Were you or a loved one harmed because of a doctor’s careless mistake in Fort Mill, SC? Medical professionals in South Carolina are required to adhere to certain standards. If you were hurt because your doctor provided substandard care, an experienced Fort Mill medical malpractice lawyer can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.
Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys is an award-winning law firm. Our skilled lawyers have over 150 years of legal experience between us. To date, our track record of success includes recovering over $100 million in settlements and verdicts.
We’re here to help you hold the negligent medical provider accountable. Contact our law offices in Fort Mill, South Carolina at 803-902-4045 to schedule a free consultation today.
Why Call Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys for Help After a Medical Error in Fort Mill, SC?
You should be able to trust that your doctors are providing the quality care you deserve. Careless medical treatment can leave you struggling with painful and life-changing results. When doctors make certain types of mistakes, you can hold them financially responsible.
That’s often easier said than done. Medical malpractice laws are complicated. You’ll need qualified experts to testify on your behalf. The procedural rules alone can be confusing.
An experienced Fort Mill personal injury attorney can handle all of the complications. Our team at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys has been trusted by injury victims like you since we founded our practice back in 1980.
You can count on us to:
- Review your medical records, interview witnesses, and investigate to gain evidence
- Hire the experts necessary to proceed with your case
- Handle the paperwork
- Locate any parties who are legally responsible for the mistake
- Make sure you understand the fair value of your case and have the tools to make informed decisions
- Negotiate fiercely for a full financial settlement
Medical malpractice laws tend to protect doctors and hospitals. Our Fort Mill personal injury attorneys understand how the system works–and we know how to succeed. Contact our law firm today to get started with your case.
How Common is Medical Malpractice in South Carolina?
According to the National Practitioner Data Bank, 154 medical malpractice claims were filed in South Carolina in 2022. Victims in those cases recovered a total of about $63.3 million in compensation awards.
We Handle All Types of Medical Malpractice Claims in Fort Mill
Some examples of the types of medical malpractice cases we handle include:
- Emergency room errors
- Surgical errors
- Failure to diagnose or delayed diagnosis
- Misdiagnosis
- Birth injuries and OB/GYN negligence
- Hospital negligence
- Anesthesia errors
- Medication errors
- Pharmacy negligence
- Nursing negligence
- Radiology errors
Medical errors can occur in many different situations. Further, any healthcare professional can be held liable for negligence. If you think you were a victim of medical malpractice, call our law firm to learn about your legal rights today.
Do I Have a Valid Medical Malpractice Case?
Medical malpractice is a type of negligence. To recover damages, you’ll have to prove certain specific elements.
Those elements include:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care, which is typically easy to prove if you were a patient
- The medical standard of care that applied in your case
- The defendant breached their duty by failing to provide care that satisfied the applicable standard of care
- That breach caused you some type of concrete harm
- The level of damages you suffered
Often, medical malpractice claims hinge on proving:
- The level of care that a reasonable, trained medical professional would have provided under the circumstances
- The level of care provided by your healthcare provider deviated from what a reasonable doctor would have done
Doctors aren’t perfect, and the law doesn’t expect them to be. You only have a valid claim for compensation if you were harmed due to your doctor’s failure to satisfy the standards developed by the medical community.
What is My Fort Mill Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
This is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Medical conditions can be unpredictable–especially if they’ve been left untreated.
Before taking an insurance settlement, it’s critical to understand the full extent of the damage. That can require careful evaluation and consultation with experts in various fields.
Some factors that our lawyers will evaluate include:
- The nature of the harm you suffered due to the error
- The nature and gravity of the mistake
- Whether you will suffer any long-term or permanent damage
- The financial losses you suffer due to the error, including medical treatment costs, therapies, and lost income
- Damage to your quality of life and ability to enjoy life
- The strength of the evidence
- The quality and skill of your legal representation
A serious medical error can change the entire course of your future. Our medical malpractice lawyers in Fort Mill are here to fight for the money you need to move forward. Contact us today to learn more about your case value.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Medical Malpractice in South Carolina?
Like any car accident victim, you may be entitled to economic damages and non-economic damages if your case succeeds.
Some common examples of the types of damages victims of medical mistakes suffer include:
- Current medical bills
- Ongoing medical expenses made necessary because of the error
- Lost wages and employment benefits
- Lost future earning potential
- Therapies and rehabilitation
- Counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced life expectancy
- Emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues
- PTSD
- Damage to personal relationships
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement or scarring
- Loss of consortium
You’re entitled to recover the full value of your economic damages without limit. However, the amount of non-economic damages you can recover in a medical malpractice case is capped under South Carolina law.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in South Carolina?
Most medical malpractice attorneys in South Carolina work on contingency. A contingency fee is one that depends on the outcome of your case. The more your lawyer wins in your case, the higher their attorney’s fees.
Most attorneys charge between 33% and 40% of the client’s compensation. In exchange, you don’t have to worry about paying attorney’s fees upfront–or if your lawyer doesn’t recover compensation for you.
Our Fort Mill Medical Malpractice Attorneys Will Fight to Recover Compensation for the Harm You Have Suffered
Quality medical care can make a world of difference when it comes to your life expectancy and quality of life. When doctors make mistakes, patients are often left to struggle with severe long-term damage.
Victims of medical errors can suffer a wide range of harm, including:
- Worsened medical conditions
- A need for more invasive and dangerous medical care
- Unnecessary surgeries
- Broken bones
- Brain damage
- Amputations and loss of limbs
- Infections
- Chronic pain
- Dependency on pain medications
- Reduced life expectancy
- Organ damage
- Blood clots
- Stroke
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
If you or a family member were harmed, call Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys today. We offer free consultations, so there’s no reason to wait for the help you deserve.
What Causes Most Medical Errors in Fort Mill?
Some of the leading causes of medical mistakes include:
- Misinterpreting test results
- Failure to order the proper diagnostic tests
- Lab mixups
- Failure to take a complete patient history
- Charting and communication failures
- Mistaken patient identity
- Operating on the wrong body part
- Lack of patient’s informed consent
- Failure to monitor the patient properly
- Failure to provide proper post-operative instructions
- Inexperienced healthcare providers
- Unsanitary conditions
- Overworked medical professionals
- Failure to refer a patient to a specialist
- Failure to recognize a patient’s symptoms
Because our lawyers have both experience and resources, we’re well-prepared to handle even the most complex medical injury cases. We know you have a lot on your plate right now. Still, you shouldn’t put off speaking to a lawyer. The sooner your lawyer starts building your case, the better the results.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit After a Medical Error in South Carolina?
The statute of limitations is three years under South Carolina medical malpractice laws. Generally, you must sue for damages within three years of the mistake or risk losing your right to compensation entirely.
However, the law grants victims of medical errors some leeway. If you don’t discover the harm immediately, you have three years from the date you discover or reasonably should have discovered the mistake.
A statute of repose does apply to bar any claims brought more than six years after the medical error occurred.
Contact a Fort Mill Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Do you have questions about your rights under South Carolina medical malpractice laws? Our team at Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys is ready to help. Contact us today at 803-902-4045 to schedule a free consultation with our experienced Fort Mill medical malpractice attorneys.