Seattle Medical Malpractice Attorney

A hospital or doctor's negligent act, oversight, or omission can result in severe consequences, including disability, medical complications, permanent incapacitation, or sometimes death. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice or negligence, you are within your rights to seek fair compensation.

For years I have been dedicated to providing experienced legal counsel and guidance for individuals facing medical malpractice cases. As an experienced Seattle, WA medical malpractice attorney, I will investigate the details of your case, work to establish fault, and explore all possible legal options to help you pursue damages. I will fight to protect your rights and help you fight for the compensation you need to cover medical expenses, lost wages, future treatments, pain and suffering, and any other losses.

My personal injury firm, The Law Office of Dan N. Fiorito III, is proud to serve medical malpractice victims across the Seattle area, and all of Western Washington, including the Puget Sound Area, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Everett. Reach out today to get the help you need.

Your Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Seattle, Washington

Medical malpractice occurs when a hospital, physician, nurse, or any other healthcare professional causes an injury or complication to a patient through a negligent act, mistake, or omission. Medical negligence can be described as a “failure to act” by a medical professional that deviates from the expected medical standard of care.

Furthermore, medical negligence may occur due to errors in treatment, diagnosis, aftercare, or health management. Under Washington State law, regardless of whether it was medical malpractice or medical negligence that led to the patient's resulting injuries, the point remains the same — your medical provider failed in their duties to provide adequate care. As a result, you have every right to file a claim seeking compensation. An experienced Washington State medical malpractice attorney can help protect your rights and guide you through the process of recovering damages.

For over a decade, I have devoted my career to protecting the rights of medical malpractice victims and their families. As your legal counsel, I can review every aspect of your case, carry out a comprehensive and private investigation, work to establish liability, and outline an aggressive legal approach for your case. I will fight passionately to protect your rights, represent your best interests, and help you pursue fair financial compensation for your injuries, damages, and any other pain and suffering you’ve had to endure.

With me on your side, you can rest assured that your case is in good hands as we work together to pursue a favorable outcome in your medical malpractice case. Call or reach out to my firm today to learn about your options and start seeking justice.

Types of Medical Malpractice Cases I Handle

As a Seattle medical malpractice attorney, I work with individuals and families who have been hurt by preventable medical mistakes. The cases span a wide range of situations, from surgical errors to misdiagnosis, and each one demands careful investigation and a clear legal strategy.

Surgical Errors

Surgery carries risk, but not every complication is acceptable. When a surgeon operates on the wrong site, leaves a foreign object inside the body, or makes a preventable technical mistake during a procedure, that may constitute malpractice. I handle cases involving general surgical errors as well as more specific procedures like gallbladder surgery and appendectomy. These are situations where what went wrong is often well-documented in surgical records, and building a case means working closely with medical professionals who can speak to the standard of care that was not followed.

Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesia errors are among the most serious types of malpractice because the consequences can be immediate and permanent. Administering too much or too little anesthesia, failing to monitor a patient properly during a procedure, or not reviewing a patient's medical history for contraindications can lead to brain damage, cardiac events, or death. I take these cases seriously because the harm is often catastrophic, and the margin for error in anesthesia is extremely small.

Birth Injuries

Few situations are more devastating than a birth injury that could have been prevented. These cases often involve oxygen deprivation, improper use of delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors, or failure to respond appropriately to signs of fetal distress. Conditions such as cerebral palsy, brachial plexus injuries including those caused by shoulder dystocia, and Erb's palsy can sometimes be traced back to negligence during labor and delivery. Families dealing with a birth injury often face a lifetime of medical care and additional support needs, which is reflected in how I approach damages in these cases.

Misdiagnosis and Delayed Diagnosis

A wrong or late diagnosis can be just as harmful as a surgical mistake. When a doctor fails to identify a condition like cancer, a heart attack, or an infection in a timely way, patients often lose treatment options that could have made a real difference in their outcome. A misdiagnosis claim does not simply rest on the fact that a doctor got it wrong. I look at whether a reasonably competent physician, given the same information, would have reached the correct diagnosis and what harm resulted from that failure.

Bile Duct Injuries

Bile duct injuries most often occur during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is the procedure used to remove the gallbladder. When the bile duct is accidentally cut, clipped, or damaged during surgery, the results can include bile leakage, infection, and serious long-term complications affecting the liver and digestive system. These injuries are a recognized complication, but they are not always unavoidable. When the injury stems from a deviation from standard surgical technique, there may be a valid malpractice claim.

Medication and Prescription Errors

Medication errors happen at various stages of care. A doctor may prescribe the wrong drug or the wrong dose, a pharmacist may dispense an incorrect medication, or a nurse may administer something incorrectly. Patients can suffer severe allergic reactions, organ damage, or worsening of their underlying condition as a result. These cases require a careful review of the patient's full medical record, including prescription history and what information was available to the provider at the time of the error.

If you or someone in your family has been harmed by medical negligence, I want to hear what happened. I take cases across Washington State, and I am committed to holding negligent providers accountable. Reach out today to schedule a time to talk about your situation and find out what your options are.

Who Can Be Sued for Medical Malpractice?

Medical malpractice can occur due to an unfortunate combination of factors. Regardless of the specifics that led to the incident, there are a number of different healthcare organizations and professionals that can be found guilty of medical malpractice or negligence, including:

• The hospital

• Doctors

• Hospital medical staff

• Pharmacists

• Nurses

• Pharmaceutical companies

• Urgent care centers

As your Seattle medical malpractice lawyer, I can help you pursue legal action against any one of these entities or individuals if their reckless or negligent actions resulted in an injury or medical complication.

What Are the Basic Elements of a Claim?

To establish that medical malpractice occurred and to recover damages, the claimant must prove that:

1. There was a doctor/patient relationship.

2. The doctor or health care provider deviated from the accepted medical standard of care.

3. The deviation caused the victim's injuries.

4. The injury caused damages such as physical pain, additional medical expenses, mental anguish, and missed time at work.

Damage Caps on Medical Malpractice Claims

In Washington, there is no damage cap on medical malpractice claims. In 1989, the Washington Supreme Court considered damage caps to be unconstitutional. Therefore, the Washington statutes on recovering damages in medical malpractice cases are considered plaintiff-friendly.

Statute of Limitations

Pursuant to Washington Revised Code section 4.16.350, any civil action for damages for an injury caused by a healthcare professional's negligence shall be taken within three years that the act, omission, or failure to act occurred. To put it simply, you have three years from the date you alleged negligent actions occurred to file a claim.