Redding Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When you make a doctor’s appointment or seek care in a hospital or outpatient facility, you should never have to worry that you will end up suffering a serious injury because of a healthcare provider’s negligence. Yet Johns Hopkins Medicine emphasizes that medical mistakes are the third-leading cause of death in the country, and thousands of patients sustain non-fatal injuries as a result of healthcare providers’ negligent acts and omissions. Did you recently suffer an injury because of a healthcare provider’s negligence? An experienced Redding medical malpractice lawyer at our firm can get started on your case today.
Liability in a Redding Medical Malpractice Case
Who is liable in a Redding medical malpractice lawsuit? The party or parties named in your lawsuit will depend upon the specific facts of your case, yet it is important to know that many different healthcare providers may be responsible when a medical negligence injury occurs. Examples of parties who may be liable include but are not limited to:
- Physician;
- Surgeon;
- Anesthesiologist;
- Nurse;
- Nurse practitioner;
- Hospital or other in-patient facility;
- Outpatient medical facility;
- Laboratory;
- Laboratory technician;
- Dentist; or
- Pharmacist.
You may also be able to name other parties in your lawsuit. Your medical malpractice attorney in Redding can help you to determine who may be responsible for your injuries.
Statute of Limitations for Your Redding Medical Malpractice Case
The statute of limitations is the amount of time set by California law for an injured person to file a lawsuit against the responsible party in order to seek financial compensation. In general, California law sets the statute of limitations in medical malpractice cases at three years. This means that you will need to file your lawsuit within three years from the date of the healthcare provider’s act of negligence that gave rise to your injury and to the claim.
However, there is an important exception that you should note. California law recognizes that there are certain circumstances in which an injured patient might not immediately realize that she has been injured, or that her healthcare provider’s negligence has caused significant harm. For example, when a patient is misdiagnosed and the patient does not receive timely treatment for a serious disease or other medical condition, the patient might not realize for several months or even years that the diagnostic injury occurred—not until a proper diagnosis is given. Similarly, when a surgical injury results in a foreign object being left inside a patient’s body, such as a sponge, the patient may not discover that injury until the object begins producing symptoms, sometimes many years later.
In such cases, the statute of limitations is one year from the date that the patient discovered or reasonably should have discovered the malpractice. Such claims can be filed even if three years or more have passed since the initial injury, or since the healthcare provider’s negligent act or omission.
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney in Redding, CA
If you need help with a medical negligence claim, one of our Redding medical malpractice attorneys can assist you. Contact Venardi Zurada today.
