When you sustain injuries due to an accident, workplace incident, or personal occurrence, your doctor may recommend physical therapy in order for you to rehabilitate what was damaged. Physical therapy helps re-strengthen your body and brings back your lost mobility. Those who work in physical therapy often do so in tandem with other medical professionals, like orthopedic doctors, to determine the best course of action for patients. For this reason, a physical therapist may not always be aware that he is administering improper or harmful treatment to a patient. At Normandie Law Firm, our top-rated Los Angeles law firm, we handle cases of medical malpractice stemming from physical therapy, and our clients usually have been mistreated or hurt in some way. They are occasionally confused, hurt, and unsure of how to proceed in filing a claim against a physical therapist or healthcare center. They wonder if it is legal to do so, and the answer is yes, you can sue the physical therapist. Our experienced lawyers are faced with other questions like:
- Can I sue a physical therapist for medical malpractice?
- Can I file a lawsuit against a physical therapist for injury that they caused me?
- Can I sue a physical therapist for a medical error?
- Does a spinal cord injury lawsuit count as medical malpractice?
Medical Malpractice Overview
Medical malpractice, also known as med mal in legal discussions, is a type of personal injury lawsuit that is also based on negligence. It can be filed against medical professionals and healthcare facilities in the event that negligent actions caused you harm. Medical malpractice occurs when the recognized standard of care is not met by the professionals; this standard is essentially a benchmark of how a professional should act in the specific circumstance of the patient.
Similar to a personal injury lawsuit, you will need to prove the existence of four factors before your medical malpractice claim can be accepted. First, the physical therapist must have owed you a duty of the recognized standard of care, in which case he would be taking care of you. Next, that standard of care must have been breached, generally by a negligent action. That breach must also have resulted in an incident that, finally, caused actual harm to you.
Essentially, the main difference between the two is the recognized standard of care changes with respect to each profession. A qualified attorney with expertise in physical therapy injury lawsuits can give you further information.
Ways a Physical Therapist Can Cause Harm
The ways in which you can sustain injuries while undergoing physical therapy are numerous and varied. Physical therapy is able to be performed on nearly all body parts, from shoulders to legs, from ankles to fingers, from hips to feet, and from spines to wrists.
You may be dropped while being assisted walking, not be caught if you were falling, pushed past your point of endurance while stretching, not be notified of the risks of physical therapy, left on unsupervised or unstable equipment, given a misdiagnosis, or suffer additional damages from supplementary exercises.
The reasons these bouts of negligence occur are all very different. Some therapists may simply have a quick lapse of judgment or bout of forgetfulness, while others may not be as qualified as you could hope. They may be lazy in their duties and not report broken or faulty equipment to their supervisors. Fortunately, if you sustain an injury while using equipment at a rehabilitation center, you may be able to collect damages from the facility as well.
These examples of malpractice can result in severe injuries, especially given the fact that you are usually in a much more weakened or compromised state if you are undergoing physical therapy in the first place. Examples of these injuries include:
- Broken bones from drops or excessive pressure on weak, frail, or elderly patients
- Sprained ankles or wrists from falls
- Strained muscles from excessive stretching
- Misalignment
- Back injuries
- Head wounds and concussions
- Muscle stiffness and soreness
These injuries can occur in any type of physical therapy center or rehabilitation facility. These locations are found in hospitals, independent centers, nursing homes, and athletic facilities. If you require further information on what may constitute grounds for a medmal lawsuit, contact an experienced attorney today.
Possible Recoveries from a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
If you are a victim of a medical mistake in a physical therapist’s office, you should seek out a medical malpractice attorney who can help you recover damages. Physical therapists should be held responsible for any injuries they cause to you, whether they are minor or severe, as the additional medical costs are not cheap. The primary goal of a personal injury lawsuit is to alleviate the costs of medical treatment. In pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit, you should seek out a proper attorney who can help bring you a fair settlement.
Further injuries can force you to undergo longer rehabilitation or have an entirely new surgery. These procedures can run you thousands of dollars and may not all be covered by your insurance provider. You can be compensated for past medical costs, future medical costs, medication, surgery fees, and additional physical therapy.
Further, if the incident caused you to miss work for any period of days or has impacted your ability to complete your job duties – for example, your ankle became sprained from a fall off faulty equipment at the rehabilitation center while you were there – you can collect past and future wages in a settlement.
In addition to the physical suffering and earning debts, pain and suffering or mental anguish can also be a factor in the size of your settlement. Some injuries lead to mental anguish, fear, anxiety, mood disorders, and psychological conditions, and you should be covered in the event any occur to you. You may be psychologically prevented from continuing physical therapy if you suffered an injury at the facility, leading to lasting problems that were not fixed.
A skilled attorney who has experience in physical therapy injury cases can help bring you a sizeable settlement.
Why Select Us?
If you are in need of an expert injury attorney who will take on your medical malpractice case, look no further than Normandie Law Firm. We have a team of some of the most skillful and knowledgeable lawyers in Los Angeles who will be proud to represent you from the start of your case to the end. If you have been injured while undergoing physical therapy, you should be aware of your rights and what kind of settlement you can receive.
Our Los Angeles law firm does not only handle cases present in this city. We serve many areas across the state of California, including San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Fresno, Modesto, and Victorville. You are not too far away to be represented by one of our attorney with experience in physical therapy injury cases.
Free Consultation and Zero Fee Guarantee
Call us today to receive a free legal consultation on your case. An accomplished lawyer with experience handling physical therapy injury claims will be able to talk with you. We will discuss medical malpractice lawsuits with you and how they apply to injuries sustained at physical therapists’ offices. We believe in transparency and giving you all the information you need so that you never feel like you are left in the dark or unaware of what we are trying to accomplish. We work for you in an effort to keep you healthy and taken care of, and won’t rest until we bring you fair restitution.
Normandie Law Firm has a zero fee guarantee in place that promises you pay no out of pocket expenses for our representation. We front the costs of the case and get reimbursed when you receive your settlement. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing, and we eat the loss we sustained. We believe you should only stand to gain when you pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit. More information can be found by contacting a lawyer experienced in physical therapy injury cases.
For more information on filing a medical malpractice lawsuit to counter injuries sustained at physical therapy, get in touch with our top team of attorneys at Normandie Law Firm today.
