Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Law Articles

This Pennsylvania medical malpractice law library is presented by the medical malpractice law firm of Morris Wilson Knepp Jacquette, P.C. The law firm is located in the suburbs of Philadelphia and handles complex medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

Latest Posts

• Effective January 2023, Amended Law Helps Patients File Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Pennsylvania (November 30, 2022)
  Effective January 2023, Amended Law Helps Patients File Medical Malpractice Lawsuits in Pennsylvania
• Medical Malpractice Lawsuits & Jury Verdicts in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Bucks Counties (July 22, 2022)
  Medical Malpractice Lawsuits & Jury Verdicts in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Bucks Counties
• Pennsylvania Medical Negligence Law – Clear Cases of Medical Malpractice (April 28, 2022)
  Pennsylvania Medical Negligence Law – Clear Cases of Medical Malpractice
• Medical Misdiagnosis – How Common are Medical Misdiagnosis Errors? (December 15, 2021)
  How common are medical errors in the U.S.? Of the estimated 100-200 million medical errors in the U.S., 10 million involve serious harm (death/disability).
• Suspect Death Due to Medical Error in Pennsylvania? Get an Autopsy (November 29, 2021)
  If you suspect a loved one died due to medical negligence, it’s critical to get an autopsy to correctly identify the cause of death.

Wrongful Death & Survival Actions Based on Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania

Family members who’ve lost a loved one due to medical or hospital malpractice in Pennsylvania may seek special damages in wrongful death and survival actions. These two actions are legally separate and distinct from each other even though they derive from the same event–medical negligence. In a wrongful death action, surviving family members can seek damages caused by the death, typically in the form of financial losses, medical bills, funeral expenses, estate costs, etc. In a survival action, the estate can seek compensation on behalf of their deceased loved one for pain and suffering and financial losses suffered by their loved one before death.

Most Popular Article: 4 Elements of Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Against Doctors, Hospitals, Etc. (November 2, 2016)

Damages & Financial Compensation in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

Under Pennsylvania law, patients who’ve suffered an injury or loss due to medical malpractice can seek financial compensation from a doctor, hospital or medical provider. Claims for damages typically include pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, etc. See Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawsuits- Damages & Financial Compensation. Medical malpractice lawsuits are one of the many types of personal injury lawsuits, although they’re usually far more complex than more common injury lawsuits like car accident cases.

Common Examples of Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania

The most common forms of medical malpractice include misdiagnosis of a serious medical condition and hospital malpractice. Medical misdiagnosis, such as cancer misdiagnosis or stroke misdiagnosis, can occur in a doctor’s office or hospital. Hospital malpractice includes radiology mistakes, failure to treat, failure to monitor, etc.

Filing Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Lawsuits – What’s Involved?

Patients who file medical malpractice lawsuits in Pennsylvania are required to prove the following:

1. a doctor-patient relationship existed,

2. the treating doctor was negligent,

3. the negligence caused an injury or some form of damage to the patient, and

4. the patient suffered compensable damages (financial losses, pain and suffering, etc.).

Birth Injuries in Pennsylvania

• 6 Types of Birth or Delivery Errors & Injuries [Here are the 6 most common types of birth or delivery injuries: brachial palsy injuries, facial paralysis, brain injury, fractures, cephalohematoma, and caput succedaneum.]
• Cerebral Palsy in Pennsylvania Infants and Babies – The Role of Medical Negligence & Doctor Mistakes [Cerebral palsy during birth usually occurs due to failure to monitor the fetal heart rate, failure to detect/treat a prolapsed umbilical cord, failure to treat infections in the mother, failure to order a timely cesarean section (C-section), etc.]
• Birth Injuries During Labor & Delivery Prevention [Birth injuries are almost 100% preventable. They usually happen because of miscommunication between medical staff such as nurses and doctors.]

Medical Malpractice Lawsuit Verdicts & News

• Montgomery County, PA Hospital Hit With $3.2 Million Verdict Over Vein Implant Death (September 25, 2017)
• Phila. Jury Awards $7.7M for Failure to Detect Blood Clot (May 26, 2016)