Medical Malpractice Lawyers St. Clair, Missouri

Medical Malpractice Lawyers in St. Clair, Missouri. If you or a family member were injured because a doctor did not offer you the competent treatment that you were owed, call Burger Law now at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form. Our medical malpractice lawyers always get great compensation for our clients in St. Clair and throughout Missouri.

You do not have to pay because a physician, hospital or other medical professional in St. Clair, MO did not respect your health. When we get medical attention, we do so believing that we are placing our health — and sometimes even our lives — in trustworthy hands. When doctors are negligent , leaving you with even worse illnesses or injuries as a consequence, believe in the experienced and savvy St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers of Burger Law to win you justice and maximum financial compensation. Not only are we compassionate and committed to the injured in St. Clair, MO, but we are more aggressive than most law firms in filing litigation and not waiting around for the negligent doctor to take responsibility. Our medical malpractice lawyers want medical professionals and their insurance company to understand that we are persistent and will not take anything but maximum compensation. Negligent health care can have catastrophic, permanent consequences, and in the dire circumstances can even cause wrongful death.

In our 30 years of experience fighting back against bullies and getting great results for our clients, we have gotten our clients over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. If you or someone you love has been injured by a careless physician in St. Clair, MO, call Burger Law's medical malpractice lawyers right away at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online.

See the potential value of your claim by filling out our free personal injury calculator.



Medical Malpractice Statistics | St. Clair, MO Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Research by John Hopkins Medicine found that 10 percent of all fatalities in the United States are due to medical error. Just one percent of physicians are responsible for just about 33 percent of medical malpractice claims. Too often, negligent doctors are permitted to continue practicing without any penalty. But when the state of Missouri does not want to hold at-fault doctors to blame, you can be certain the medical malpractice lawyers of Burger Law will.

In Missouri, less than 33 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits end with the plaintiff collecting compensation. Still, between 2009 and 2018 a full $631.11 million was recovered in medical malpractice cases. You need devoted and veteran Missouri medical malpractice lawyers to make certain you collect the full compensation you are owed.

Who Your Medical Malpractice Lawyers in St. Clair, MO Can Hold To Blame in Your Case

We often automatically think of doctors when we think of medical malpractice, there are many parties that may be liable for medical negligence in your claim. The state of Missouri defines a “healthcare provider” as a

Malpractice lawsuits are frequently complicated; it may not be immediately clear who was at fault, or many people might be to blame. The dependable and knowledgeable St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into your case and make certain that every party that caused you harm is held accountable for their reckless behavior.

Examples of Medical Malpractice in St. Clair, MO

Medical negligence takes place when a healthcare professional disobeys the standard of care, which is how a competent doctor in the same field and same geographic location would have treated your health issue. Our St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers have seen that take place in many different ways:

Failure to Diagnose or Misdiagnosis

This is the most frequent reason for medical malpractice cases related to outpatient care. About 12 million people in United States are misdiagnosed annually. Diagnosing health issues early on is critical in getting the most favorable results for a patient. A misdiagnosis, or missing a diagnosis, can result in a delay to the care you seriously require to become healthier, or can lead to unsuitable treatment that worsens your illness or injury. Three-quarters of misdiagnoses are failing to diagnose some of the most serious health conditions, for example:

• 37.8 percent for cancer
• 22.8 percent for cardiac events
• 13.5 percent for infections

Surgical Errors

Surgical mistakes are the most frequent medical malpractice claim related to in-hospital treatment. There are a minimum of 4,000 surgical errors in the U.S. each year, and frighteningly, the most common example is performing surgery on the wrong body part. Other examples can include accidental cuts, anesthesia errors, foreign objects like sponges remaining inside the patient, infections or failure to treat difficulties show up after the procedure.

Medication Errors

An estimated 7,000 to 9,000 people in the United States die annually owing to medication errors. Examples can include not being aware of a patient's allergies, giving an incorrect medication, giving the wrong dosage or failing to identify interactions with other drugs.

Medication errors can also include overprescribing medications. Studies have found that overprescribing is a significant factor in the opioid crisis in the United States.

Unnecessary Care

Unnecessary medical care costs about $210 billion annually. John Hopkins Medicine asked 2,106 physicians and discovered that doctors themselves think that 15 to 30 percent of medical care is not needed, including:

• Over a fifth of prescription medications
• Almost a quarter of medical tests
• More than a tenth of procedures
• More than a fifth of all medical treatment

Unnecessary treatment can cause surgical errors, medication errors and overprescribed medication.

Birth Injuries

On average, 6 to 8 out of 1,000 children born in the United States sustain a significant birth injury Annually. Not properly observing the infant during delivery, not appropriately utilizing birthing techniques or not identifying a health condition of the mother during pregnancy are all instances of medical malpractice that can cause long-term or lifelong health problems.

Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act put in place a Bill of Rights for nursing home residents meant to safeguard and secure their physical, emotional and social well-being. When a nursing home institution or staff does not respect those rights and your loved one is hurt as a result, the medical malpractice lawyers of Burger Law will hold them to blame.

Failure to Inform or Lack of Consent

Everyone has an innate right to make decisions for ourselves. When a physician neglects to inform you of risks, or neglects to acquire your consent before treatment, it is a horrible violation of your rights.

At Burger Law, our St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers have experience with every type of negligence suit. We know the cataclysmic repercussions a healthcare professional's or institution's negligence can cause, and the anger and grief that accompanies learning that your trust was broken. We hold at-fault doctors responsible and deliver our St. Clair, MO clients the great financial recovery they are owed and that they need to move on and fully recover. Our medical malpractice lawyers also have considerable medical comprehension and will be able to discover precisely how your doctor violated the standard of care. Get in touch with our medical malpractice lawyers in St. Clair, MO now at (314) 500-HURT.

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Medical Malpractice Cases Won

Browse the links below to see some of the latest successes Burger Law's medical malpractice lawyers have secured for our clients in St. Clair, MO:

• $1 Million Settlement for Family of a Man With Sepsis Infection
• $1 Million Settlement for Permanent Brain Injury
• $900,000 Settlement for Unnecessary Surgery Leading to Blindness in One Eye
• $200,000 Settlement for Misdiagnosis
• $175,000 Verdict for Surgical Error During a Cesarean Section
• Confidential Settlement for Failing to Diagnose Cancer and Lost Chance of Survival
• Confidential Settlement for Nursing Home Neglect
• Confidential Settlement for Wrongful Death Due to Fentanyl

How Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Missouri Can Help

Medical malpractice suits are notoriously tough to win. That is why you need stellar medical malpractice lawyers that have the experience, knowledge, determination and savvy to win you the great compensation you know you deserve. When you hire us, our Missouri medical malpractice lawyers:

• Begin working on your case immediately
• Connect you with trusted and accomplished physicians to finally get you the medical attention you are owed
• Perform a complete investigation, including obtaining medical records, qualified testimony and taking official statements from the defendant
• Converse with our team of St. Clair, MO medical experts to ascertain standard of care in your case, show how the care you were given was substandard and prove negligence
• Offer empathetic, informed and trustworthy legal advice
• Make sure you informed throughout your case so you are aware of what is going on and know everything you need to make the best decision for your family
• Oversee every legal aspect of your case so you can focus on recovering
• Consult with with economic experts to ascertain exactly how much your claim is worth
• Negotiate with the insurance company to get you a full settlement offer
• Take your case to court when the insurance company does not want to offer what you deserve in mediation

At Burger Law, we know that most people in St. Clair, MO does not have the resources and legal knowledge to oppose the expensive defense teams of doctors and large hospitals. That is why our St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. We accept no attorneys fees until we get you the maximum financial recovery you deserve. We have dedicated our careers to making certain that the injured and vulnerable in St. Clair, MO have access to the highest quality legal advocacy, one that rivals and surpasses that of large hospitals. Our medical malpractice lawyers always work to eliminate every barrier standing between you and justice.

Basic Requirements for a Medical Malpractice Claim

Not every mistake carried out by medical professional amounts to malpractice. In order to get a financial recovery for negligent treatment in St. Clair, MO, you must conclusively show four things. Your medical malpractice lawyers from Burger Law will help you show that:

1. A doctor-patient relationship was established. This amounts to proof that you hired the doctor and the doctor agreed to be hired. This is usually not hard to prove.
2. The doctor or healthcare provider was negligent. You need to be able to demonstrate that a competent healthcare professional in the same practice area, in the same geographical location caring for the same health issue, would not have made the same mistake.
3. The doctor’s negligence directly caused you harm. This can often be tough to prove, as patients being treated by a doctor are customarily already sick or injured.
4. That the injury caused the patient damages. This can include physical pain, impairment, additional medical costs, or loss of future earning potential.

In Missouri, you will also be required to provide an “Affidavit of Qualified Healthcare Worker,” within 90 days of filing your lawsuit, according to Missouri Revised Statute §538.225. This is a written opinion from a legally qualified healthcare provider that states that a) the doctor did not offer the treatment that a careful healthcare provider would have under similar circumstances, and b) the failure caused the alleged damages. Our medical malpractice lawyers have a large network of experienced and qualified medical connections in St. Clair and throughout Missouri who will help substantiate your claim.

What Compensation Can I Recover? | St. Clair, MO Medical Malpractice Lawyers

The compensation your medical malpractice lawyers will help you collect usually falls into two categories: economic damages, which try to compensate you for the financial damages you have experienced due to a physician's substandard care; and noneconomic damages, which are intended to compensate for the less tangible ways in which your injuries have impacted your life:

• Economic damages include:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential if the medical negligence resulted in a disability that does not allow you to conduct the duties of your job anymore
  • Medical bills, for instance:
    • Follow up appointments
    • Further procedures
    • Physical therapy
    • Medication costs
    • In-home medical care
    • Assistive devices such as crutches or required upgrades to your home or vehicle
    • Future estimated medical expenses, such as further physical therapy or medication, or replacement costs for assistive devices
• Noneconomic damages, which the state of Missouri defines as:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Disfigurement
  • Loss of capacity to enjoy life
  • Loss of consortium

Burger Law's medical malpractice lawyers work tirelessly until you get every dollar that you deserve. We know that some injuries are impossible to really heal from, but we fight to ensure that you are made whole again.

Malpractice cases vary from other personal injuries in Missouri in a couple of essential details. Your medical malpractice lawyers at Burger Law will help you maneuver damage caps and the statute of limitations in Missouri:

Damage Caps in Missouri Medical Malpractice Cases

In 2015, Missouri state legislature passed Senate Bill 239 in an attempt to lower insurance premiums for doctor's and hospitals. The bill enforces "damage caps" on how much you can collect in a medical malpractice claim in noneconomic damages. As of 2022, those limits are $450,098 for a "non-catastrophic injury" and $787,671 for a "catastrophic injury."

What is Catastrophic Injury? | St. Clair, MO Medical Malpractice Lawyers

The limits for catastrophic injuries are higher because they impact your ability to function in your daily life and to find enjoyment in life. Your Burger Law malpractice lawyers will help you determine if your injury can be seen as catastrophic. Senate Bill 239 says that catastrophic injuries are:

• Quadriplegia, or loss of function in all four limbs
• Paraplegia, or loss of function in your legs and lower body
• Loss of two or more limbs
• A brain injury resulting in permanent cognitive impairment that results in permanent inability to:
• Make independent decisions
• Perform basic daily tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring and walking
• Irreversible failure of one or more major organ systems
• Legal blindness in your "best eye"

How Long Do I Have to File a Medical Malpractice Claim in St. Clair, MO?

If you or someone you love were hurt by a physician's substandard care in St. Clair, MO, it is imperative to call medical malpractice lawyers right away. While most personal injury cases have a time limit of five years in Missouri, medical malpractice cases only have a time limit of two years, pursuant to Missouri Revised Statute §516.105. That means that following an injury from medical negligence your medical malpractice lawyers only have two years to investigate your case and file your claim. There are three key exceptions:

1. If a foreign object was left inside of you after surgery, you have two years from the date you discovered the object, or should have discovered the object.
2. If a doctor did not inform you of test results, you have two years from the date you discovered or should have discovered that you were not informed. This does not include failure to inform of negligent or incorrect test results.
3. If you or someone you care about was under 18 at the time of the substandard care, you have until their 20th birthday.

Do not wait. Get in touch with the Burger Law St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers immediately. We begin working on your case right away and do not rest until you recover maximum compensation . Delaying could bring complications to your suit and could make it hard for even the best medical malpractice lawyers to show the full extent of your damages. Call Burger Law's St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers mow at (314) 500-HURT.

No one deserves to have their life disrupted because a healthcare professional gave them substandard care. Burger Law's St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers make up the highest- and most-reviewed law firm in St. Clair, MO. We fight hard for our clients and work tirelessly to get them the great results they need to recover. Our medical malpractice lawyers have spent the last 30 years fighting back against bullies and standing up for the "little guy." We will not let doctors, large corporations manipulate your vulnerability. Call Burger Law's St. Clair, MO medical malpractice lawyers today at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form to start on your road to recovery.