractice happens?
Although sometimes, during medical treatment, things happen that are beyond anyone’s control, medical malpractice claims arise from negligent actions. During our 25 years of practice, we see clients come in with injuries caused by the following:
- Provider burnout, caused by the nationwide shortage of staff in hospitals and care centers. When staffing is short, patient care suffers. Overworked and tired doctors and other medical professionals may start making mistakes, from diagnostic mistakes to surgical errors to medication mix-ups. Any of these can be deadly to a patient.
- Knowledge gaps, which means that one doctor cannot possibly know everything. A general practitioner should know to refer a patient to a specialist for further care. When a patient has a specialized condition, their physician should understand they need a full and diverse medical team with the proper knowledge to treat their disease.
- Drug/alcohol impairment, which sounds impossible but absolutely happens. Medical professionals are vulnerable to substance abuse and addiction, but their actions can cause great harm or death to their patients if they bring that addiction to work.
- Poor documentation or communication, including errors in medical charts, failure to procure a patient’s full medical history, or failing to get a patient’s consent for a procedure.
Our malpractice attorneys will investigate to find out exactly what went wrong to lead to the harm you experienced, who should be held accountable, and work to secure the compensation you need to recover and live with your injuries.
What is the value of my Alton medical malpractice claim?
In a successful medical malpractice claim, the plaintiff (or injured person) is entitled to a variety of damages:
- Reimbursement for medical bills (current and future)
- Loss of past and future wages
- Disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
The intent of seeking compensation is to put the injured person back in the position they were prior to their injury.
Medical malpractice cases can also involve a claim for damages due to wrongful death. In this type of claim, the damages include loss of society (which is the loss of relationship of the family resulting from the death of a loved one), loss of support from the loss, medical bills, funeral and burial expenses. Illinois has enacted a law that allows recovery for grief suffered by the family for the death of their loved one.
Do you have a medical malpractice lawyer near me?
Glisson Law is located at 111 East Fourth Street, Suite 400, in Alton, IL. We’re a block away from City Hall, and you can find plenty of parking across the street. There’s also a bus stop right outside our office. Glisson Law conducts phone and video conferences when applicable, and makes home and hospital visits if you cannot travel to us.
Alton medical malpractice attorneys fighting for your rights
When medical professionals make mistakes, patients and their families are the ones who suffer. At Glisson Law, our medical malpractice attorneys protect patients who suffer harm and injuries when doctors make preventable errors. We’ll work to make things right and ensure you secure the compensation to which you’re entitled for the pain and suffering you’ve endured. Call our offices or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation today. We serve Belleville, Edwardsville, St. Clair and Madison County, and all of Southwestern Illinois.