3 Facts You Should Know about Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Medical malpractice happens all too often, and when doctors or other medical professionals make mistakes that hurt patients, injured people can pursue justice and compensation via medical malpractice lawsuits.

Unfortunately, however, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about medical malpractice cases, and these misleading misconceptions can prevent people from standing up for their rights after being hurt by medical negligence.

To set the record straight, below, we’ll reveal some facts to know about medical malpractice lawsuits. While these facts are as interesting as they are enlightening, don’t hesitate to contact a Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyer at Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. when you are ready to:

• Learn more about your rights.
• Get experienced help holding negligent medical professionals responsible for hurting you.

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits: The Facts

1 – At least 80 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits involve claims of serious injury or death.

This has been reported by a study conducted at Harvard, which specifically found that:

• About 26 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits involved claims of death.
• About 15 percent involved claims of major physical injuries.
• Nearly 40 percent involved claims of “significant” physical injuries.

In contrast, only about 3 percent of medical malpractice claims didn’t involve any injury, according to this study. This underscores the fact that the majority of medical malpractice cases are NOT frivolous, unlike a common myth contends.

2 – About 6 percent of doctors are responsible for nearly 58 percent of all medical malpractice payments.

In fact, this study found that, of this 6 percent of doctors:

• Each physician was found liable at least twice.
• About 2.3 percent had been found liable three times.
• Just over 1 percent had been found liable 4 times.

This fact about medical malpractice reveals just how important these lawsuits are at targeting dangerous doctors who will clearly continue to put other patients’ health, wellbeing and lives at risk.

3 – Medical malpractice filings have been declining in recent years.

According to the National Center for State Courts, from 1997 through 2006:

• The number of medical malpractice filings in state courts throughout the U.S. dropped by approximately 8 percent.
• While personal injury cases make up about 6 percent of the civil caseload, medical malpractice lawsuits only comprise about 3 percent of the personal injury case load.

This fact debunks misconceptions that medical malpractice cases are clogging up the courts.

Did you find any of these facts about medical malpractice lawsuits surprising? If so, share your thoughts with us on Facebook & Google+.

Mount Vernon Medical Malpractice Lawyer at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C.

Have you or a loved one been hurt by any type of medical negligence? If so, an experienced and trusted Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyer at the Law Firm of Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. is ready to stand up for your rights.

To receive a free case evaluation and learn more about your legal options and how we can help you, contact us by calling (888) 896-9381 or by emailing us using the form at the upper right-hand side of the page. We can provide you with a free, thorough assessment of your case, along with professional advice regarding the best manner in which to move forward.