When you visit a medical professional for treatment, you expect to receive a competent level of care to treat your illness or injuries. However, not all medical appointments and hospitalizations end in successful outcomes, and even worse; sometimes patients are injured by the negligence of a healthcare provider– in fact, you can suffer additional injuries or a worsening condition.

If you believe you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice in Florida, you can receive compensation while you recover from your damages through a malpractice lawsuit. For your representation, look no further than Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC. Contact our office today to schedule a free initial consultation and case evaluation.

Why Choose Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC?

Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC, can provide representation for your medical malpractice case. Our clients choose FGBO for our extensive litigation knowledge, affordable representation, and wealth of resources and network.

• Our firm operates on a contingency-fee-basis to provide maximum affordability for our clients. We will not charge you legal fees unless we secure a financial recovery in your lawsuit.
• Our attorneys maintain a small caseload so that we can provide close and personalized attention so that you can achieve the best possible outcome.
• Our attorneys can provide you with experienced and knowledgeable representation in your case. The lawyers working in this area of law have experience, which has allowed them to develop fine-tuned strategies to aggressively litigate for the maximum possible recovery in your medical malpractice lawsuit.

When Do You Need a Medical Malpractice Attorney?

One of the most challenging things for patients to determine is whether he or she has been a victim of medical malpractice.  In the case of medical malpractice, most victims are not sufficiently medically educated to know if someone made an unreasonable medical mistake. Even more complicating is the fact that patients must trust and rely upon healthcare providers to give proper medical care or identify when poor medical care was provided.  This reliance is further complicated by the fact that healthcare providers tend to protect each other when a medical mistake is made.

So how do you know to call Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC, to obtain the advice of a skilled and experienced medical malpractice lawyer?

Circumstances That Require an Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorney in Tampa

• You had an unexpectedly bad result from medical care: For example, you may have started with a relatively minor procedure, and postoperatively, you are hospitalized for an extended time, suffer a brain injury, or your loved one dies.  If the results were never thought by you to be something that could happen, then it may be time to consult Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC.
• No reasonable explanation for a bad result: A physician is unable to explain why a bad result happens or refuses to do so.  Anytime you received professional services, and you rely upon that professional’s expertise, you are entitled to a full explanation of what he or she is doing or has done to your body.  If he or she cannot or will not provide you with an explanation, then it may be time to contact Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC, to help you get answers.
• Explanations for adverse medical outcomes that do not make sense: This suggests that the healthcare provider may be trying to cover the real reason for the bad outcome.
• Your treating doctors and nurses make comments, criticisms, or seem angry or upset about the care you received from another healthcare provider – While it is challenging (but not unheard of) to find a doctor or other healthcare provider willing to testify under oath in a manner that incriminates a colleague that he or she may interact with or commonly see in the same medical circles, their statements, actions or appearance of anger could give you reason to seek further advice from our lawyers.
• You are contacted by a hospital or other medical organization’s risk management department or investigators for details about your medical care – This action may suggest that the medical care you received is being investigated as an adverse medical incident that under the law must be reported to the applicable medical and healthcare boards.  If this happens then, perhaps you should also investigate as well by contacting Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC.
• You are diagnosed with an advanced staged condition – This situation is commonly seen in cancer victims who have been diagnosed with advanced-stage or metastatic cancer.  It may happen in other contexts as well, such as raging infections, internal bleeding, or unexpected deaths.  If you regularly see your doctor or went to the hospital previously for the symptoms that are ultimately related to the condition that was later diagnosed after it had progressed, there is a chance someone missed a diagnosis that should have been made.  This may suggest negligent medical care and a need to contact our lawyers.
• Something does not seem right – This is probably the most important sign of medical malpractice, and it is all that you need to seek the advice of a medical malpractice lawyer.  If you have any suspicion that medical malpractice has occurred, trust your intuition and contact Florin Gray Bouzas Owens, LLC.

What Are Some Examples of Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice can encompass numerous types of injuries and illnesses. If you suffered an injury and suspect that it may be the result of a medical professional’s negligence or failure to provide competent care, you may have the basis of a medical malpractice claim.  Here are some examples:

• Surgical Errors.

When you undergo surgery, you expect that the surgeon will complete the procedure safely and efficiently. However, surgical errors can occur or may not be noticed in a timely fashion. Other examples of surgical mistakes include leaving a foreign object in your body, not timely detecting a surgical complication, performing unnecessary surgery that results in complications or worsening of the condition, or performing surgery on the wrong site.

• Emergency Room Errors.

When you go into the emergency room, you want to receive correct care quickly and efficiently. Emergency room errors can occur when doctors fail to attend to you in a timely manner, discharge you without giving you adequate care, or perform any other error that leads to further damage to you and your body.

• Labor/Delivery Errors.

Many preventable mistakes can lead to birth injuries. Common errors that occur in the delivery room include the misuse of forceps or vacuums to deliver a child, failure to monitor the fetal monitors during labor, or ignoring a mother’s vitals in the labor room. The mother and the child can suffer significant trauma and injury, including oxygen deprivation, permanent disability, and internal bleeding. The child can suffer birth injuries such as cerebral palsy due to botched or delayed delivery or even death to the mother and/or child. This type of negligence not only can cause a lifetime of pain and disability, but they can also lead to an endless and unbearable financial burden that could have been avoided

• Sexual/physical assaults by hospital employees or other patients or visitors upon patients.

These do happen and should be immediately investigated not only by law enforcement but also by your medical malpractice lawyers. Healthcare facilities have a duty to prevent these occurrences from happening and if they do happen we can help you enforce your rights.

• Bedsores / Pressure Sores / decubitus ulcers.

Bedsores, pressure sores and decubitus ulcers are severe injuries with long term and sometimes life-threatening consequences.  If you or a loved one develops bedsores while admitted to a healthcare facility, our lawyers may be able to help you.

• Patient falls in health care facilities.

Many patients are very susceptible to falls while in healthcare facilities due to their medical condition, medications, or other factors.  When an injury results from a fall in a hospital or nursing home, our lawyers can investigate the incident and seek compensation for your injuries and associated financial costs.

• Misdiagnosis.

One of the most common forms of medical malpractice is the failure to diagnose or rendering the wrong diagnosis. Doctors can miss crucial medical conditions or diagnose a condition as another one. Without a proper diagnosis, the condition may worsen and may even progress past a treatable point, which can lead to injury or death.

• Medication Errors.

Prescribing or administering medication that the patient is allergic to, overprescribing medications, or administering medications to the wrong patient are all sources for medical malpractice lawsuits.  This type of malpractice can have longstanding or even deadly results.

• Improper Discharge.

Your doctor can only discharge you from the hospital if you are in the proper condition to receive this discharge. However, prematurely discharging you is a form of malpractice because you can suffer additional consequences. You can experience a worsening injury or illness, and some patients even die as a result of an undetected condition or medical hazard the doctor failed to treat.

How Long After an Incident Do You Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in Tampa or Pasco County?

According to Florida’s statute of limitations, you must file a medical malpractice claim within two years of discovering the injury or when you should have reasonably discovered the injury. At the latest, you have four years from the date of when the malpractice occurred under some circumstances. For this reason, it is important to immediately call if you suspect that you or a loved one was the victim of medical malpractice.

What Are the Prerequisites for a Medical Malpractice Claim?

Before you can hold a medical professional responsible for medical malpractice, you must serve him or her a notice of intent to sue the professional. This notice should include an affidavit from a medical professional that states that you have a valid claim. Our lawyers are knowledgeable and experienced in navigating the very complex statutory rules and regulations that must be followed before you can pursue such a claim.

What Should I Do If I Believe I’ve Been a Victim of Malpractice?

If you suspect that you are a victim of medical malpractice, it is important that you contact our office as soon as possible. There are many legal prerequisites that must be followed before a case can be pursued and failure to do so can adversely affect your potential case. If you believe you are a victim of malpractice, follow these steps.

• If possible, find another doctor and receive medical attention. Not only can a new physician help you potentially regain your health, his or her observations may potentially be helpful or even crucial to the success of your case.
• Collect all relevant medical records. You will need concrete evidence of the malpractice in order to successfully prove your claim and the medical records are usually the most important piece of evidence in these cases. If you need assistance obtaining these records or if you are unable to do so, our lawyers can get these records for you.
• Contact a medical malpractice attorney from FGBO. You need to meet the statute of limitations to file your lawsuit as quickly as possible. Medical malpractice investigations can be intricate, tedious, and time-consuming.  With the limited time allotted for this necessary process to occur, immediate action is necessary.

Contact Our Office for a Free Consultation

Have you suffered injuries from medical malpractice in Florida? FGBO can help. Contact our Tampa offices today to schedule your free consultation and discuss your legal options.