Mistakes and oversights by healthcare providers can be shocking, and often carry physical impacts and financial burdens most patients could never have imagined. We assume our doctors are going to do their best and that they know what they’re doing. The unfortunate reality is that they sometimes get things wrong, and their patients suffer for it.
If you’ve been injured and believe it was a result of medical malpractice, you do not have to go through this on your own. You need experienced legal counsel, and our Aurora personal injury lawyer is here to provide that. Call Ridder Law Group to schedule your case consultation today.
Why Seek Guidance From Ridder Law in an Aurora Malpractice Case?
When we deal with a patient who has been subject to medical malpractice, we do everything we can to help them seek justice. Here’s why Ridder Law is in a good spot to help with injury claims against medical professionals and facilities:
- Decades of combined legal experience, handling all types of personal injury and medical malpractice claims
- Individualized attention at every step; you’re never just another case file to us
- We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means you never pay us attorney fees unless get compensation for you
- You will always have the ability to contact your lawyer, either through phone, text, email, or face-to-face when needed
Medical malpractice claims require careful review of medical records, applicable standards of care, and expert opinions. Ridder Law can evaluate those issues and explain your legal options.
Meet Attorney Theodore “Ted” Ridder
Attorney Theodore Ridder is a lifelong Colorado resident. He knows the roads Aurora drivers use every day and understands the traffic patterns, construction zones, and commercial routes where serious truck crashes are most common.
When a serious truck accident happens in Aurora, you need a lawyer who understands both Colorado law and the realities of driving throughout the Aurora–Denver metro area. Ridder Law is a Colorado-born, Colorado-based firm that has spent more than a decade fighting for injured victims across the Front Range.
Request a Free ConsultationWhat is Medical Malpractice in Aurora?
Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare provider fails to provide care that meets accepted medical standards, and a patient is harmed as a result. It’s much more than just a bad outcome, which many people don’t fully understand. There are situations where patients are significantly harmed, but that doesn’t mean negligence took place.
The question is whether the provider failed to meet the applicable standard of care and whether that failure caused the patient’s injury.
Medical malpractice can involve things like surgical mistakes, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, lack of informed consent, prescription errors, childbirth injuries, or failing to notice or properly treat important symptoms. Each case depends on the specific medical circumstances and whether the care genuinely fell short of professional standards recognized in that field.
Who Can Be Liable for Medical Malpractice in Aurora, CO?
Responsibility for medical malpractice doesn’t fall on just doctors; there are many people or organizations involved in a patient’s care that may share fault.
Doctors
Attending physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, or specialists can be liable when they make diagnostic errors, choose the wrong treatment, perform procedures carelessly, or fail to notice important warning signs. All of these professionals are expected to use reasonable care at all times, and when this doesn’t happen, they could be held liable for a negative outcome.
Nurses and Physician Assistants
RNs, LPNs, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants may be responsible if medication is given incorrectly, post-surgical instructions aren’t provided correctly, they miss changes in the status of a patient, or they fail to communicate critical information to other members of the care team.
Hospitals and Clinics
Hospitals, clinics, surgical centers, and urgent cares may be directly accountable for staffing decisions, improper hiring or credentialing, poor supervision, or dangerous conditions. Even if the organization wasn’t directly negligent, they could still be vicariously liable for an employee’s negligence while they were acting within the scope of their employment.
Pharmacists and Pharmacies
Pharmacists and the pharmacy owners can potentially be legally responsible when they dispense the incorrect medication, mislabel drugs, provide the wrong dose, or fail to catch clear drug interactions.
Laboratories
Diagnostic testing labs may be liable if samples are mishandled, mixed up, inaccurately interpreted, or delayed. These kinds of mistakes can delay a diagnosis and prevent a person from getting the treatment they need in a timely manner.
Other Licensed Healthcare Professionals
Radiology technicians, dental professionals, physical or occupational therapists, chiropractors, and mental health providers can also be found negligent if their mistakes rise to negligence and a patient is harmed.
More than one provider may share responsibility, but a harmful medical outcome does not necessarily mean anyone was negligent. These cases are incredibly complex, and an experienced lawyer should be contacted as soon as possible to determine if you have a viable claim.
How an Aurora Lawyer Makes the Difference in Medical Malpractice Claims
When medical care doesn’t go the way we expect it to, it’s difficult to know if it’s just an unfortunate outcome or if negligence played a part. Talking to a lawyer early can help clarify what happened and show you what your options are. Specifically, a lawyer can help in the following ways.
Gathering All Crucial Information
The days following a potential malpractice event are hectic, and information can be difficult to obtain and understand. Attorneys know how to secure your medical records and any other information that is needed to look into the situation.
Making Sense of Confusing Medical Details
Most patients don’t have access to specialists who can break down their care step by step or translate confusing medical records into language they understand. An attorney with malpractice experience regularly works with a network of medical experts who can review your file and try to fill in some of the gaps.
Accounting for Both Immediate and Long-Term Needs
Serious medical errors often affect every part of life, and can create losses that continue well beyond the initial hospital bill. Lawyers look at the long-term losses you’re facing, like loss of earning capacity and any future treatment that might be needed. They can also help calculate the intangible losses you’re facing, like reduced enjoyment of life and pain and suffering.
When you’re dealing with an injury and the stress of medical care that may not have been up to par, the last thing you should have to do is handle complex legal questions and the logistical side of filing your case. That’s what a lawyer does, so you can focus on getting better.
Find Out Where Your Case Stands By Contacting Ridder Law Today
Medical malpractice cases are more complicated than some other types of injury claims. Medical experts are needed, and there are a lot of nuances that need to be understood to determine if your treatment fell below the standard of care. Our team has decades of combined experience in this field, and we’ll build the strongest case possible from day one. Contact our team today and schedule your free case consultation.