Were you injured due to a medical error in Atlanta, GA? When a doctor makes a mistake, they should be held accountable. Medical errors can cause severe physical injuries, drastically reduce a patient’s life expectancy and quality of life, and even result in death. As a victim, it’s important for you to assert your rights and take legal action. The experienced Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers at Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC can help you take on the hospital and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Victims of medical malpractice choose Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC because we’re award-winning Georgia trial lawyers with 85+ years of collective legal experience. Our tireless pursuit of justice has yielded over $600 million in monetary awards, including countless multi-million dollar recoveries.
We’re here to earn the case results you deserve to get your life back on track. We offer a free consultation. Contact us at our Atlanta law office to begin today, or call us at (404) 869-8600.
How Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC Helps Victims of Medical Malpractice in Atlanta, GA
Medical malpractice litigation is challenging, thanks in large part to the fact that Georgia law protects providers more than it does patients. As a result, it can be difficult to hold a negligent healthcare provider responsible when a mistake is made in Atlanta, Georgia. If you want to win your case, putting the best Atlanta personal injury attorneys in your corner is crucial.
At Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC, we’re nationally recognized litigators with a proven ability to make a difference in the lives of the people we represent. We offer the personalized representation of a small law firm but consistently recover results typically associated with big box firms. In fact, we’re one of a handful of Georgia personal injury law firms to recover multiple $20+ million awards for clients.
When you ask for our help with your medical malpractice lawsuit, you’ll be able to count on us to:
- Conduct a prompt and thorough independent investigation into your medical care to identify what mistake was made, how it should have been avoided, and who’s at fault
- Gather and evaluate critical pieces of evidence, not limited to your hospital records, provider notes, communication between members of your healthcare team, and witness statements
- Bring in independent medical experts to weigh in and offer insight as we build your case
- Craft an affidavit of merit supported by expert testimony to demonstrate the legitimacy of your legal claim for damages
- File your medical malpractice claim with the local Fulton County court clerk
- Represent your family during negotiations with your doctor, the hospital, the insurance company, and any other defendants named in your lawsuit
- Help you understand the potential pros and/or cons of accepting any settlement offers you receive
- Argue the merits of your medical malpractice lawsuit at trial if the hospital won’t take accountability for your injuries
Choosing Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC allows you to get the top-tier legal representation you deserve without added financial stress. Our contingency structured representation means we only get paid if we recover compensation for your medical malpractice case. If we win, our fees will be removed from your financial award, so you will pay absolutely nothing out of your pocket for our help.
Now is the time to take action. Call our Atlanta law office today to discuss the details of your case. Your initial case evaluation is absolutely free.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Malpractice refers to a failure to exercise the degree of care that’s required in a given profession. This can include intentionally harmful actions, fraud, or even negligence.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider exhibits this kind of conduct while treating a patient.
Common examples of medical errors that are often considered malpractice include:
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose
- Surgical errors
- Emergency room errors
- Anesthesia errors
- Prescription medication errors
- Birth injuries
- Brain injuries
When malpractice results in a patient’s injury or death, the provider can be considered negligent and, in turn, liable for resulting damages.
How Do I Win a Medical Malpractice Case in Atlanta?
You can win a medical malpractice lawsuit in Atlanta if you can prove that your healthcare provider was negligent.
You must prove four distinct elements:
Duty of Care
You have to demonstrate that the defendant – like your doctor or the hospital where you received care – owed you a duty of care. A duty of care exists when a provider-patient relationship exists.
In Georgia, healthcare providers are held to heightened standards. They’re expected to exercise the reasonable degree of care and skill that would be expected of them, given their education, training, and experience.
Breach of Duty
Once you’ve established that a duty of care exists, you must prove that it was breached in some way. A breach occurs when a provider’s level of care fails to meet expected standards within Georgia’s medical community, specifically when a provider doesn’t exercise the care, skill, or knowledge expected of them in their position.
Causation
The breach of duty must have been a direct and proximate cause of your injury or loved one’s wrongful death. Put another way, the injury you’ve suffered cannot be a reasonably foreseeable risk of the treatment provided. It must be a consequence of the provider’s mistake or lapse in judgment.
Damages
Even if the provider has clearly made a mistake, you cannot win your medical malpractice case if you cannot demonstrate that you’ve suffered damages. Damages can be financial losses related to medical care, lost wages, or harder-to-value emotional struggles.
How Much Is My Atlanta Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
It depends. Everyone who is the victim of medical negligence will have a different story. The details of each story will have the greatest impact on the value of a related legal claim for damages.
Some important considerations include:
- What types of physical injuries have you suffered?
- What type of corrective medical treatment or care is needed to get you better?
- How long will you require medical care?
- How has your quality of life changed?
- How old are you?
- Can you still work?
- Have you suffered any changes in your earning capacity?
- Has the medical error reduced your life expectancy?
- What out-of-pocket costs have you had?
The more the medical error changes your life, the more you can usually expect to recover through a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Knowledge is power, especially when you’re negotiating a settlement with a hospital or insurance company. That’s where Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC can help. Our Georgia medical malpractice lawyers in Atlanta will carefully review the details of your case, help you understand its potential value, and work hard to ensure you’re awarded a settlement (or jury award) that genuinely makes you whole.
What Types of Damages Can Be Awarded to Victims of Medical Errors?
When you file a personal injury lawsuit against your doctor or the hospital where you received care, you’ll be able to ask for compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages can include two different types of awards: those for economic losses and those for non-economic losses.
Economic losses can include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Funeral expenses
Non-economic losses can include harder-to-value struggles, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement
- Embarrassment
- PTSD
- Chronic physical pain
In Georgia, doctors and hospitals can also be ordered to pay punitive damages when a jury determines that there’s evidence of fraud, intentional misconduct, or gross negligence.
Who Can Be Liable For Medical Negligence?
Anyone who contributes to a medical error or a patient’s injury can be liable for medical malpractice, including the following:
- Primary care physician
- Emergency room physician
- Surgeon
- Oncologist, pediatrician, or another type of medical specialist
- Nurse
- Nurse practitioner
- Anesthesiologist
- Pharmacist
- Hospital staff member
- Hospital administration
When you choose Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC as your advocate, you’ll be able to rest assured that our medical malpractice attorneys in Atlanta will carefully investigate your situation and work to uncover precisely who is accountable for your injuries, costs, and suffering.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Georgia?
Georgia applies a two-year statute of limitations to most medical malpractice lawsuits. The two-year period begins to run on the date an injury is sustained or discovered, whichever is later.
Put another way, the statute of limitations won’t begin to run until your injury is diagnosed, even if that’s after the date it was caused by a medical mistake.
You lose the right to take legal action once the filing deadline passes. Protect your rights by contacting an experienced Georgia medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta right away. At Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC, members of our team are always standing by to help.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Atlanta Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Don’t struggle with the aftermath of a medical injury on your own. Ensure your doctor is held accountable by trusting Goldstein Hayes & Lina, LLC to fight for you.
Our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers are skilled litigators with over 85 years of collective experience. Standing up for our client’s rights, we’ve successfully obtained over $600 million in settlements and jury awards.
Now, we’re here to fight for you. Contact our Atlanta law office to get started. There’s no charge for your initial case evaluation.
