After heart attacks and cancer, death from medical malpractice has become the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the National Institute of Health. In fact nearly 225,000 people die each year from medical malpractice and many people are seriously injured as well. If you or someone you care about has been the victim of medical malpractice, you probably have many questions, including what should you look for when researching a medical malpractice attorney.
Experience - many lawyers handle a variety of cases, medical malpractice merely being one of the categories. Medical malpractice cases are the most complex type of cases, requiring extensive expertise and experience.
Dr. Bruce Fagel handles only medical malpractice cases and has tried and settled more medical malpractice cases on behalf of injured victims than any other attorney in California.
Track Record - obtaining the largest settlement possible in a medical malpractice case requires that the defendant's doctor or hospital insurance carrier respects and fears your attorney. This respect and fear comes from the experience and ability of the attorney in taking medical malpractice cases to trial and winning these cases.
Dr. Bruce Fagel has successfully tried cases in more than 25 different counties in California and is well known and respected by the attorneys who represent doctors and hospitals. He is even asked to speak at meetings of defense attorneys, hospitals, and insurance companies.
Knowledge - all medical malpractice cases require evidence from medical experts to prove negligence and causation. Often medical malpractice cases are lost at trial because defense attorneys are able to use their medical experts to confuse a jury or the plaintiff attorney is not able to explain a case to a jury.
Dr. Bruce Fagel is a licensed medical doctor who practiced emergency room medicine for 10 years before becoming a leading medical malpractice attorney. He has spent the last 30 years pursuing complex medical malpractice cases for injured victims and their families. As a physician, he understands the complexities of a medical malpractice case and is able to prevent doctors and medical experts from trying to use complicated medical terminology to confuse a jury. He knows how to cross examine the defense experts because he understands the medical language.
Ability to fund the case - medical malpractice cases are among the most expensive types of personal injury cases, mainly because of the cost of medical experts that are necessary for proving liability and damages. The cost of obtaining experts for medical malpractice cases can easily exceed $200,000 or more before trial. Many attorneys are unable to advance such a large sum of money and some even ask the clients to pay the costs as the case progresses.
Dr. Bruce Fagel advances all the costs for the cases he handles. There is no out of pocket cost to the client.
What do past clients think about the attorney - one of the best measures of success for any attorney is the opinions of prior satisfied clients who have had medical malpractice cases similar to yours. Ask any attorney you meet with to provide you a list of prior clients. If the attorney is unable to provide you with the list, he or she probably does not have the level of experience or the proven track record of success that you need for your case.
If you believe you or a family member was the victim of medical negligence, you may have a case for medical malpractice. Contact the Law Offices of Dr. Bruce G. Fagel & Associates at 1-800-541-9376 today for a free consultation.
