Medical Malpractice
Legal Guidance for Medical Malpractice Claims in Wisconsin
Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak, S.C. reviews and accepts cases of medical malpractice of those injured by a doctor or medical professional’s misconduct or negligence. We have represented clients who, while seeking treatment for an illness or injury, have only been further injured by a doctor’s failure to act in the best interests of the patient. Our firm has won successful settlements and verdicts for clients who have faced the following circumstances:
- Delay of treatment
- Emergency room errors
- Obstetrical mistakes
- Improper fetal monitoring
- Nursing home neglect
- Incorrect drug use
- Surgical mistakes
- Medical equipment failures
- Improper follow up
- Failure to recognize and react to complications
- Incorrect diagnosis
- Performance of an incorrect procedure
- Surgery on the wrong side or body part
- Failure to recognize and treat complications in a timely and effective manner
- Failure to aggressively react to infection
Medical Malpractice Rights are an Endangered Species in the Law
Statistics show that 98,000 patients die from preventable medical errors every year in American hospitals (equal to three fatal plane crashes every two days), with many times that number suffering severe injuries. However, the wheels of justice continue to turn in favor of doctors and medical professionals, and against the victims of careless and incompetent healthcare.
When many politicians so often speak of the medical malpractice “crisis” in America today, they never mention the figures above, or what those figures reveal about the state of disarray and lack of safety and procedure in many of America’s medical institutions. They never mention the alarming margin for error patients must risk each time they seek medical treatment. Instead, their arguments seek to assuage the outrage of doctors and medical professionals forced to pay the spiraling costs of malpractice insurance for what they label “frivolous” and “bogus” legal claims.
According to many insurance companies, there has been a pronounced spike in medical malpractice cases in recent years, requiring insurance companies to divert much more time and money toward defending medical professionals in court. Continuing to pass state and federal laws that make filing a medical malpractice case a complex and costly burden for the victim and lawyers is the only way to stop the medical malpractice epidemic. Or so the insurance companies say….
Yet a closer look at the facts paints a very different picture. Consider this:
- Only 2% to 4% of patients injured by a doctor’s negligence initiate lawsuits. On average, only 40% of those cases are resolved in favor of the plaintiff.
- On average during the past 20 years, insurance companies have paid out losses of about ½ of what they’ve collected from doctors and medical specialists. That is, for every $2 they’ve received from doctors for medical malpractice insurance, only $1 has gone towards payouts for injured patients.
- The majority of states now have a cap on pain and suffering and non-economic awards. In 2006, Wisconsin’s cap was set at $750,000, and may be adjusted bi-annually.
No one wants to go through a medical malpractice lawsuit. For patients and lawyers alike, it is a time consuming and difficult process that pries into every aspect of the injured patient’s (and sometimes their family’s) medical history and background. While many law firms in Wisconsin have conceded to the insurance industry and its powerful political friends, and are turning away injured patients due to the complexities of medical malpractice law, Laufenberg Law Group will continue to stand with medical malpractice victims and their efforts to attain justice.
If you have been injured by a doctor or medical specialist in Wisconsin, contact our offices for a free legal consultation today.
Case Results for Medical Malpractice:
- Child has Cerebral Palsy; Nurses and Doctors Miss Signs of Distress During Labor – $7.7 million
- Man Disabled at Age 45 when neurologist missed signs of impending Brain Stem Stroke – $4.5 million
- Man Paralyzed When Doctors Fail to Diagnose Extent of Injury – $3.4 million
- Doctors Miss Spinal Infection, Woman Paralyzed – $1.65 million
- Man Paralyzed After Spine Surgery – $1.25 million
- Spinal Cord Injury for Woman due to Failed Diagnosis – $1.2 million
- Brain Injuries Occur During C-Section Birth – $1 million
- Death at Birth Following Improper Breach Delivery – $650,000
- Man’s Leg Amputated Following Knee Surgery – $550,000
- Wrong Prescription Leads to Death – $293,000
- Surgeon Slices Nerve During Carpal Tunnel Surgery – $250,000
- Doctors Fail to Diagnose Achilles Tendon Injury – $126,000
These results are illustrative only of some cases we have handled. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits.
Library for Medical Malpractice:
- Malpractice caps offer only illusion of help to struggling doctors
- Making Sense of New Healthcare Privacy Rules
- Stick Out Your Tongue, Lose Your Legal Rights
- Should California’s Law be America’s Law?
- How Do I Blame Thee? Let Me Count The Ways.
- Melanoma Misdiagnosis: A Tragic and Common Mistake
- Staph Infections: Deadly Serious
- The Medical Malpractice “Crisis” Revisited
Frequent Questions for Medical Malpractice:
- What is medical malpractice?
- How do I know if a health care provider has committed malpractice?
- How do I find a provider willing to review my case?
- How does a lawyer decide whether to take my case?
- How long do I have to file a medical malpractice claim?
- How do I pay for a lawyer to handle my case?
- How long does it take to complete a medical malpractice case?
- Are medical malpractice cases frequently settled?
- What are the chances of success if my case goes to trial?