Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New Jersey

What Constitutes Medical Malpractice? 

The following is a non-exhaustive list of some common types of medical malpractice in New Jersey:  

• Errors in diagnosis. This would include failure to diagnose, delayed diagnoses, or misdiagnosis. These errors can be catastrophic if a potentially fatal disease is not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.  
• Errors in the administration of anesthesia. The practice of anesthesia has become safer. However, dosage errors and patient monitoring failures, among others, can have catastrophic results. 
• Surgical mistakes. These can involve operating on the wrong body part, permanently damaging a nerve, or mistakenly leaving medical equipment inside the body. 
• Nursing errors. An example of a nursing error is failing to monitor the patient in the emergency room. 
• Testing errors. This could involve misreading test results or failing to order the proper tests. 
• Birth injuries. These injuries can permanently and severely limit your child’s quality of life or even be fatal.  
• Malfunctioning of medical equipment. An example is an MRI machine that was not properly maintained or sanitized.  
• Failure to refer you to a specialist when appropriate. Doctors should refer or consult a specialist for proper care if necessary. 
• Medication errors. Examples include prescribing the wrong medication or not prescribing it in a timely manner. 

How Much is the Average Medical Malpractice Settlement? 

Medical malpractice settlements vary greatly. While some victims will receive millions of dollars in financial compensation, that is not the case for everyone. Some factors that determine how much a victim receives include the injury’s permanence and severity, its impact on the patient’s quality of life, and to what degree the healthcare provider was negligent. In addition, there are several different types of damages that medical malpractice victims may pursue, including:   

• Medical bills. Including transportation by ambulance or helicopter, visits to the emergency room, hospital stays, doctor visits, surgeries, and procedures. In addition, damages may also cover prescription medications, physical therapy, psychological therapy, assistive devices, testing and imaging, prosthetics, in-home care, and modifications to your home in New Jersey.  
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity. Lost wages cover the unpaid time you are forced to miss from work due to your injury. Loss of earning capacity comes into play if you can return to the workforce in a limited capacity. For example, before this injury, you may have been earning $200,000 per year as the CEO of a company. However, due to your physical, mental, or psychological disabilities, you may be incapable of performing your former job. Instead, you are now relegated to a clerical position where you earn $35,000 per year. The loss of earning capacity category of damages would cover the gap between $200,000 and $35,000.  
• Pain and suffering. You may experience significant physical pain for the rest of your life, and the accompanying emotional distress may be just as overwhelming. 
• Loss of companionship and consortium. Your life may never be the same, as your injuries may cause physical, mental, and psychological disabilities that severely restrict your quality of life or even significantly change your personality. As a result, it is common for your relationships with your loved ones to suffer.  
• Punitive damages. These damages punish the healthcare provider for particularly egregious actions or omissions. They are also designed to deter other medical professionals from making similar errors in the future.