Thurston County Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Have you or a loved one been injured due to medical negligence in Thurston County or surrounding communities? Pursuing compensation after a devastating case of medical malpractice can feel overwhelming. But an experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help guide you through this complex legal process.

For over 40 years, the dedicated team at Moseley Collins Law has helped hundreds of victims and grieving families recover millions of dollars in compensation after medical errors turned their world upside down. Our lawyers have considerable expertise representing those harmed by all types of medical mistake.

If substandard medical care resulted in catastrophic injuries or wrongful death of a loved one, please read on to learn more about how our compassionate lawyers can help. We outline the key information you need regarding medical malpractice claims in Thurston County, Washington.

Medical Facilities Located in Thurston County, WA

Thurston County is home to several critical healthcare facilities and treatment centers including:

Providence St. Peter Hospital – A 292-bed regional medical center based in Olympia offering a wide range of services from primary to specialty care and advanced treatments. Providence St. Peter Hospital provides emergency medicine, cancer care, cardiac services, orthopedics, neurology and is also home to the Family Maternity Center for childbirth and newborns.

Capital Medical Center – Part of the UW Medicine system, this hospital and medical group serves Olympia and the surrounding region. Capital Medical Center provides emergency care along with specialty treatment programs like cancer care through the Gravis Cancer Center, advanced cardiothoracic surgery, interventional cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedics and sports medicine.

Mason General Hospital – Located in Shelton, this critical access hospital offers emergency medicine, childbirth center, general medical and surgical care to communities throughout Mason County. Specialty clinics are also available in areas like orthopedics, cardiology and infusion services.

In addition to the main hospitals above, many smaller urgent care clinics, surgical centers, rehabilitation facilities and long-term care nursing homes also provide medical services in various Thurston County cities and towns.

What Constitutes Medical Malpractice in Thurston County?

What Constitutes Medical Malpractice in Thurston County?

Medical malpractice occurs when a physician, nurse, technician, hospital or other healthcare provider delivers substandard medical care that directly results in a patient injury or wrongful death. However, an unfavorable outcome does not automatically equal medical negligence.

To successfully prove a legitimate case of malpractice in Thurston County's civil court system, three key legal elements must be established:

  1. A patient-provider relationship existed which established a duty of care owed. This means you were under the treatment of the provider when the negligent act or omission occurred.
  2. The healthcare provider breached their duty of care owed to you. Typically proven by showing their actions clearly deviated from accepted medical standards another competent doctor or hospital would have undertaken. Expert testimony is crucial.
  3. This breach directly caused the patient's compensable injuries or damages claimed. There must be obvious causation between the subpar medical care and the resulting harm.

Some examples of medical negligence in Thurston County may include:

  • Surgical mistakes - operating on wrong body part or using unsafe methods
  • Medication errors - giving incorrect drugs or dosages
  • Failure to detect cancer or infections before they spread
  • Childbirth injuries - improper use of vacuums or forceps
  • Anesthesia mistakes - dosing errors, failing to track vitals
  • Ignoring symptoms of strokes or heart attacks
  • Delayed emergency response times
  • Discharging patients prematurely

These types of medical errors often lead to devastating outcomes for unsuspecting families. When poor medical judgment or imperfect hospital systems fail patients, our lawyers can help the injured and grieving families pick up the pieces.

Common Medical Malpractice Cases We Handle

The skilled medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law have extensive experience representing victims of all types of medical negligence. 

Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis

One of the top allegations we see is healthcare providers' failure to properly evaluate symptoms and order appropriate tests to reach the right diagnosis in a timely manner. Certain conditions like cancer can spread quickly. So missing early diagnosis windows can rob patients of effective treatment options. Our lawyers work with the best medical experts to prove when quicker, more complete diagnoses likely would have made a difference.

Surgical Errors

Even routine outpatient procedures can inflict tremendous harm when surgeons, surgery staff or hospitals fail to follow safety protocols. We have seen surgical mistakes during childbirth, laparoscopies, colonoscopies, and even dental procedures spiral into disabling injuries. Surgical errors where doctors operate on the wrong body part or leave foreign objects inside patients also continue plaguing Washington healthcare. Our lawyers hold all negligent parties accountable.

Emergency Room Mistakes

While ER teams provide heroic lifesaving care daily, the hectic fast-paced nature of emergency rooms also breeds frequent errors. Some of the most common issues we encounter include failing to fully evaluate symptoms, inaccurate interpretation of imaging and lab results, or improper emergency treatments. The skilled medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law can assess ER negligence.

Medication Errors

Getting the wrong medication or dosage leads to large numbers of adverse reactions and complications each year. Common medication errors include contraindicated combinations, ignoring harmful drug allergies and interactions, improper dosing, negligent pharmacy dispensing practices, and inadequate monitoring of side effects. Patients can end up gravely harmed.

Childbirth Injuries

Bringing new life into the world should be joyous; unfortunately medical negligence can turn childbirth catastrophic. Mistakes like failing to promptly perform emergency C-sections when fetal monitoring shows distress can lead to infant brain damage or death. Botched deliveries using improper extraction techniques also cause injuries like Erb's palsy, Klumpke's palsy and cerebral palsy. Our lawyers have obtained justice for injured mothers and children for over 40 years.

We encourage any patient or grieving family that suffered harm due to potential medical negligence in a Thurston County healthcare setting to reach out. Our firm can evaluate what went wrong and discuss all legal options during a free consultation.

Cities & Towns Our Thurston County Medical Malpractice Lawyers Serve

Moseley Collins Law helps those injured by medical negligence throughout communities all across Thurston County, including:

In Thurston County: Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Rainier, Tenino, Bucoda, Grand Mound, Rochester, Bald Hills, Graham

Regardless of whether you reside in a more populated Thurston County city like Olympia or smaller rural town like Bucoda, our medical malpractice legal team is ready to assist you. We stand up for injury victims facing situations no one could ever adequately prepare for. Ensuring you have strong advocates by your side is what matters most as you grapple with medical negligence fallout.

The Benefits of Hiring a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Pursuing financial recovery after medical negligence often feels like an uphill battle. Hospitals and healthcare providers typically deny responsibility while major insurance companies do everything possible to limit payouts and compensation. Powerful legal and financial interests are aligned against patients and grieving loved ones.

Facing these daunting opponents on your own is not advisable. An accomplished medical malpractice lawyer levels the playing field. They possess the litigation experience and legal resources to counter defense tactics aimed at discrediting injury victims' legitimate claims. Some top benefits of enlisting a lawyer like those at Moseley Collins Law include:

We Prove Medical Negligence Occurred - Using reputable medical experts from across the state, we investigate what exactly went wrong and if critical medical standards were breached. Our lawyers know how to establish liability even when hospitals refuse to take ownership.

Our Reputation Encourages Favorable Settlements - When formidable legal opposition knows we have an exceptional track record of winning verdicts and settlements for clients at trial, they become much more motivated to offer fair out-of-court compensation instead of risking massive jury awards later.

Contingency Fee Representation - We advance all case expenses and only collect legal payment from settlement proceeds achieved on your behalf. No fees or costs come out of your pocket.

You Save Time - We handle everything from gathering medical records, consulting experts, negotiating demands and masterfully handling litigation motions if your case winds up in court. This frees your time to focus on recovery.

You Get Answers - We fight relentlessly until you have answers about what exactly went wrong. Establishing the full truth is often half the battle psychologically when overcoming medical negligence aftermath.

Do not hesitate to call our office for a free, confidential assessment of your medical incident. We guide many devastated clients toward justice and closure after medical errors turn lives upside down.

Proving Medical Negligence Requires Extensive Investigation

Proving Medical Negligence Requires Extensive Investigation

Successfully establishing malpractice liability involves much more than just obtaining client statements and medical records. Skilled medical malpractice lawyers know that building an airtight case hinges on exhaustive legal investigation and development.

Key steps our lawyers take when pursuing Thurston County medical negligence claims always include:

Consulting Renowned Medical Experts - Local doctors often shy away from criticizing care provided by colleagues and facilities where they have privileges. So we partner with nationally prominent specialists at esteemed institutions outside the region. Securing multiple expert opinions confirming substandard practices occurred significantly boosts case validity.

In-Depth Legal Analysis - Each state has unique laws and regulations governing medical liability claims which our lawyers need to account for. This includes medical standard of care rules, damage caps, special exceptions and strict filing deadlines. We navigate the complex legal framework.

Obtaining Exhaustive Medical Records - Our lawyers gather every pertinent record related to your care. This could encompass files from multiple treating physicians, hospitalizations, clinics, therapists, testing facilities, pharmacies and more. Piecing together the sequence of events provides clues.

Researching Medical Literature - Peer-reviewed studies, clinical practice guidelines and medical society protocols help establish standards of care applicable based on diagnoses and symptom presentation. We uncover all relevant materials to compare actual care against.

Securing Supportive Evidence - Things like doctor notes, hospital incident reports, diagnostic test results, nursing documentation and medication logs often prove whether appropriate care was delivered. Our lawyers know where to dig.

Proving Causation - In addition to breach of duty, we must demonstrate the subpar medical care directly caused the patient's claimed injuries and damages. By analyzing disease progression and health decline, our experts provide causation opinions.

The more case specifics we substantiate through exhaustive investigation and research, the greater leverage we wield in demanding maximum compensation for victims. Reliable legal preparation always pays dividends.

You Pay Nothing Upfront to Hire Us

At Moseley Collins Law, we provide medical malpractice victim representation on a contingency fee basis. This means there are never any upfront payments required to retain our services. We also advance all necessary case expenses ourselves.

Our firm only collects a legal fee if we succeed in recovering financial compensation through a settlement or jury award. The fee amount comes out of those proceeds. If we cannot get you money damages, nothing is owed.

This contingency fee model helps remove financial barriers that might otherwise discourage those harmed by medical negligence from pursuing justice. Victims coping with severe injuries and financial losses should not have to take on the burden of expensive hourly lawyer fees or major case costs in order to battle deep-pocketed healthcare corporations.

We believe the contingency fee structure best protects the interests of injured clients. It allows them to secure top-tier legal representation without worrying if they can afford it. Our lawyers also have heavy motivation to maximize claim values since our compensation directly hinges on final payouts secured. This unique client-lawyer alignment produces optimal claim outcomes.

Key Reasons Injury Victims Choose Us

When facing the daunting task of battling healthcare organizations after medical errors, you need an accomplished firm in your corner. What sets the veteran medical malpractice lawyers at Moseley Collins Law apart?

Unwavering Commitment to Client Needs - Every person harmed by medical negligence deserves responsive, compassionate legal guidance. We treat clients like members of our own family - not faceless cases. Taking the time to understand the profound emotional trauma and disruption clients face drives our passion for justice even further.

National Recognition - Through consistent courtroom success and ongoing dedication to helping medical malpractice victims over the years, our lawyers continue earning recognition from respected legal peers and publications for excellence.

When weighing all options for legal representation after medical negligence leads to injury or death of a loved one anywhere in Thurston County, we encourage you to contact us for a free initial consultation by calling 800-426-5546. Our office remains willing and able to help victims emerge positively from tragic situations every step of the way.

Contact a Thurston County Medical Malpractice Team Today

Moseley Collins remains dedicated to helping victims of medical negligence hold healthcare providers accountable and recover fair, full compensation after errors cause injury or death. Our proven track record delivering results for clients over decades separates us from less experienced firms you may consider after malpractice. We have the litigation tools and perseverance to win.

To learn more and schedule a free initial consultation with a knowledgeable Thurston County medical malpractice lawyer, please call 800-426-5546 or contact us online today. Let our caring team help guide you and your family toward justice.

What Constitutes a Medical Error Versus Malpractice?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) What Constitutes a Medical Error Versus Malpractice?

While all medical errors that negatively impact patients represent some level of negligence, not every mistake necessarily rises to the difficult legal standards required to pursue financial compensation through a malpractice lawsuit. Typically a legitimate claim hinges on three factors - a clear patient-provider duty that was then breached, resulting in significant, preventable harm directly caused by the breach of care. If any link in that chain gets broken, cases become harder to prove.

What if I Signed Consent and Release Forms with the Medical Provider?

Healthcare providers often try shielding themselves from liability by having patients sign blanket consent forms or liability release documents. However, these releases offer limited protections in cases of clear negligence. You cannot sign away rights if providers breach critical standards of care during procedures and treatment. Only strict liability typically gets waived. A lawyer can best determine if consents allow viable claims.

Why Are Birth Injury Cases Different?

When medical negligence during Labor & Delivery leads to infant harm like cerebral palsy, Erb's or Klumpke's palsy, certain exceptions may allow more time for filing suit later in the child's life. This protects precious care funds down the road since major costs compound as children grow. Because newborns cannot comprehend injuries or pursue cases themselves initially, unique rules apply allowing parents or guardians to file claims on their behalf years later with no time limit in some situations. An lawyer experienced with childbirth injury cases can best advise.

Can I File a Case If My Loved One Died from Medical Negligence?

Yes - Washington laws allow bereaved family members to pursue wrongful death lawsuits against healthcare providers when negligence results in a patient's premature demise. Damages include final medical and funeral bills, lost earnings the victim could have continued providing, pain & suffering before passing, and loss of companionship. Our firm has successfully resolved many wrongful death cases over 40+ years - holding negligent parties fully liable. No amount of money relieves such grief, but financial recovery helps provide closure.

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