Medical researchers at Johns Hopkins University estimate that medical error is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over 250,000 people die each year because of medical error. Only Heart Disease and Cancer take more lives. Accidents, like car accidents for example, kill approximately 135,000 people annually. The results of the Hopkins research were published in the BMJ, a journal published for the medical community and reported in the Washington Post.
In Massachusetts medical malpractice cases are handled very differently from auto collision cases and require the services of an attorney with experience in the area. There are strict time requirements (statutes of limitations) and notice requirements (presentment type letters to the potential defendants) which must be followed. Additionally, injured people are required to have a qualified expert render opinions that the defendant health care provider’s medical care deviated from, or fell below, the standard of care required of them.
All too often people are being injured or dying from the medical treatment they receive rather than the injury or disease for which they were seeking care.
If you believe that you or a loved one has been harmed by a physician or health care provider’s error, the lawyers at HBMH law can help. Contact us immediately so that your case is not lost to the passage of time.