Plant City Hospital Negligence Attorney
Plant City residents visit hospitals and other healthcare facilities every day to seek treatment for various injuries and illnesses. Unfortunately, sometimes patients become further harmed when they visit these medical centers because doctors, nurses, and other health professionals make mistakes. When this happens, it is a case of hospital negligence and patients can hold the facility or the treating doctor liable.
Hospital negligence is a form of medical malpractice and these are some of the most complex personal injury claims a person could file. If you or someone you love has been hurt as a result of hospital negligence, it is important to speak to a Plant City hospital negligence attorney today.
Medical Notice Laws in Florida
Before filing a lawsuit based on hospital negligence, you must adhere to Florida’s law and provide medical notice. This means you must provide the medical professionals you want to hold liable with certain information. You must provide this information before taking the legal action.
Specifically, you must provide each negligent healthcare provider with an itemized list of all medical professionals you saw to diagnose your injuries and that were negligent in making that diagnosis. You must also provide copies of all medical records a medical expert used to assess the injury and a signature by the medical expert.
A medical expert must also sign a certificate of merit that states you have a legitimate medical malpractice case. The certificate of merit must state that a healthcare professional was negligent and did not provide the proper standard of care. The certificate of merit is used to ensure the courts are not backlogged with cases that have no real grounds of medical malpractice.
Caps on Hospital Negligence in Florida
Many states in the country place a cap, or limit, on the amount of damages available in medical malpractice cases. The Florida Statutes also outline a cap but based on case law, it is not always followed.
The damage caps in Florida apply only to non-economic damages, or those that do not have an actual dollar value. The Florida Statutes place a cap of $500,000 on damages such as pain and suffering. That cap increases to $1 million if the medical malpractice resulted in the death of the patient, or placed the patient in a vegetative state.
However, in 2017 the Florida Supreme Court ruled on the case of North Broward Hosp. List. v. Kalitan. In its ruling, the court stated that the medical malpractice damage caps in the state were unconstitutional and that they greatly reduce damages for individuals that suffered some of the most serious injuries.
Our Florida Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Help You Recover Maximum Damages
If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of hospital negligence, it is imperative that you speak to a Plant City medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible. At Kohn Law, our knowledgeable attorney understands the complex laws related to medical malpractice and will explain how they apply to your case. Attorney Kohn also knows how to identify the liable party, and will help you recover the full amount of compensation you deserve. Call us today at (813) 428-8504 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation so we can discuss your case.
