Medical Malpractice Hurts Residents of Orland Park, Illinois

You may be entitled to compensation if you were harmed by the negligence of a physician or other health care provider

A few years ago, Money Magazine listed Orland Park, IL as a contender in its ranking of the best places to live in America. With so many hiking and biking trails, parks, wildlife refuges, golf courses, malls, and sports complexes, the residents of the 60462 and 60467 ZIP Codes are never at a loss for something to do. If you are not running in the Turkey Trot, you might be boating on Lake Sedgewick or skating on the ice rink in Centennial Park.

Sadly, life is not fun for everyone in Orland Park. Some people are living with chronic pain or a serious disability because they did not receive the quality health care that they deserved. Some residents may have even passed away because their doctors failed to diagnose a condition in time to treat it effectively. Medical malpractice can cause paralysis, brain damage, and other serious health problems. If you or your child, spouse, or parent suffered an injury or death because a health care provider was negligent, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

If you or a family member were harmed by medical malpractice, call the Law Offices of Thomas W. Lynch & Associates at (708) 598-5999 for a free case evaluation. An attorney who understands your suffering is available to give you immediate assistance. You can also complete our online contact form if you want someone on our staff to contact you.

Understanding Medical Malpractice

Doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and other healthcare professionals live busy lives. They see many patients every day. Sometimes they see too many. Occasionally they rush through appointments to get to the next patient. The pressure to stay on schedule can sometimes cause physicians and other healthcare professionals to become careless. Careless behaviors and attitudes sometimes lead to negligent actions and omissions.

Negligence in the performance of medical services that causes an injury, disability, needless pain, or death is called medical malpractice. Health care professionals are required to provide their patients with the same standard of care that is commonly accepted as appropriate by other professionals in the community. A careless act, or the failure to take some action that a reasonable professional would take, constitutes medical malpractice. All health care professionals are held to the standards of their profession, including:

• General practitioners and internists
• Family doctors and primary care providers
• Surgeons
• Obstetricians
• Oncologists
• Emergency room physicians
• Laboratory and x-ray technicians
• Hospital staff members
• Nurses including visiting nurses
• Dentists
• Chiropractors
• and any other professional working in the field of healthcare

At the Law Offices of Thomas W. Lynch & Associates, we understand how difficult it is to live with a disability or enduring pain, or to cope with the death or suffering of loved one, as the result of medical malpractice. Make an appointment with one of our attorneys at our office in Hickory Hills or Berwyn by calling (708) 598-5999, or fill out our online contact form to receive a free case evaluation

Are You the Victim of Medical Malpractice?

If your healthcare provider made any of these common mistakes and it lead to serious complications, irreversible harm or undue suffering, you might be the victim of medical malpractice:

• Your doctor failed to diagnose a serious disease such as cancer and the delayed treatment lead to serious complications
• Your doctor misdiagnosed a disease
• Your doctor did not order tests necessary to diagnose a serious disease for which you were showing symptoms
• Your doctor misinterpreted an x-ray or misunderstood a test result
• Your surgeon operated on the wrong part of your body
• Your surgeon left a sponge or medical instrument inside your body
• Your surgeon made a mistake that needed to be corrected with new surgery
• Your surgeon made a mistake that left you paralyzed or disabled
• Your doctor recommended and performed an unnecessary surgery
• The hospital staff gave you the wrong medication
• The hospital staff mixed up your records with those of another patient
• The medical staff at a nursing home failed care for you, your parent or your spouse
• The medical staff at a nursing home failed to consult with the patient’s doctor and mistreated the patient
• Your doctor did not warn you about the risks of a certain medication or surgery and you came to harm
• Your doctor failed to protect your baby from harm during delivery
• Your baby suffered brain damage or other injury because your doctor waited too long to perform a Cesarean section

Everyone makes mistakes and not every mistake made by a health care provider is medical malpractice. Still, serious mistakes that lead to avoidable diseases, disabilities, pain, and even death occur every day. If your doctor, hospital, or other healthcare provider is responsible for your physical suffering or for emotional trauma resulting from a loved one’s death, you may have the right to be compensated.

Compensation for Medical Malpractice

All doctors, hospitals, and healthcare providers are required to carry malpractice insurance. Insurance companies settle legitimate claims every day rather than risking a trial that they might lose. An experienced medical malpractice attorney can assemble the evidence needed to make a persuasive argument and can negotiate a settlement amount that is beneficial to you.

Your entitlement to compensation might include the cost of future healthcare costs as well as the cost of necessary medical equipment, the expense of remodeling a house to accommodate a disability, the cost of special education for a brain damaged child, and any other expenses you may incur because of negligent care. You may also be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering as well as emotional distress.

Most cases settle out of court. Many cases settle before filing suit. Keep in mind, however, that you have a limited amount of time, usually two years, to file a medical malpractice lawsuit after you become aware that you were injured by medical negligence. Filing early provides sufficient time to gather evidence, statements from witnesses and expert opinions.

A few cases cannot be settled out of court. In those cases, the lawyers at Thomas W. Lynch & Associates will partner with experienced lawyers who focus on medical malpractice trials to bring your case in front of a jury. Our lawyers will fight hard to get you the compensation you deserve.

If you or a loved one were injured by the negligence of a doctor or other health care provider, the clock is ticking. You need to get help before the statute of limitations expires. For immediate assistance, call the Law Offices of Thomas W. Lynch & Associates at (708) 598-5999 or fill out our online contact form.