When a person is injured to the negligence of a medical professional, there are several different types of compensation or damages that the victim is often able to receive. In medical malpractice cases, damages are designed to compensate for injuries and associated complexities that arose due to the injuries. Determining the types of damages in Baltimore medical malpractice cases can be determine by an experienced lawyer by your side.
There are two types of damages in Baltimore medical malpractice cases that injured parties are able to receive: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include additional medical costs while non-economic damages include pain and suffering. This article will examine what is included in each of these two categories.
No matter how you are harmed due to medical malpractice, however, it is often a wise idea to obtain the assistance of a skilled attorney who can make sure that you obtain the compensation that you deserve.
The Requirements of a Medical Malpractice Case
Before a person can obtain any type of medical compensation, they must establish several required elements of negligence, which include the following:
- A physician-patient relationship existed.
- The medical professional breached the accepted standard of care.
- As a result of this breach, the patient was injured.
- The injury was a direct result of the medical provider’s negligence.
The Different Types of Economic Damages
Economic damages are one of the two types of damages in Baltimore medical malpractice cases that is capable of being quantified with a specific number. Sometimes, a medical provider might be necessary to establish the exact amount involved in a case. Some examples of economic damages include:
- Lost wages. Some patients who are impacted by medical malpractice find themselves facing serious disabilities that require extended hospital stays. Fortunately, patients are able to initiate legal actions against health care professionals for lost wages. In determining the amount that will be awarded, courts will consider the patient’s age, experience, and occupation.
- Medical expenses. A person is able to receive compensation for ambulance fees, hospital bills, in-home care, and medical accessories.
Non-Economic Damages in Malpractice Cases
Non-economic damages are awarded for patients who experienced a diminished quality of life.
There is not an exact monetary amount that can compensate for emotional distress associated with a serious injury, but there are several elements that comprise this one of two types of damages in Baltimore medical malpractice cases.
- Loss of companionship or consortium. This amount is often taken into consideration for people who lost a loved one. While loss of companionship refers to the loss of a person in another’s life, a loss of consortium is reserved for spouses and other significant others who lose a partner.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. A person who experienced a serious injury can end up facing lifelong complications that affect their ability to enjoy their quality of life. Loss of enjoyment can encompass chronic pain or loss of mobility.
- Pain and suffering. This category refers to emotional distress that a patient experiences as the result of an injury. There is not an exact way to calculate this amount so courts often rely on one of several different formulas to calculate this amount.
- Punitive Damages. This category is designed to punish health care professionals that purposefully broke the accepted. This category is often reserved for only the most egregious cases.
Obtain the Services of an Experienced Medical Malpractice Attorney
If your life has been impacted by medical malpractice, it is a wise idea to immediately speak with a seasoned medical malpractice attorney who can make sure that you obtain the types of damages in Baltimore medical malpractice cases that you deserve.
At the Rice, Murtha & Psoras, our legal counsel has the experience necessary to make sure that your case resolves in a positive manner.
We are committed to winning even the toughest of medical malpractice cases.
Contact our law office today for a free consultation during which we can discuss available options as well as what type of compensation you are likely to be rewarded.