Dougherty County Hospital Negligence Lawyer
If a hospital hires an unqualified employee or the negligence of one or more of its employees causes injury to a patient, it could be held liable. Hospitals are responsible for effectively appraising prospective employees’ qualifications, including prior experience, certifications, and level of education. Hospitals also have a duty of care to direct and supervise their employees.
Unfortunately, no one is immune to hospital negligence. You may not be able to keep hospital negligence from occurring, but if it happens to you, you could hire a seasoned Dougherty County hospital negligence lawyer to help file a lawsuit against the hospital. A team of client-centered attorneys could work with you and place your needs at the front of a case.
Dougherty County Hospital Negligence Defined
Hospitals owe their patients a duty of care when providing medical services. Failing to follow this duty of care results in hospital negligence. While medical malpractice cases often only one patient and a nurse or a doctor as the alleged wrongdoer, sometimes medical negligence cases have multiple injured patients, and the hospital itself is liable. If a jury or a judge determines that the hospital is liable for causing the patients’ injuries, it is required to reimburse them for their injuries and damages.
Hospital negligence could be direct, or it could be vicarious, or indirect, such as liability through an employee who breaches a duty of care. Vicarious liability could include staff giving a patient the wrong medication or the wrong treatment, disregarding proper medical standards, and giving a medication that a patient is allergic to or that the healthcare provider should have known they were allergic to. Examples of direct hospital negligence include:
- Not ensuring that hospital employees meet the required standards for licenses, training, and education;
- Not ensure that non-employees, such as independent contractors or attending physicians in the hospital have the proper training and credentials; and
- Failing to maintain enough staff, nurses, or physicians to guarantee an adequate level of patient care.
An experienced hospital negligence lawyer in Dougherty County could help injured individuals seek compensation from the hospital no matter if its liability is direct or vicarious. An attorney with an in-house medical professional and cutting-edge courtroom technology could review a victim’s claim and present it in court if necessary.
Hospital Negligence Case Filing Deadline
Patients who are injured from treatment that constitutes hospital negligence should be aware of the legal deadline for filing a medical negligence claim. In most cases, the statute of limitations per O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71 is two years from the date of the injury.
It is important to note that the law allows no more than five years to elapse from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Hiring a Dougherty County hospital negligence attorney as soon as possible after finding out about an injury could be the best course of action for an injured patient. Once this deadline expires, victims would likely find it difficult, if not impossible, to recoup their damages from the hospital that caused their injuries.
Dougherty County Hospital Negligence Attorney
Most hospital negligence lawsuits are difficult to understand, especially if they involve complex legal theories like vicarious liability. A Dougherty County hospital negligence lawyer might be able to help if you have any issues involving the negligence of a hospital. The first step to determine if you have a case and how much it might be worth is calling for a free case review. Call today to speak directly to an attorney.