Thirty-four percent of U.S. patients have received the wrong medication, delayed or incorrect test results, mistreatment or a misdiagnosis, according to The Commonwealth Fund, a leading healthcare advocacy group. The U.S. rate is significantly higher than New Zealand, Canada, Australia and England. U.S. patients also paid dramatically more than patients from any of the other countries.

Much of the medical malpractice legislation passed in the last twenty years has favored the medical establishment, providing special protections and allowances for errors and mistakes medical professionals may make while caring for patients. For instance, Virginia is one of many states that puts a cap (currently $1.5 million) on the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in a medical malpractice case.

In addition to caps, state laws have been introduced to tighten statutes of limitations and demand higher standards of proof to demonstrate negligence and misconduct on the part of a physician, nurse or other medical practitioner. These new laws have been specifically designed to discourage victims and attorneys alike from pursuing justice through trial in all but the most severe cases of medical malpractice. Statistics show that these laws have had a significant impact on victims of medical malpractice.

Nearly 96 per cent of all medical malpractice claims are settled before trial, usually for much less than a winning verdict in court would yield.

Of the many thousands who suffer from negligence, sub-standard medical care and treatment each year, only a fraction recover compensation even close to the financial, physical and emotional toll of the injuries they’ve incurred. Errors due to misdiagnosis, miscommunication, inexperience, lack of qualifications or a simple lack of vigilance occur daily in American hospitals and doctor's offices, leading to serious illnesses and injuries, including birth injuries, organ failure, brain injury, spinal cord injury, mental illness, disfigurement, paralysis, disability and even death.

If you or a loved one has suffered serious or permanent injury as a result of a doctor or medical professional’s careless handling of your injury or illness, you deserve the best possible chance of obtaining the maximum recovery for your injuries. Hiring experienced and dedicated medical malpractice trial attorneys gives you that chance. If you live in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake or Suffolk, contact Breit Drescher Imprevento & Walker today for a free review of your medical malpractice case. Since 1988, our firm has worked to stop the advances of insurance companies in Virginia’s legal system and protect the rights of those injured through no fault of their own. In many instances we’ve won multi-million dollar verdicts for clients who were initially offered a fraction of that in settlement.

To talk to an attorney at Breit Drescher Imprevento & Walker, call us at 757-622-6000 or email us for a free consultation. An experienced attorney will contact you within 24 hours to review your case.