Prince George’s County Cancer Misdiagnosis Lawyer
While being diagnosed with cancer is always a scary experience, modern medical science has advanced to the point that many forms of this disease can be destroyed if caught early and treated appropriately. However, even less severe cancer variants can be debilitating and even deadly if they are allowed to progress without treatment. Unfortunately, this exact scenario can sometimes result solely because of negligence by a medical professional.
When you believe your physician—or that of a now-deceased family member—failed to properly employ their skills and experience to identify cancer within a reasonable period, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit against them with the help of a seasoned malpractice attorney. Proving fault and recovering fair compensation in cases like this is far from a simple task, but retaining the service of a Prince George’s County cancer misdiagnosis lawyer could significantly improve your odds of securing justice.
What Causes Cancer Misdiagnoses?
Every medical professional must meet a “standard of care” with every patient. This requires them to act the same way an equally trained and experienced physician would under similar circumstances. There are various ways a physician could fail to meet this “standard” that leads to them failing to diagnose a patient’s cancer or misdiagnosing it as another condition, including:
- Misinterpreting test results or failing to order tests when appropriate
- Not recognizing symptoms of cancer or connecting symptoms to another condition without following up
- Failing to review a patient’s medical records
- Not being thorough when performing physical exams
- Ignoring or dismissing a patient’s complaints
- Failing to refer a patient to the correct specialist or any specialist at all
- Failing to follow up with patients and adjust or change treatment options that are not working
While a patient’s primary treating physician will often be the party primarily at fault for this sort of malpractice, numerous other parties may hold partial or direct fault as well. This could include technicians, nurses, hospital administrators, and third-party manufacturers who may have produced and sold faulty medical equipment. A Prince George’s County cancer misdiagnosis attorney could help determine who is to blame for a specific breakdown in treatment and take appropriate legal action against them.
Deadlines for Pursuing Financial Recovery After a Cancer Misdiagnosis
Even though cancer can have lifelong and potentially life-threatening consequences, people who fall victim to cancer misdiagnoses have a limited amount of time to file suit against the person or people responsible for harming them. If a patient is pursuing litigation on their behalf, they generally have either five years after initially sustaining harm or three years after discovering they have sustained harm—whichever comes first—to begin the litigation process.
However, if a cancer misdiagnosis in Prince George’s County results in a patient’s premature death before they can file suit themselves, surviving family members have three years after their loved one’s date of death to file suit or have a qualified attorney do so for them.
Seek Help from a Prince George’s County Cancer Misdiagnosis Attorney
Diagnosing and treating cancer quickly is vital to maximizing a patient’s quality and length of life. Any physician who fails to properly diagnose cancer due to careless misconduct can—and should—be held accountable for the repercussions their actions have on their patient.
Call today to schedule a consultation with a compassionate Prince George’s County cancer misdiagnosis lawyer to begin reviewing the details of your case.
