Burien Medical Malpractice Lawyer

When healthcare professionals fail to meet the expected standards of care and harm patients, the impacts can be devastating. Medical negligence can result in catastrophic injuries, permanent disabilities, and wrongful death. If you or someone you love has been a victim of medical malpractice in Burien, WA, you need dedicated legal advocates on your side.

The medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law understand how profoundly malpractice affects victims and families. We have over 40 years of experience representing clients who have suffered harm due to surgical errors, misdiagnoses, medication mistakes, childbirth injuries, and other forms of medical negligence. Our record of success includes recovering millions of dollars in compensation for injured clients and bereaved families.

This page provides an overview of medical malpractice claims in Burien, WA, including the laws, process, types of damages available, and what to look for in a lawyer. We also explain why partnering with the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law could be integral to getting the justice and compensation you deserve after substandard medical care.

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or facility breaches their duty of care and this negligence directly injures the patient. According to Washington law, to prove medical malpractice; these key elements must be established:

• A patient-provider relationship existed where the healthcare provider owed the patient a duty of care. This means the patient was under the provider's care and supervision when the alleged negligence happened.
• The healthcare provider breached the accepted standard of care. The provider failed to treat the patient with the level of skill and care that a reasonably prudent medical professional would have used under the same circumstances.
• The breach directly caused the patient's injury or damages. There must be a causal link between the provider's negligent actions and the harm to the patient.
• The breach resulted in injury or financial losses. The damages must involve direct injuries or costs stemming from the malpractice.

The "standard of care" refers to how a reasonably competent healthcare professional in the same medical specialty would treat the patient's condition. Failing to follow clinical guidelines, offer indicated treatments or medications, order proper diagnostic tests, avoid preventable medical errors, and more could constitute breaching the duty of care.

Healthcare involves complex processes and not all poor outcomes mean malpractice occurred. But if substandard medical care results in harm that would have likely been prevented by appropriate treatment, the patient may have a valid malpractice claim.

Determining if you experienced medical negligence requires investigating the specifics of your situation. A lawyer experienced in malpractice law can analyze the facts to assess if a healthcare provider or facility breached their duty and should be held legally liable.

While each malpractice case has unique circumstances, some frequent situations that can warrant a malpractice claim include:

Botched operations, mistakes during invasive procedures, and other surgical errors cause serious harm to thousands of patients annually. Some examples of negligence by surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, or other OR staff may include:

• Operating on the wrong site of the patient’s body
• Leaving a foreign object inside the patient after surgery
• Causing damage to internal organs and tissues
• Allowing surgical site infections due to poor infection control
• Carrying out an unnecessary surgery
• Improperly administering or monitoring anesthesia

Surgical errors often lead to severe complications, extended hospitalization, increased medical costs, permanent impairment or disability, and even death. Pursuing compensation through a malpractice suit can help the injured patient or surviving family recover damages.

One of the most common allegations in medical malpractice claims involves missed, inaccurate, or delayed diagnoses. This occurs when a healthcare provider fails to promptly identify the patient’s actual medical condition, order appropriate tests and follow-ups, or correctly interpret test results and symptoms. Some examples include:

• Failure to diagnose cancer, infections, or vascular diseases in a timely manner
• Failure to order diagnostic tests or specialist referrals for serious symptoms
• Misreading lab results, imaging scans, biopsies, and other test results
• Not recognizing signs and symptoms of stroke, sepsis, preeclampsia, fractures, and other dangerous conditions

A missed or delayed diagnosis prevents the patient from getting urgent medical treatment and often results in the condition worsening significantly. It is crucial to bring medical negligence cases involving missed diagnoses promptly, as the resulting harm is often severe, permanent, or fatal.

When physicians, nurses, or hospitals provide negligent care during labor and delivery, catastrophic injuries can occur to both mothers and babies. Some examples of potentially negligent behavior include:

• Failure to properly monitor fetal distress during labor
• Improper use of birth-assisting tools like forceps or vacuums
• Not performing a medically necessary C-section in a timely manner
• Allowing a complicated delivery to progress too long resulting in oxygen deprivation for the baby
• Dropping or improperly handling the baby during delivery

Birth injuries associated with medical negligence can include Erb’s palsy, cerebral palsy, brain damage, broken bones, and other impairments that require extensive care. Seeking fair compensation can help cover the child’s lifelong medical expenses and other costs.

According to research by Johns Hopkins, improper medication administration affects around 1.5 million people and kills 100,000 annually. Common mistakes made by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists include:

• Administering the wrong type of drug, incorrect dosage, or improper administration
• Over-prescribing medications that interact dangerously with each other
• Incorrectly inputting or filling a prescription
• Failing to monitor the effects of medications properly
• Ignoring harmful drug side effects or toxicity

Medication errors frequently cause patient harm, including allergic reactions, overdoses, organ damage, wrongful death, and other preventable outcomes. Bringing a case when negligence leads to medication error injuries provides important accountability.

Elderly nursing home residents and patients rely on attentive medical care, but egregious neglect still happens. Some examples of nursing home negligence or intentional abuse that may warrant a malpractice suit when injuries result include:

• Failure to prevent hazardous falls or choking incidents
• Not treating pressure sores resulting in life-threatening infection
• Ignoring signs of elder abuse or failing to report abuse
• Administering incorrect medications or dosages
• Withholding adequate food or nutrition

Seeking compensation through a malpractice claim helps hold nursing homes liable when lapses in care lead to wrongful death or avoidable injuries.

No matter what type of treatment you or your loved one received, you could have grounds for a malpractice claim if the healthcare provider’s negligence caused harm. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can examine your case specifics to assess if you have a valid claim.

Some of the major hospitals and medical facilities surrounding Burien include:

Highline Medical Center provides emergency trauma care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, maternity care, and other critical health services.

St. Anne Hospital in nearby Burien offers specialty medical services like cancer care, orthopedics, neurology, cardiology, and women’s health.

Seattle Children’s Hospital provides cutting-edge pediatric care and services. But medical errors still happen, often with tragic results for children. We fiercely advocate for families whose children were injured or lost due to lapses in appropriate care.

Harborview Medical Center serves as a key trauma and burn treatment facility for Burien residents. As a level 1 adult and pediatric trauma center, we are very familiar with their procedures and standards of care.

For serious medical emergencies, many Burien residents are transported to Auburn Regional Medical Center for lifesaving trauma, stroke, and cardiac care.

We devote substantial resources to investigating every detail of what went wrong to build strong negligence cases against local medical facilities and providers who fail Burien patients. Our ultimate goal is to help the injured patient or grieving family pursue the maximum amount of fair compensation available in their case.

When our Burien medical malpractice lawyers take on a client’s case, we fully commit to relentlessly pursuing all damages they are rightfully owed under Washington law. Calculating damages is complex, but the skilled legal team from Moseley Collins Law has the resources and medical knowledge to identify every source of provable losses stemming from the client’s injuries.

Some of the damages we strive to recover in medical negligence cases include:

• Past and future medical expenses - Any costs related to hospitalization, surgeries, medications, therapy, rehabilitation, medical equipment, and home healthcare necessitated by malpractice injuries. We thoroughly account for all past expenses and project ongoing lifetime care costs.
• Lost past and future income - If injuries have compromised the client’s ability work and earn income, we calculate any past income loss from time off work and loss of future earning capacity. Help covering lost income is often vital.
• Pain and suffering - Damages for physical pain, mental anguish, emotional trauma, anxiety, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life stemming from the malpractice and its effects. May include lifelong pain management costs.
• Disability and disfigurement - If malpractice caused permanent disability or severe visible scarring, compensation for lifestyle limitations and non-economic impacts.
• Wrongful death - In cases of fatal malpractice, damages to compensate for loss of companionship, funeral costs, lost financial support the deceased would have provided, and other death-related losses.

The experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law leave no stone unturned as we build a claim for malpractice damages. Our resources and skill get results – we have recovered millions for clients in different medical malpractice lawsuits.

If an incidence of medical negligence has upended your world, you need a powerful legal team fighting for your rights each step of the way. Moseley Collins Law offers injured victims dedicated medical malpractice representation with these benefits:

• Over 40 years of proven success - Our lawyers have unrivaled experience successfully resolving the most complex medical negligence claims. You can trust in our record of results.
• We handle every case personally - We do not pass your case off to inexperienced lawyers or paralegals. Our partners provide strategic, compassionate guidance tailored to your situation throughout the legal process.
• No fees until we win compensation- We handle malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, so we do not receive payment unless we successfully recover compensation for you. This gives us full incentive to achieve the most positive outcome.
• Exceptional financial resources - Medical malpractice litigation often requires substantial resources for top medical experts, record analysis, case investigations, legal motions, and trial advocacy. Our firm has the assets to build strong cases.
• Outstanding record of results - We have recovered millions in total compensation for victims. We know what it takes to successfully fight for justice.

The skilled medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law are serious advocates for clients harmed by medical negligence. We encourage you to contact our office for a free, no obligation consultation so we can carefully evaluate your situation and help you understand your legal options. Don’t wait – call today at 800-426-5546 to get experienced counsel fighting for you.

Medical malpractice is when a healthcare professional fails to meet the accepted standard of care and causes harm to a patient. Examples in Burien could include surgical mistakes, medication errors, misdiagnoses, childbirth injuries, neglect at nursing homes, and more. You need to show improper care caused preventable injury.

Top medical malpractice lawyers like our firm work on a contingency fee basis - we only collect if we win your case. You pay no upfront fees. Our pay comes as a percentage of the settlement, so we are motivated to get the largest recovery possible for you.

You can potentially recover all losses caused by the malpractice, from medical costs and lost wages to pain and suffering damages. With an expert lawyer, you could receive compensation for the full impacts on your life. Damages often total millions for catastrophic injuries.

With over 40 years of proven success handling malpractice claims, our experienced lawyers have the resources and dedication to get you maximum compensation. We have recovered millions for injured clients because we carefully build strong cases. Put our record of success to work for you.