If you or a loved one feels that you have been the victim of medical negligence, our dedicated personal injury attorneys are here to help. A St. Petersburg medical malpractice lawyer can give you the advice you need and help answer these common questions:
- Can I hold the healthcare provider responsible for the damages they have caused?
- How can I help stop this from happening to someone else?
- How will I make up for the money that I have lost?
- Will I be able to take care of myself in the future?
- How do I find the best medical malpractice attorney for my case?
Medical malpractice law requires the highest level of strategy and expertise. Experience counts. Only consider medical malpractice attorneys who have the distinction of a significant amount of experience in this field. Scott Distasio, who has been fighting fraudulent healthcare providers and achieving success for clients with over 28 years, is the best choice for your medical malpractice case. Medical malpractice is serious, so don’t hesitate! The sooner that you contact us, the sooner we can get to work for you.
The Distasio Law Firm Difference
Of course, you are looking for the best medical malpractice lawyer in St. Petersburg. When examining your options, look for the following:
- Knowledge and Experience Handling medical malpractice Cases
Your lawyer should not only know Florida medical malpractice law. That lawyer should also have years of experience handling malpractice cases. Scott Distasio has been handling medical malpractice cases for over 28 years. His years of experience investigating, negotiating, settling, filing lawsuits, taking depositions, and going to trial will absolutely make a difference in your case. - Independent Verification of the Lawyers Ability
All attorneys claim they know what they are doing. Their marketing materials may also be persuasive. But you will only know the truth about that lawyer if the lawyer is rated by respected independent non-biased rating systems. Scott Distasio has an “AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell law Directory. This is the highest rating an attorney can receive for both ability and ethics. Scott Distasio is also Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Trial law. To achieve this accomplishment a lawyer must have tried a minimum number of cases to a jury and pass a competency exam. Less than 1% of all Florida lawyers are Board Certified. - Willingness and Ability to Go to Trial
Not all medical malpractice cases go to trial. The truth is most cases settle. But if your case does need to go to trial it’s important to hire a law firm that has the experience, resources and ability to try your case. This is especially true in medical malpractice cases because healthcare providers WIN upwards of 70% of the time. Scott Distasio is a board certified civil trial lawyer. This gives him the right to call himself an expert trial lawyer.
For a free legal consultation with a Medical Malpractice Lawyer serving St. Petersburg, call (813) 259 0022
Florida Legislators Have Created Special Protections for Health Care Providers
The healthcare industry exerts a great deal of power in the state of Florida. Lobbyists as well as political donations clearly show an influence on Florida legislature. Special laws, now found in Chapter 766 of the Florida statutes, have been passed to help protect health care providers from malpractice lawsuits. Equip yourself by hiring a St. Petersburg medical malpractice attorney who knows how to navigate through these laws in the pursuit of justice.
One of these healthcare provider-friendly laws declares that a healthcare provider can’t be sued for medical malpractice unless the records are reviewed by an independent healthcare provider. Finding a medical professional who will state that a medical malpractice incident has occurred is very difficult- and expensive. Colleagues do not wish to publicly criticize others in the medical industry and will avoid doing so. At Distasio Law Firm, we know how to work successfully under these “special laws.” We will find the appropriate medical experts for your case, and we pay that upfront cost! You only pay the fee for expert witnesses if you win your case.
St. Petersburg Medical Malpractice Lawyer Near Me (813) 259 0022
What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is the term given to when a medical provider is negligent and that negligence leads to injury, sickness or death. It is not that easy to prove, as not every injury in a medical setting is a result of medical malpractice.
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What Is Medical Negligence?
Negligence is defined as the “failure to use reasonable care” when providing care to an individual. Reasonable care is the implementation of treatment by a medical professional that is deemed appropriate for the situation. If care is negligent, it must be shown that the medical professional provided care in a way that other healthcare professionals would not consider reasonable.
Since medicine is such a highly specialized field, the Florida courts have decided that the only people who can determine if a medical error has occurred are other medical professionals. How you may feel about the appropriateness of the treatment is technically not a factor at all. Convoluted laws, combined with the medical industry’s inclination to protect their own, necessitates that you retain an experienced St. Petersburg medical malpractice attorney to represent you.
There are two parts to a medical malpractice case. First, it must be determined that a medical professional was negligent and then secondly, to establish that the negligence caused the injury, sickness, or death. That’s often the more challenging part to achieve. The medical malpractice attorneys at the Distasio Law Firm have the resources to build a case by performing extensive research, meticulously collecting evidence, conducting in-depth interviews and are ever vigilant about representing your best interests.
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Negligence Alone Is Not Enough to Pursue a Medical Malpractice Case
Even if a doctor or hospital did something wrong or made a mistake, that event alone may not be enough to warrant the pursuit of a case. Showing that the health care provider was negligent might be the easy part, but you also have to prove that the negligence was the cause of injury or death. However, Florida law makes this simple concept sound complex. Florida standard jury instruction states that “negligence is a legal cause if it directly and in natural and continuous sequence produces or contributes substantially to producing damage so that it can reasonably be said, that but for the negligence, the damage would not have occurred.” Distasio Law Firm has the courtroom experience necessary to work through this complicated sounding language and present the best possible case for their clients.
Examples of Medical Malpractice
Medical researchers have concluded that medical errors are a frequent occurrence, with latest studies suggesting that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Medical negligence is just as common in St. Petersburg as it is in other cities in Florida. On the other hand, the number of medical malpractice law suits being produced is consistently low. There were only 1105 paid medical malpractice claims in 2017 for the over 21 million people living in Florida. The medical malpractice lawyers of Distasio Law Firm have extensive experience representing victims of all types of medical malpractice, including:
- Surgical Error
- Emergency Room Error
- Anesthesia Error
- Failure to Diagnose
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed Diagnosis
- Dental Malpractice
- Nursing Malpractice
- Birth Injuries
- Brain Injuries
- Wrongful Death
- Failure to Request Necessary Tests
- Failure to Perform Proper Follow-Up Care
Statute of Limitations for a Florida Medical Malpractice Case
There’s no time to waste if you or someone you love was a victim of malpractice. In the state of Florida, you have a two year period from the time the event occurred in which to file a claim. When working with our clients, our experience has shown that between coping with a tragedy and also trying to regain some aspects of a normal life, the weeks and months tend to go by very quickly. It takes a good amount of time to build a case and every day counts. Contact one of the proactive St. Petersburg medical negligence lawyers at Distasio Law Firm today! Allow us to go to work for you so that you can move ahead with your life.
Contact a St. Petersburg Medical Malpractice Attorney Now
This may be a scary time for you and your family, but that’s all the more reason to act now. Medical malpractice cases require time to prove and superior resources. Let a St. Petersburg medical malpractice lawyer from Distasio Law Firm protect your interests with thoughtful, experienced, and determined representation. Call now.
Call or text (813) 259 0022 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form