Medical Malpractice vs. Wrongful Death: What’s the Difference?
When people think of wrongful death cases, they immediately jump to medical malpractice. However, this is only one instance of wrongful death. There are all kinds of ways these cases come about. Not to say that a medical malpractice case can’t lead to a wrongful death case because it can. But that it is critical to know the difference between the two.
Whether you are dealing with the loss of a loved one or a loved one is facing illness from malpractice, we are here to help you. At Bernstein | Polsky, we can represent you for wrongful death and medical malpractice. Whatever situation you want to seek justice for, we can help you find it. Keep reading to learn the difference between the two and how we can help!
What is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice happens when a doctor or healthcare professional’s negligence or carelessness results in a critical injury or fatality. Some examples of medical malpractice are failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, errors in treatment, errors in aftercare, unnecessary surgery, surgical errors, premature discharge, ignoring lab results, not taking the patients history, not acknowledging the patient’s history, failing to recognize symptoms, and failure to properly test for an illness. There is a wide range of medical malpractice cases and situations, however, they all come down to the medical professional either purposefully or accidentally being careless.
No matter how severe the situation is, it never hurts to get a medical malpractice lawyer in Boca Raton on the case.
What is Wrongful Death?
Medical malpractice and wrongful death, although very different, have some similarities. It all comes down to carelessness. Wrongful death occurs when someone is negligent, whether on accident or purpose. Some examples of wrongful death are motor vehicle accidents, manufacturing defects, and medical malpractice. In the case of a motor vehicle wrongful death, the driver could have been irresponsible and not paying attention. They then either hit a pedestrian, bicyclist or fatally crash into another car. In a medical malpractice situation, wrongful death occurs when a healthcare professional’s carelessness results in a fatality.
How are the Two Similar?
Many people get these two unique kinds of cases mixed up. And here at Bernstein | Polsky, we understand why. Medical malpractice and wrongful death can both begin with carelessness in a place of medicine. Plus, when we think of other types of wrongful death, such as car accidents, fatal or not, we tend to place them in the car accident category instead of wrongful death.
If someone finds themselves ill or critically injured because of medical malpractice, they would usually pursue that in court. But, if the person ends up passing away from the medical malpractice, it’s now a wrongful death case. Wrongful death can occur because of medical malpractice, but it doesn’t work the other way around. That is why we recommend getting a medical malpractice lawyer in Boca Raton sooner rather than later.
What are These Cases Worth?
Every case is unique, with no two situations being the same. With this in mind, it’s hard to know how much a case is worth. When it comes to medical malpractice, it all depends on how the carelessness affected the individual. If they now have life-altering injuries and cannot live life as they knew it, the case may be worth more. However, if there was a surgical mistake that the person is to recover from, you may only get medical bills and some monetary compensation. Wrongful death cases are very similar. For instance, some cases secure a family millions, while others only a couple hundred thousand. When it comes to wrongful death, how much compensation you receive depends on the person’s age, health, work history, role in the household, education, and more. If the person who passed supplied the only source of income, you can expect monetary compensation that is equal to what they would have made now and in the future.
Contact Us Today!
Whether you want to seek justice for a medical malpractice case or a wrongful death case, the team at Bernstein | Polsky can help. If you aren’t sure if you should pursue the case, don’t stress. Our medical malpractice lawyers in Boca Raton and our wrongful death lawyers can give you a free consultation. During this call, we can discuss the situation with you. You can also use this time to ask any questions you may have. At the end of the day, we want to help you secure justice and get the closure you need. Reach out to us at (954) 997-9947 for your consultation call.
