Healthcare providers must adhere to the most widely accepted standards of care when treating patients. However, there are many professionals who deviate from these standards and cause serious injuries or even wrongful death to patients. If you or someone you love was a victim of a negligent healthcare professional, contact our Las Vegas medical malpractice lawyers to discuss your options for pursuing compensation.
At Maier Gutierrez & Associates, we can assist with every aspect of your case, such as investigating the malpractice, gathering the necessary evidence to prove liability, and providing tenacious representation throughout the proceedings. Reach out to us today at 702-629-7900 to book a free consultation.
How to Prepare for Your First Meeting with a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Meeting with a medical negligence lawyer in Las Vegas can help you get the answers you need to make informed decisions about your claim. However, it’s also an opportunity for your legal team to assess your case and the evidence you’ve managed to gather so far. As such, you should try to prepare a few items to share with your attorney during this initial consultation.
Let’s look at a few steps you should take before this meeting:
- Write a Summary of Your Treatment and Recovery: While you won’t need to document every second of your recovery, it could help your attorney build a convincing case if you give them a summary of the care you’ve received to date. Describe the moment you first noticed the symptoms of your condition, when you were diagnosed, where you were diagnosed, what happened during consultations and follow-ups, mistakes you believe your healthcare providers made while treating you, and where you went to be treated for health complications caused by the original healthcare provider’s negligence. Your lawyer may rely on this summary to help identify any mistakes medical providers made and determine whether you have grounds to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.
- Create a List of All Your Medical Providers: If you were treated by many different healthcare providers, you should write down a comprehensive list of everyone you dealt with. From diagnostic testing centers to GPs to specialists, make sure that your list covers everyone involved with your treatment as your lawyer will need to request the relevant medical records from each medical provider who treated you.
- Write Down a List of Questions: Filing a medical malpractice claim is a daunting prospect, so it’s likely that you have many questions about the days ahead. During the initial consultation, your attorney can help give you clarity, providing you with answers to all your claim-related queries. However, it can be difficult to keep track of everything that’s on your mind—especially during this meeting—so it may help to write down a list of questions before sitting down with an attorney. Here are a few questions you might want to ask: How much is my case worth? Have you handled similar medical malpractice claims in the past? Have you taken cases to trial and won? What challenges do you think I will face during proceedings?
- Gather and Compile Medical Records and Other Important Documentation: Your lawyer may want to look through your medical records, invoices for treatment, photographs of your injuries, names and contact details of medical providers, and documents that could help prove lost income such as tax returns, pay stubs, and letters from your employer. Make copies of such documents and compile them in a safe place ready to share with your attorney.
What Damages Might Be Available in My Case?
Medical malpractice can lead to serious, debilitating health complications that can burden you with sky-high medical bills and other financially devastating losses. Fortunately, by filing a medical negligence claim, you may be able to recover compensation for both the economic and non-economic damages stemming from your injuries.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the losses that might be available to you:
- Medical Bills: Treating the complications caused by a healthcare provider’s negligence can cost a small fortune. Not only may you have to undergo surgery, take prescription medication, and attend follow-ups, but you might also need to attend physical therapy sessions and receive additional treatment in the future. In Nevada, you are allowed to seek compensation for any expenses you incurred as a direct result of your healthcare provider’s negligence. You will need up-to-date medical records to demonstrate such losses, so if you have not yet obtained copies of these files yourself, our attorneys can do so on your behalf.
- Pain and Suffering: A botched surgery or misdiagnosis can lead to excruciating agony, making it difficult for you to work, enjoy your hobbies, or take care of the household. While the intangible effects of your injuries are difficult to prove, you have a right to seek compensation for the ways in which your condition has affected your mental health and quality of life. Your attorney may advise you to start a personal injury journal to keep track of your pain levels, document limitations, and log medication side effects. This journal, in combination with psychiatric reports and eyewitness deposition, could help provide context for your medical records, giving a judge and/or jury a window into the ways you’ve suffered because of a healthcare provider’s negligence.
- Lost Income: Your condition may’ve sidelined you from work for weeks or even months. Some victims of medical malpractice are—due to the extent of their injuries—never able to work again. Thankfully, you have a right to seek compensation for any wages you lost as a result of your injuries. Additionally, if your condition is likely to affect your ability to earn a living in the future, you may also be able to pursue compensation for future lost wages and diminished earning potential.
Speak to a Las Vegas Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
When a healthcare provider is negligent, it’s their patients who pay the price. If you were the victim of medical malpractice in Las Vegas, it is in your best interests to discuss your situation with a medical negligence attorney.
At Maier Gutierrez & Associates, we have a proven track record of success helping medical malpractice victims recover compensation for the injuries they suffered at the hands of negligent healthcare providers. To lock in a free case assessment today, reach out to us at 702-629-7900 or by sending us a message using our online contact form HERE.
