How Much Can You Sue for Medical Malpractice in Maryland?
When you suffer an injury or illness, you trust that your doctors will figure out what is wrong and how to make you better. Like most patients, you probably believe your physicians know what they are doing. Unfortunately, medical professionals occasionally make mistakes. When you suffer significant harm due to a healthcare provider’s error, you deserve extensive compensation for your losses. An experienced medical malpractice attorney in Maryland could help you file a lawsuit to hold the responsible party accountable for the suffering their negligence caused.
Proving Medical Malpractice
Injured patients can file claims against licensed medical practitioners based on the provider’s negligence, omissions, mistakes, or misconduct. To succeed in a lawsuit, the patient must show that their medical practitioner’s actions or inactions fell below what the medical community would recognize as acceptable or appropriate. A dedicated local attorney could help a patient meet the burden of proving malpractice by gathering evidence showing the medical provider breached the prevailing standard of care. The court would compare the medical provider’s actions with what another provider with the same education, training, and/or experience would likely have done while facing similar circumstances. A seasoned lawyer could review the patient’s medical record and speak with knowledgeable medical experts who could review the defendant’s actions to see if the defendant provided the patient with the correct level of care.
Calculating the Potential Value of a Maryland Malpractice Claim
Every malpractice case is different. No set number determines the potential value of a claim. A wide range of factors can influence a settlement amount or damages award, such as:
Current and Future Anticipated Medical Bills
Medical mistakes can result in costly medical bills arising from needing further medical treatment to fix the injury. A dedicated legal team could help a patient gather medical reports linking their injury to the healthcare worker’s mistake. They could also work with medical experts to explain the type of medical treatments, nursing care, therapeutic care, and assistive care the patient might need in the future due to the medical professional’s error.
Lost Wages
If the injury or illness prevents a patient from working, they can pursue recovery of lost wages, work benefits, and earning expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Injured patients can also recover damages to compensate them for losses that have no exact price tag. Patients can recover compensation for their non-economic damages, such as for their:
- Mental anguish
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment in life
While there are no limits on the potential recovery of economic damages, Maryland does cap the amount of recoverable non-economic damages for medical malpractice based on the year the injury or death resulting from the medical mistake occurred, as outlined in Maryland Code Section 3-2A-09. An experienced local attorney could explain how the damage limits might apply to your case.
Talk to a Maryland Attorney Today About Your Medical Malpractice Claim
No amount of monetary damages can restore everything to the same conditions they were in before a medical mistake. However, pursuing compensation could help you cope with any financial and other challenges that have arisen due to your medical injuries or condition.
Talk to a knowledgeable attorney at Price Benowitz if you want to determine how much you can sue for medical malpractice in Maryland.
