Many diseases and conditions are easily preventable or manageable with regular screenings and early intervention. Any delays in your diagnosis, however, can be disastrous. Unfortunately, some delays are caused by negligent doctors and other medical professionals. Patients like you rely on these professionals to catch serious illnesses or injuries before they get worse. When they are negligent and fail to diagnose you in a timely manner, you are left facing potentially deadly consequences.
If this happened to you or a loved one, the Miami delayed diagnosis lawyers at Freidin Brown, P.A. want to help. We have spent decades helping patients of medical malpractice seek recourse from negligent professionals and won millions of dollars for our clients, and we’d like to see what we can do for your case. Call us now for a free case evaluation. The sooner you call us, the sooner we can start holding someone responsible for your harm.
What Is a Delayed Diagnosis?
If your diagnosis was delayed, that means that another party failed to identify your health condition in a timely manner. Some delays are simply frustrating and inconvenient, but for others, a delayed diagnosis can be life-changing or even life-threatening.
Not every delayed diagnosis is medical malpractice. Medical malpractice has a very high threshold to meet, and it can be challenging to try to prove it on your own. Our lawyers can take on this burden to help alleviate some of the stress you and your family may be dealing with. To establish malpractice, we must:
- Prove that the physician or other medical professional had a duty to provide you with a certain standard of care and that their care was at or above the standard for their field.
- Establish that the behaviors or actions of this professional failed to meet the acceptable standard of care.
- Demonstrate that you have injuries and losses related to a delayed diagnosis.
- Connect the professional’s negligence to your injuries, which means showing that the professional’s errors, actions, or lack of actions were the direct cause of harm.
Trying to establish this breach in the professional standard of care means dealing with complicated, nuanced medical malpractice concepts. We have dealt with malpractice claims for years, and we have a deep understanding of what it takes to prove that someone was negligent.
Who Is Liable for My Delayed Diagnosis?
Like any medical malpractice claim, there are many potential parties who could be responsible for the delay in your diagnosis. Every case is different, of course, but here are some common liable parties:
- A physician or other medical practitioner: The doctor may have failed to give you an accurate or timely diagnosis, did not refer you to a specialist, did not follow up with results, or did not give you a proper course of treatment. Even dismissing your concerns or discharging you early could be negligent.
- The hospital: We can hold the hospital itself liable for any harm from a delayed diagnosis. They could be liable for failures by one of their employees or doctors who are their agents.
- A laboratory, imaging center, or other testing facility: Sometimes, labs or other facilities drop the ball on testing or reviewing your results. For example, they may not have contacted your doctor, or they misinterpreted your results.
If any other parties were negligent and contributed to your delayed diagnosis, we will pursue them to get you the money you need.
Examples of Delayed Diagnosis Cases
As medical malpractice lawyers, we’ve seen our fair share of delayed diagnosis cases. Some clients have even come to us on behalf of deceased loved ones, who may have lived if someone had upheld the standard of care expected of them. We handle many types of delayed diagnosis cases, which include but are not limited to:
- Strokes: Time is of the essence when it comes to diagnosing strokes and treating the issues. Every second is crucial, as strokes can cause someone to suffer from brain damage and become paralyzed. While some stroke patients recover, others may be disabled for life, or they could have even passed away from the stroke. We often see doctors and nurses dismiss patient concerns, and it can have devastating effects.
- Cancers: Cancer screening and detection have come a long way over the years, but all it takes is one negligent party to put your life at risk. Some forms of cancer may be preventable, but delays in a cancer diagnosis mean that it may spread further than it should have, as is often the case with breast cancer or lung cancer. Misinterpreting or not detecting the cancerous growths is one possible reason for a delayed diagnosis, but other reasons could include the dismissal of symptoms or mistaking symptoms for another condition.
- Birth injuries: Pregnancy is exciting for expectant families, but when doctors do not inform you of certain risks, birth can be dangerous for children and parents alike. For example, preeclampsia is an incredibly dangerous condition that can result in death for the pregnant mother and the child if left untreated, unrecognized, or unmonitored.
- Heart attacks: Like strokes, any delays in care during a heart attack can have tragic consequences. Doctors may have ignored your symptoms, refused to admit you, discharged you early, or acted in other negligent ways. Those who survive a heart attack can have a long road to recovery, and they may even have persistent conditions that disrupt their ability to live their life to the fullest.
Even if your condition is not listed above, we encourage you to discuss your case with our Miami delayed diagnosis lawyers today.
Let Freidin Brown, P.A.’s Malpractice Lawyers Help With Your Delayed Diagnosis in Miami
We know how exhausting it is to handle these cases on your own. You may be recovering from or dealing with the effects of your condition or helping a family member through their own illnesses. You may even be in mourning while trying to seek justice, and none of these scenarios are fair to you.
With Freidin Brown, P.A. by your side, we can take some of these heavy burdens off your shoulders. Our medical malpractice lawyers have successfully helped patients all over Florida seek justice from negligent medical providers.
Let Us Put Our Experience to Work
With over 20 verdicts over $1 million, we know what it takes to fight back against negligent providers and other parties. Here are just a few of our victories:
- $38,000,000 for premature twins blinded by a doctor’s failure to screen and diagnose the children for retinopathy of prematurity
- $900,000 from the Federal Bureau of Prisons for a failure to diagnose and treat the patient’s colorectal cancer
- $1,595,000 for our client, who was paralyzed from the waist down after doctors failed to diagnose the spinal epidural abscess in a timely manner
- $750,000 for a woman with cancer against a Florida radiology group that failed to identify the cancer and then did not follow up with her treatment providers
Our firm carefully selects cases to ensure our lawyers can devote all the time and attention each person deserves. You have been through a lot, and our attorneys believe in providing personalized representation to make this experience as pain-free as possible. We have devoted our practice to helping injury victims get justice, and we offer big-firm resources to help support your case for compensation.
While we are ready to negotiate with insurance companies, our trial-tested attorneys are no strangers to taking cases to court to get our clients the maximum compensation possible, if necessary. We would be honored to take on your delayed diagnosis case today.
Delayed Diagnosis Due to Medical Negligence? Contact a Miami Lawyer Now for Expert Support!
Common Questions about Miami Delayed Diagnosis Cases
Is There a Deadline for Filing a Delayed Diagnosis Lawsuit?
Yes, Florida has a statute of limitations for all medical malpractice cases. Per Florida Statutes § 95.11 (4)(c), you have about two years from the date of the incident or the date of discovery to file your medical malpractice lawsuit. However, medical malpractice cases are complicated, so you may have a different timeframe based on the circumstances of your case. Give our firm a call to discuss how much time you have to take action.
What Compensation Can I Seek for My Delayed Diagnosis?
Every medical negligence case is different, and the value of your damages will change due to multiple factors. However, in general, we can seek compensation for:
- Medical bills for surgeries, medications, stays in the hospital, visits to doctors and other specialists, physical therapy, and mental health services
- Emotional damages, including mental anguish and pain and suffering
- Lost income or wages and lost earning potential if you cannot work again
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death damages like funeral expenses and loss of consortium if a loved one died from their delayed diagnosis
You have so many expenses and have suffered so much, so let us take on your case to make sure you get every dime you are owed from the negligent party.
What Can a Medical Malpractice Attorney Do for My Delayed Diagnosis Case?
We highly recommend that you seek legal representation for your medical malpractice case. Florida laws surrounding medical malpractice are quite complex, and you may not get very far on your own. As your delayed diagnosis lawyers, we will:
- Evaluate your claim to see if you have a case
- Establish liability of the other party or parties
- Investigate your delayed diagnosis case and gather evidence and other forms of proof to support your claim
- Negotiate with insurers
- File your lawsuit and represent you in court
When it comes to medical malpractice, we’ve seen it all and have the experience and knowledge to use the law to help protect you from negligent healthcare providers.
Call the Miami Delayed Diagnosis Lawyers Today for Help
Someone’s negligence has taken enough from you and your family, so let us help you fight back. The delayed diagnosis attorneys at Freidin Brown, P.A. are ready to help you with your case. Call our Miami office as soon as you can for a free case evaluation.
Freidin Brown, P.A.
Address: 2 S Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33131, United States
Phone: (888) 677-7764
Opening Hours: Call Us 24/7 for a FREE Consultation