Medical malpractice is, unfortunately, not uncommon in the United States. According to leading medical experts, medical errors have become the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., right behind heart disease and cancer. Medical mistakes cause somewhere around 250,000 deaths each year - yet many of them are preventable. Medical malpractice can cause injuries that lead to lifelong disabilities or even death, though malpractice claims can be tricky to prove. Understanding how you must prove the negligence of a doctor is crucial to a successful medical malpractice lawsuit.

Three Elements of Medical Negligence

There are three things that you must prove when it comes to medical negligence in Illinois. First, you must prove that the standard of care that your physician owed to you was violated. Second, you must prove that an injury resulted from that violation, and third, you must prove that your injury had damaging consequences on your health. All three elements must be proven in order for your case to be considered legitimate.

A Violation of the Standard of Care

The first thing you must prove is that your doctor violated a standard of care. There are certain standards that all medical professionals are held to, such as using acceptable medical treatments for certain conditions. If your doctor failed to provide an adequate level of care, you can establish negligence.

Every year, thousands of people are severely injured or even killed in car accidents. Sometimes the cause of the injuries seems obvious. However, in some instances, a defect or malfunction in your car may have made your injuries worse than they otherwise would have been.

Discovering Automobile Defects

While some vehicles become notorious for their defects, other more routine defects pass through unknown to most people. For example, some SUVs are well known to have a higher risk of rollover rates or roof-crush injuries. It is much lesser-known, however, that there are thousands of components in a car that may not be working properly which could make injuries in a car accident much worse.

In many cases, such defects will not be discovered unless a crash reconstruction expert examines the evidence. The expert may find that a seatbelt or airbag failed to work as designed. It may become clear that your injuries were actually made worse caused by something inside your own car.

You may be surprised to learn that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. One Johns Hopkins study estimates that 250,000 and 440,000 people pass away every year due to medical mistakes across the country. When you or a loved one has an unexpected medical emergency, you may drive to the emergency room to get the medical care you need. Although the majority of hospital emergency rooms safely provide the life-saving care that patients need without error, emergency room mistakes do happen.

ER Errors Can Be Devastating to the Victim

When someone experiences a drastic change in their health, they might be inclined to go to the emergency room. Because emergency room doctors and other medical staff are often dealing with high-stakes, time-sensitive medical emergencies, they must use extreme caution and focus when attending to patients. Unfortunately, studies show that as many as 5-10 percent of all emergency room visits involve mistakes. Some of these mistakes will not make a notable difference in the patient’s condition, but others can be the difference between whether the patient lives or dies. Some of the most common emergency room mistakes include:

• Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis, including inappropriate response to signs and symptoms of strokes and heart attacks
• Medication errors, including overmedicating, under-medicating, or giving patients the wrong medication or dosage
• Failure to obtain proper patient medical history
• Misuse of a medical device
• Misinterpretation of laboratory test results
• Unhygienic conditions which lead to an infection
• Failure to provide appropriate medical treatment
• Administrative mistakes, including confusing patient files and mislabeled test results

Pursuing Compensation for Medical Mistakes

Victims of medical malpractice may be left with significant economic and non-economic damage, including enormous medical bills, a worsened medical condition, and significant pain and suffering. A mistake made in the emergency room could be the difference between recovering from a major health issue and not improving at all.

With warmer weather quickly approaching, many riders are gearing up for rallies, runs, and good old-fashioned cruises. Sadly, the upcoming riding season also means headlines will soon feature motorcycle crashes. The “lucky” ones will suffer injuries that will one day heal. Others will suffer serious and life-altering injuries. Still others will experience a devastating crash – one that marks the end of their last ride.

What is most devastating about these crashes is that many will be the fault of another driver – someone who acted in a negligent way and then cost a family or rider a life, a limb, mobility, money, or employment. In such situations, the victim may be owed compensation. The following explains further and provides you with some key details on protecting your rights.

Negligence is a Common Factor in Motorcycle Accidents

Despite all the campaigns to “look twice and save a life,” the failure to register or “see” a motorcyclist is one of the most common factors in motorcycle crashes. Another major issue and contributing factor in motorcycle accidents is a driver’s failure to yield when the motorcyclist has the right of way. An intersection where the motorcyclist is turning left is the most common situation in which this occurs, but it can also happen when the motorcycle is on a straightaway and the other driver must enter the motorcyclist’s path to merge into traffic. All it takes is a moment of inattention by a driver for a tragic accident to take place.

Many, if not most, dogs are lovable, loyal companions. However, it is important to remember that dogs are still animals and that animals have the potential to attack and seriously injure a person. Severe dog bite injuries can cause permanent damage and disfigurement or even death. Dog bites can be especially detrimental to children. If your child was bitten by a dog, you may be wondering whether or not the dog’s owner is liable for the attack.

Strict Liability Dog Bite Laws in Illinois

Unlike some other states, Illinois uses the principle of “strict liability” when it comes to dog bites. A dog owner is liable for a dog bite injury even if the owner did not know the dog was aggressive. Even if a dog has never bitten or attacked someone before, the owner is legally responsible for the damages the dog causes in a bite attack. Strict liability also means that the victim does not need to prove that the owner was negligent or allowed the bite to occur.

However, strict liability for dog bites only applies if the victim was in a public place or was in a private place lawfully. This means that if your child was trespassing on the owner’s property and was bitten, the owner is not strictly liable for bite injuries. Similarly, if your child provoked or antagonized the dog into attacking, the owner would not be held liable under this principle. Cases involving child victims of dog bites are often complicated because a child might not be aware that or she is trespassing or provoking a dog. For this reason, among many others, you should speak with a qualified dog bite injury attorney for guidance on how to proceed.