As a mom, you might worry about various things happening to your child. You do not want to fixate on it, but you know there are tons of dangers in the world, and you want to protect your kid from them. It’s one of your foremost responsibilities as a parent.
You can certainly keep your child safe from strangers on the playground, and you can make sure they’re snug in their car seat before you drive them somewhere. That’s the easy stuff. Preventing medical malpractice is a lot harder.
That is because, as a mother, you want to trust your child’s doctor. After all, they have a medical degree, so you assume they know what they’re doing. Still, medical malpractice happens fairly often, and if your child is the victim, you’ll want financial compensation.
Here are four fundamental steps you can take that will make winning a medical malpractice lawsuit much more likely.
Research Some Different Lawyers
You might never have hired a lawyer before. Alternatively, maybe you have a lawyer, but you used them to help you buy a house or do your taxes.
If you have a good lawyer relationship already, and you suspect medical malpractice, you can talk to them about it. They may not be a trial lawyer, and they might not be able to represent you in this regard, but they may recommend a colleague who can.
If you can’t find a lawyer that way, you’ll need to do some research. You can find lots of information online.
You’ll want to locate an attorney who handles this particular lawsuit type and also one who is close enough for you to get to without going too far out of your way. You may find one who sounds ideal, but if their office is a three-hour drive from where you live, you’ll probably need to choose someone else.
Gather as Much Information as You Can
When you visit some prospective medical malpractice lawyers, try to gather as much information about what happened as possible. Don’t embellish the incident. Just give the lawyer a play-by-play of what happened, trying not to omit any crucial detail.
Once you have related to the lawyer what took place, they should be able to give you their expert opinion and say whether you have lawsuit grounds or not. If they say that you do, you’ll need to work out a payment plan if you want to hire them.
You’ll probably want to go with a contingency payment option if the lawyer will let you use one. That means you’ll only have to pay them if they win the suit for you. However, they will take a large chunk if you win, so be ready for that.
Figure Out What to do with Your Kid During the Trial
The doctor or medical professional who harmed your child will fight this lawsuit if they can. Their reputation is on the line.
If their lawyer tells them to settle out of court, they might do that. However, unless you have a preponderance of evidence that suggests your event version, they will most likely force a courtroom confrontation to try and clear their name.
The trial might take quite some time, and while it’s going on, you’ll need to figure out what to do with your child or children. If you have a spouse or partner, you might have them babysit or take over much of the child-rearing duties.
You can explain to them how critical it is that you win this lawsuit, especially if you need money to pay for the medical error’s results. Hopefully, your spouse or partner will understand, and they will help you while the trial is going on.
Prove the Medical Professional Did Not Meet the Care Standard
The most vital thing you can do during the trial is to prove that the doctor or other medical professional did not meet the care standard. This is the standard your child should have expected, but they did not receive.
Your lawyer can probably find expert witnesses who can agree with the findings that your child did not receive the care standard or that the medical professional made a grievous error. If they can do that, the jury will probably find in your favor.
As a parent, you might not want to spend a lot of your time in a courtroom. To aid your child, though, this is what you may have to do.