Medical Negligence and Malpractice Claims in Washington & Idaho
Medical negligence and malpractice claims are as broad as the medical profession: if a health care provider has acted wrongfully and caused injury, our knowledgeable attorneys and legal team can help you understand your rights and determine the value of your claim for damages.
At Perez & Perez Law PLLC, we represent everyday people who have suffered at the hands of their health care providers. We know how to translate the totality of your experience with pain, suffering, and economic deprivation into the only remedy the law provides - money damages. In Washington and Idaho, the law states that medical malpractice lawsuits must be filed within one year of the patient discovering the injury or within three (3) years in Washington and two (2) years in Idaho of the date that injury occurred—whichever comes later.
In additional to our experienced trial attorneys, our legal team includes a Registered Nurse and Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Our team is filled with subject-matter experts who understand the legal implications of a medical negligence or malpractice claim and also have the medical experience to speak the language of medicine and the expertise to assess the standards of care for medical professionals. The key to a medical negligence or malpractice claim is consulting with the right expert to challenge the standard of care that brought about our client's injuries.
Emergency Room Mistakes and Missed Diagnoses
When a patient’s symptoms don’t automatically point to a likely diagnosis, emergency room doctors – and more often now physician assistants and ARNPs – must approach the task of making a diagnosis with intellectual curiosity. When a health care provider guesses about the diagnosis instead of making a list of possible diagnoses and ruling out the most dangerous ones first, patients can be unnecessarily injured or the delay of necessary treatment can lead to catastrophic injuries.
Hospital Malpractice
A hospital as an institution owes a duty of care to its patients. This can include the duty to properly credential doctors who work at the hospital or have policies and quality control methods in place to keep patients safe. Hospitals and healthcare facilities can be non-profit (with teaching facilities) or for-profit businesses. Unfortunately, there are hospitals and health care facilities that focus on profit first and not the best interests of their patients. These are the most dangerous facilities. We hold this hospitals and healthcare facilities accountable for their actions or lack of proper accountability. A proper policy may be in place to protect against the harm caused, but if providers are not following these policies, catastrophic injuries can occur.
Birth Injury Practice Areas: Newborn Brain and Nerve Injuries
In 2020, there were 84,529 babies were born in Washington and 22,427 babies were born in Idaho. Unfortunately, there are many risks and adverse events that can occur during the birthing process, both during the prenatal period and during the birth itself.
Medical conditions affecting the health of the mother or baby may be undiagnosed, including gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia), and genetic problems. The baby’s well-being may be impacted by undiagnosed deficiencies in the placenta or a lack of adequate amniotic fluid.
During the birthing process there may be negligent care, such as delaying a cesarean section too long or not picking up on ominous fetal heart-rate patterns, which can result in the baby suffering a loss of oxygen and cerebral palsy due to brain damage. Sometimes there is a failure to recognize the risk of the baby getting stuck in the birth canal, which can result in a brachial plexus injury to the baby (shoulder dystocia or Erb’s palsy) and a lifetime of disabilities for the child.
In additional to our experienced trial attorneys, our legal team includes a Registered Nurse and Certified Legal Nurse Consultant. Our team is filled with subject-matter experts who understand the legal implications of a medical negligence or malpractice claim and also have the medical experience to speak the language of medicine and the expertise to assess the standards of care for medical professionals. The key to a medical negligence or malpractice claim is consulting with the right expert to challenge the standard of care that brought about our client's injuries.
We proudly serve and represent clients throughout the State of Washington, including: King County, Snohomish County, Pierce County, Thurston County, Kittitas County, Island County, and Spokane County. We proudly serve and represent clients in North Idaho, including: Kootenai County, Bonner County, Benewah County, Boundary County, Shoshone County, and Latah County.