St. Petersburg Medical Malpractice Lawyers - Paul Knopf Bigger

Have you suffered an injury or health complication after undergoing medical treatment or rehabilitation? Your healthcare provider’s negligence could be to blame. If so, you could file a medical malpractice lawsuit against them, demanding that they compensate you for the harm they caused you. But these cases are complicated and complex, which is why it’s best to have experienced attorneys from Paul Knopf Bigger by your side.

We help accident victims get the compensation and accountability they deserve from people who cause their injuries. That includes making negligent medical professionals pay for their mistakes. You’re not just a case number on a file — you’re a person who suffered at the hands of someone you trusted, and now you need help rebuilding your life. Our attorneys and staff will always honor the trust you place in us.

At Paul Knopf Bigger, we take the time to get to know you and your concerns, so that we can keep them at the center of every decision we make during your case. This client-first approach has helped us win big against major insurers in medical malpractice lawsuits, and it’s an approach we’re eager to put to work for you.

If you’ve suffered an adverse health outcome and believe a medical mistake is to blame, you may have legal options to pursue compensation for your losses. Contact Paul Knopf Bigger today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a medical malpractice attorney.

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice refers to a type of personal injury claim arising from negligent or reckless medical treatment that injures a patient or causes a patient to suffer an adverse outcome to their treatment. However, not every adverse outcome occurs because of medical malpractice. Instead, a healthcare provider commits malpractice when they render treatment that fails to meet the applicable “standard of care,” and that treatment causes the patient harm.

Although each patient’s case has unique standards of care, medical professionals generally use the term to mean the treatment decisions and actions that other providers of similar training and experience would undertake in identical circumstances. As a result, the law does not hold providers liable for malpractice when other professionals in their specialty would have rendered the same or similar treatment. Only when a provider’s treatment decisions fall outside the scope of the standard of care may they bear responsibility for a patient’s injuries in a medical malpractice case.

What Are Common Types of Medical Malpractice Cases?

At Paul Knopf Bigger, our legal team advocates on behalf of victims of medical malpractice involving:

• Surgical errors, including wrong site/patient surgery, failure to monitor, or leaving equipment inside a patient
• Anesthesia errors, including administering too much or too little anesthesia during a procedure
• Medication errors, including prescribing contraindicated medication, dosage calculation errors, pharmacy errors, or administering medication to the wrong patient
• Hospital-acquired infections
• Emergency room errors, including triage errors and premature discharge
• Misdiagnosis/delayed diagnosis of cancer or other potentially terminal diseases
• Radiology and diagnostic laboratory errors
• Birth injuries

What Are Common Types of Birth Injuries?

Birth injuries refer to physical trauma or medical complications a mother or baby suffers during or immediately after delivery. Some of the most common kinds of birth injuries that occur due to medical malpractice include:

Who Can Be Held Responsible for Medical Malpractice?

A patient harmed by negligent care can file a medical malpractice claim against any healthcare professionals involved in the improper treatment. Depending on the circumstances, these parties might include:

These healthcare professionals’ employers or the facilities where negligent care occurs may also bear liability for medical malpractice. For example, you might hold a hospital or outpatient facility liable for substandard care you received at that facility.

What Types of Compensation Can I Pursue in a Medical Malpractice Claim?

At Paul Knopf Bigger, we want to help you pursue compensation for everything you’ve suffered as the result of medical malpractice, including money for:

• Additional medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses to treat the injuries or complications caused by negligent healthcare
• Long-term care expenses you incur if you suffer physical or cognitive impairments
• Lost wages/income from the additional time you must take off work to recover
• Lost future earning capacity and employment benefits if your injuries or complications permanently disable you from work
• Physical pain and anguish
• Emotional trauma and distress
• Reduced life expectancy from misdiagnosis
• Loss of quality and enjoyment of life due to permanent scarring/disfigurement or physical/cognitive disabilities

What Is the Process for Filing a Medical Malpractice Claim in Florida

Filing a medical malpractice claim in Florida has unique requirements that other personal injury claims don’t have. Your lawsuit will require you to obtain an affidavit from a medical professional in the same specialty or subspecialty as the healthcare provider who negligently treated you. This affidavit must state the medical professional’s opinion that your provider’s treatment fell outside the applicable standard of care and injured you.

Once you have an affidavit to support your malpractice claim, you must deliver written notice of your intent to file a medical malpractice lawsuit to your provider at least 90 days before you can file suit. During these 90 days, your provider can investigate your claims and either deny liability or offer you a settlement. You have 50 days to accept or reject any proposed settlement. You may file your medical malpractice lawsuit after the 90-day investigation period has expired, if your provider has denied liability, or if you’ve rejected the provider’s settlement offer.

How Can I Prove Medical Malpractice?

A medical malpractice lawsuit requires you to prove that your healthcare provider rendered negligent treatment in your case and that you suffered harm due to that treatment. You will need various kinds of evidence to prove these elements, including:

How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit in Florida?

The statute of limitations in Florida imposes a deadline for filing your medical malpractice lawsuit. You have two years after receiving negligent care or two years after discovering (or when you should have discovered through reasonable diligence) the harm you suffered due to negligence, whichever occurs later. However, you must file your lawsuit within four years of the negligent treatment, regardless of when you discover your injury. (Note that this rule does not apply to medical malpractice lawsuits brought on behalf of minors before they reach age 8.)

Because Florida has complex deadlines for medical malpractice claims, reach out to Paul Knopf Bigger as soon as possible so our law firm may get started on your lawsuit. Otherwise, you may lose the opportunity to recover compensation from the healthcare providers responsible for your harm and losses.

How a Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help with Your Case

Suffering injuries or health complications due to careless or reckless medical treatment can leave you walking a long road of additional treatment and rehabilitative care. At the same time, you have a limited time to pursue compensation from those who hurt you. This presents a challenge that a medical malpractice attorney can solve.

At Paul Knopf Bigger, we can handle all the details of your legal case on your behalf while you focus on your physical and emotional recovery. Let our firm fight to secure the financial and legal recovery you deserve by:

• Pursuing evidence needed to build your case, including requesting your medical records, sending evidentiary hold requests, and interviewing witnesses
• Identifying the provider or providers responsible for the negligent care you received and evaluating potential options for financial recovery, including applicable insurance coverage
• Documenting the harm you’ve suffered and working with medical experts to build a compelling case
• Calculating your ongoing and future anticipated medical and rehabilitative needs to ensure we pursue the financial resources you need now and in the future
• Dealing with hospital representatives, insurance adjusters, and defense lawyers on your behalf so you can focus on healing
• Negotiating with liable parties and insurers to secure a fair and full settlement
• Taking your claims to court and trial if the liable parties refuse to make a fair offer

Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

You deserve accountability and financial security after the harm you’ve suffered at the hands of a negligent healthcare provider. We want to help you get it. Contact a medical malpractice attorney in St. Petersburg from Paul Knopf Bigger today for a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about your legal options.