One single medical error can cause devastating harm to a patient. Were you or a loved one injured because your medical provider made a mistake in Chicago, IL? You may deserve compensation for medical costs, lost wages, pain, trauma, and more. An experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers can help you maximize your compensation award. Call us at (312) 635-5400.
Our team has been fighting to protect injured clients’ rights since we opened our doors a decade ago. At that time, we had recovered more than $250 million in settlements and verdicts. We’re here to put over 35 years of combined legal experience to work in your case. Contact our law firm in Chicago, Illinois, to schedule a free consultation to get started today.
How Can Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers Maximize the Value of My Chicago Medical Malpractice Case?
When your health was on the line, you trusted your team of medical providers to offer the best possible care. Now, you’re struggling because your doctor made a mistake. You deserve justice.
While we can’t turn back the clock, our Chicago personal injury lawyers at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers can help you fight for the full compensation you deserve. Over the years, we’ve recovered at least 75 settlements and verdicts valued at $1 million or higher. When you hire us, the other side will know you’re not going to settle for a lowball deal.
You can count on us to:
- Conduct a full investigation
- Compile the evidence you need to prove your case
- Hire leading experts in relevant fields to support your claim
- Identify and document your losses
- Determine how much your case is worth
- Negotiate fiercely for every available dollar
- Take your case to trial if necessary
Our Chicago personal injury attorneys know how to deal with insurance companies. Contact us today to get started.
Overview of Illinois Medical Malpractice Laws
All medical professionals in Illinois are expected to provide a certain level of care. The standard of care varies depending on a number of factors, including the provider’s specialty and the patient’s medical condition.
In the most general terms, the standard of care is the level of care that a reasonable, trained healthcare professional would provide based on the circumstances. When a doctor deviates from the standard of care, they can be held liable for the harm they’ve caused. The medical community itself develops these standards.
We Handle All Types of Medical Malpractice Cases in Chicago
A medical mistake can occur at any point in the treatment process. As such, all medical providers can be financially responsible when they commit malpractice.
Our team handles all kinds of medical malpractice claims, including those involving:
- Emergency room errors
- Surgical errors
- Anesthesia errors
- Birth injuries
- Prescription drug errors
- Hospital negligence
- Hospital-acquired infections
- Failure to diagnose cancer and other diseases
- Failure to obtain the patient’s informed consent
- Errors made by specialists, including oncologists, OBG/YNs and cardiologists
- Pharmaceutical errors
- Radiology errors
- Nursing negligence
When you hire us, our lawyers will immediately start working to identify all parties who share legal responsibility for the harm you’ve suffered.
How Common Are Medical Errors in Illinois?
Hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people are harmed due to medical errors in Illinois each year. According to some estimates, more than 250,000 Americans die because of preventable medical mistakes. Johns Hopkins Medical Center has even published research finding that medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
The National Practitioner Data Bank publishes state-specific data on medical malpractice claims. Illinois ranks seventh in the nation when it comes to medical malpractice claims. In 2023, insurance companies in Illinois paid over 315 million to settle 470 claims.
What is My Chicago Medical Malpractice Case Worth?
Your case value is based on a number of variables, including:
- Whether the damage is permanent or reversible with care or will impact your future
- How the medical error has changed your life
- The cost of your medical treatment
- The nature of the medical care needed to treat the problem
- The value of any lost earnings you have experienced
- Damage to your quality of life
- The nature of the at-fault doctor’s mistake
Your unique circumstances are important when assessing your case value. You can count on our lawyers to examine all of the ways your life has changed when we’re building your case. Often, we’ll bring in experts who can testify about the value of your expected future losses and your non-financial damages.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Medical Errors in Chicago?
By filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in Illinois, you have the right to seek compensation for both economic damages and non-economic damages.
Some typical examples of the kinds of damages you can pursue include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- In-home assistance
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Home and vehicle modifications
- Medications
- Medical devices
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Reduced life expectancy
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
It’s up to the victim to identify the full range of the damages they’ve suffered. Our lawyers are here to help throughout the entire process, so call our law offices today to get started.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Chicago?
Like most firms, we work on a contingency fee basis at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers. When you hire us, you agree to pay a percentage of your compensation award, but you won’t pay anything upfront. That way, you’ll never have to worry about attorneys’ fees if we fail to recover compensation in your case.
Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys in Chicago Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Our lawyers at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers handle all types of injury claims, including cases involving:
- Brain injuries
- Organ damage or failure
- A worsened underlying medical condition
- Reduced life expectancy
- Heart failure
- Paralysis
- Injuries caused by adverse drug interactions
- Blood clots
- Internal bleeding
- Stroke
- Infections
- Aneurysms
- A need for more invasive and painful medical treatment
- Nerve damage
- Sepsis and shock
- Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
If you or a family member are suffering because of a doctor’s mistake, call our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys today. We have the skills to help you get the compensation you need and deserve.
What Causes Most Medical Errors in Chicago?
Medical mistakes often occur because of the following:
- Charting and communication errors
- Failure to order the proper diagnostic tests
- Misinterpreting lab results
- Misdiagnosis
- Wrong-site surgeries
- Misidentifying patients
- Inexperienced providers
- Failure to account for adverse drug interactions
- Overtreatment or undertreatment
- Improper blood transfusions
- Failure to take a full patient medical history
- Failure to recognize a patient’s symptoms
- Failure to refer the patient to a specialist when needed
Proving that a healthcare professional deviated from their standard of care is always challenging. As the patient, you might not know exactly why you were harmed. Our lawyers are here to help you locate the evidence you need to prove your case. Contact us today for a free case review.
How Do I Prove I Deserve Compensation Based on Medical Malpractice in Illinois?
Medical providers aren’t superhuman. They can’t be held liable for all bad patient outcomes. To recover compensation, you’ll have to prove they were negligent.
A successful medical negligence claim requires proof of the following:
- You were a patient, so the doctor, nurse, or provider owed you a legal duty of care
- The appropriate standard of care in your case
- How the medical provider deviated from that standard of care
- The harm (or damages) you suffered as a direct result of the deviation from the standard of care
In Illinois, expert witness testimony is a critical component of any medical malpractice claim. A qualified medical expert will testify about the standard of care that you should have received. They can also provide insight into how the care you received deviated from that standard.
How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit After a Medical Mistake in Illinois?
Victims of medical errors generally have two years to file a lawsuit in Illinois. The two-year clock starts running on the date you discovered or reasonably should have discovered the harm.
However, a statute of repose also applies. You must file the lawsuit within four years of the date the mistake occurred. That’s true even if you don’t learn about the malpractice until more than four years have passed.
Missing the deadline is a serious mistake. You’ll lose your right to compensation entirely if you wait too long to take legal action and let the statute of limitations run out.
Contact a Skilled Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today
Having an experienced Chicago medical malpractice lawyer in your corner is critical to the success of your case. At Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers, we have decades of experience fighting for clients like you in Illinois. To learn more about how we can help you maximize your financial recovery, call for a free case evaluation.