If you have been harmed by a wrong or delayed diagnosis, contact a medical misdiagnosis lawyer from Rikard & Protopapas. We understand your legal options and can create a strategy to maximize any potential recovery.
At Rikard & Protopapas, we are leaders in representing victims of medical malpractice in Columbia, South Carolina. With more than a 20-year history in medical malpractice claims and over 100 years of combined experience, we capably handle complex claims of misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, and failure to diagnose.
There is no charge for an initial consultation with our legal team. If you or a loved one has been harmed, contact us to talk about your case.
Attorneys for Medical Misdiagnosis
If you have been the victim of medical misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to diagnose, you may have a legal claim. Victims of medical misdiagnosis face significant physical, emotional, and financial suffering. You may receive financial compensation for your damages.
The Rikard & Protopapas team has assisted more than 1,600 trusted clients with a 97% success rate. We succeed in challenging cases. To see how we may assist you, contact us for your consultation.
Types of Misdiagnosis Cases We Handle
Cancer
When cancers of the breast, colon, lung, skin, brain, prostate, and blood are diagnosed too late, the results can be devastating, and even fatal. If detected early, cancer may be treated more effectively. A delayed diagnosis can cause significant suffering and death.
Heart attacks
Doctors often dismiss the symptoms of a heart attack or aneurysm as a minor physical ailment. They may say the patient has heartburn or acid reflux, and they may send the patient home. This can prevent the person from getting timely medical care.
Strokes
Medical care providers may not appropriately recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Failing to diagnose a stroke can prevent the patient from receiving the appropriate therapy. Alternatively, when symptoms are like a stroke, including slurred speech and numbness, someone who is not having a stroke may be diagnosed incorrectly.
Infections
An infection misdiagnosis may include failing to diagnose an infection, diagnosing the wrong part of the body as being infected, or diagnosing an infection when the patient has a different medical condition or problem. Infection misdiagnosis may result in mortality or poorer patient outcomes. It may contribute to sepsis.
Pulmonary embolism
A pulmonary embolism may be mistaken for other conditions. The patient may be dismissed as having asthma or pneumonia. However, pulmonary embolism is a serious condition that can interrupt oxygen levels and blood circulation.
Diabetes
A patient may be diagnosed with the wrong type of diabetes, or they may be told they have the flu, an infection, or other illness. The patient may suffer complications.
Depression and other mental health conditions
Someone may be told they have depression when they are suffering from anemia, diabetes, fibromyalgia, hypercalcemia, PTSD, or a vitamin deficiency.
Other medical conditions
If you have suffered significant harm because of a medical misdiagnosis, we invite you to contact us to talk about your situation and how we may help.
Understanding Medical Misdiagnosis
Medical misdiagnosis can take several forms:
- Misdiagnosis: Saying that the patient has a condition or diagnosis that they don’t have.
- Failing to diagnose: Failing to identify the correct medical issue.
- Delayed diagnosis: Making the correct diagnosis, but later than it should have been identified.
Whether medical misdiagnosis amounts to medical malpractice depends on the standard of reasonable care. All medical care providers, including generalists and specialists, must provide adequate medical services. They must display the knowledge, skills, and diligence of a reasonable person in their specialty. If they fall short, and a patient is harmed, the victim may have a claim for monetary compensation.
As your medical misdiagnosis lawyer, we work with professionals to review the series of events that occurred and identify malpractice. We build evidence to show that the care provider failed to meet acceptable standards of care, and we show how you were harmed as a result.
How can medical misdiagnosis occur?
Some of the errors and omissions that healthcare providers make that may result in medical misdiagnosis include:
- Failing to conduct routine screenings and evaluations
- Losing test results, misinterpreting test results
- False negatives – saying that the patient doesn’t have a condition or symptom when they do
- False positives – saying a patient has a medical issue they don’t have
- Not communicating with the patient about test results
- Disregarding underlying causes of symptoms, not ordering follow-up evaluations and tests
- Downplaying symptoms
- Lack of awareness – a healthcare professional may be uninformed about a medical condition
- Failing to address complications
- Not referring the patient to a specialist when necessary
An important part of any claim for medical misdiagnosis is identifying the harm that resulted. To receive compensation, the person must show that they were damaged – they didn’t get the care they needed, so their medical condition wasn’t treated, and may have become worse. Our legal team understands the importance of proving causation. We work to prove what happened and how it impacted the victim.
Damages and compensation
Victims of medical misdiagnosis may claim economic and non-economic damages including increased medical bills, nursing and personal care needs, lost income, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of lifestyle and life expectancy, and other losses. We seek the compensation you are due under South Carolina law.
Don’t Wait to Contact Us
You have a limited amount of time to seek compensation if you are a victim of medical misdiagnosis. The sooner you contact us, the more likely it is that we will be able to help. Don’t wait to contact us for a consultation about your case.
Consultations Available Now
The Rikard & Protopapas team of medical misdiagnosis lawyers is ten attorneys strong with a full support staff to meet your needs. With a history of success, achieving tens of millions of dollars for victims in South Carolina, we capably handle complex cases including claims involving medical misdiagnosis.
Consultations are free. Our clients do not pay anything up front. We work on a contingency fee basis meaning we will only get paid if we successfully resolve your case.
Talk to a medical misdiagnosis lawyer at Rikard & Protopapas. Contact us today.