Do not hesitate to call our Carmel injury lawyers at (317) 526-4467 to review your case. Our team works on a contingent fee basis, which means that you do not pay us unless and until you win. You focus on healing – we handle the rest.
Indianapolis Misdiagnosis Lawyer
Has an Illness or Injury Been Misdiagnosed by a Healthcare Provider in IN?
At The Cline Law Firm, we understand the devastating impact a misdiagnosis can have on your health and well-being. A misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary treatments, worsening of the actual condition, and even death. If you or a loved one has been affected by a misdiagnosis, our dedicated Indianapolis misdiagnosis lawyers are here to help you seek justice and compensation for your suffering.
Contact us today at (317) 526-4467 for a free consultation.
What is Misdiagnosis?
Misdiagnosis occurs when a healthcare professional incorrectly identifies a patient's condition or fails to diagnose a condition altogether. This can lead to incorrect or delayed treatment, causing harm to the patient. Misdiagnosis is a form of medical malpractice and can occur in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, clinics, and private practices.
Several types of misdiagnosis can occur, each with serious consequences:
- Failure to Diagnose: This happens when a doctor fails to identify a disease or condition. For instance, a missed cancer diagnosis can lead to the disease progressing to an untreatable stage.
- Wrong Diagnosis: This occurs when a doctor incorrectly identifies one condition as another. For example, mistaking a heart attack for indigestion can delay life-saving treatment.
- Delayed Diagnosis: A correct diagnosis that is made too late can result in the condition worsening. Delayed diagnosis of conditions like stroke or infections can lead to severe complications or death.
- Overdiagnosis: Identifying a condition that is not actually present can lead to unnecessary treatment, which can cause harm. This is common in the overdiagnosis of cancers that are slow-growing and not life-threatening.
Common Contributing Factors of Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis can be caused by a variety of factors, often stemming from negligence or errors in the healthcare process:
- Inadequate Medical History: Failure to take a comprehensive medical history can lead to missing crucial information that affects diagnosis.
- Failure to Order Appropriate Tests: Not conducting necessary tests or misinterpreting test results can result in incorrect diagnoses.
- Lack of Follow-Up: Not following up on test results or patient symptoms can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses.
- Communication Failures: Poor communication between healthcare providers or between the doctor and patient can result in critical information being overlooked.
- Diagnostic Errors: Mistakes in reading imaging tests, lab results, or other diagnostic tools can lead to incorrect conclusions about a patient's condition.
Who is Liable for Misdiagnosis?
Determining liability in a misdiagnosis case can be complex, involving various parties:
- Doctors: Physicians can be held liable if their negligence or error led to the misdiagnosis. This includes general practitioners, specialists, and emergency room doctors.
- Hospitals and Clinics: Healthcare institutions can be liable if systemic issues such as understaffing, inadequate training, or faulty equipment contributed to the misdiagnosis.
- Diagnostic Labs: Laboratories and their staff can be held accountable if errors in testing or reporting results led to a misdiagnosis.
- Nurses and Technicians: Medical staff who fail to accurately document symptoms, perform necessary tests, or communicate findings can also be liable.
Proving Misdiagnosis in a Medical Malpractice Claim
To successfully pursue a misdiagnosis claim, certain elements must be proven:
- Doctor-Patient Relationship: You must show that there was an established doctor-patient relationship, which implies a duty of care.
- Negligence: It must be demonstrated that the healthcare provider failed to provide the standard of care that a competent doctor would have provided under similar circumstances.
- Causation: You need to prove that the negligence directly caused harm or worsened the condition.
- Damages: You must show that the misdiagnosis resulted in actual damages, such as physical pain, mental anguish, additional medical bills, or lost wages.
Why Choose Us?
Our experienced Indianapolis misdiagnosis lawyers at The Cline Law Firm are dedicated to advocating for victims of medical malpractice. We offer comprehensive legal support, including:
- Free Consultation: We provide a no-obligation consultation to evaluate your case and discuss your legal options.
- Thorough Investigation: Our team conducts a meticulous investigation to gather evidence, review medical records, and consult with medical experts.
- Aggressive Representation: We are committed to fighting for your rights and securing the compensation you deserve for your suffering and losses.
For a FREE consultation with a birth injury misdiagnosis lawyer at The Cline Law Firm, call (317) 526-4467 or online today.
Real Results
The Cline Law Firm, LLC exists for the sole purpose of listening to and advocating for individuals and families who have sustained great harm and losses as a result of the negligent, intentional, or other wrongful conduct of others. It is the sole type of legal work that attorney Lance D. Cline has done during his 40-year legal career. Every lawyer and employee of our team is solely and fully dedicated to helping victims of such conduct in our society.
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$5,634,669 Verdict for a Wrongful Death Caused by PneumoniaLance D. Cline obtained a jury verdict of $5,634,669.84 for the wrongful death of a fifty-two-year-old Indian female married to a sixty-four-year-old Indian male at the time of her death. The couple had no children. The decedent developed MRSA pneumonia, a rare form of pneumonia.
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$4,100,000 Verdict for Birth-Related Brachial Plexus Nerve Injuries
Lance D. Cline tried this case to a jury in 2012. The plaintiff was a minor male who sustained injuries to brachial plexus nerves in his right arm at the time of his birth. A shoulder dystocia occurred during the vaginal delivery.
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$3,500,000 Verdict for a Brachial Plexus Nerve Injury During Shoulder Replacement Surgery
Lance D. Cline tried this lawsuit to a jury in a conservative, northern Indiana county in 2018. The sixty-five-year-old plaintiff had a history of multiple dislocations in his left shoulder between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five that led to the performance of a Magnuson-Stack procedure upon his left shoulder at the age of twenty-five that prevented further dislocations.
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$1,285,000 Verdict For a Minor Who Sustained Permanent Brachial Plexus Nerve Injuries at Birth
Lance Cline presented expert witness testimony from two board-certified obstetricians and a biomechanical engineer with expertise and knowledge regarding physician-applied forces during child delivery. The Defendant made no offer of settlement before the trial. The jury deliberated for ninety minutes before ignoring the medical review panel opinion and returning a verdict in favor of the client in the amount of $1,285,000. That was a record verdict in the county where the case was tried.
Nationally Recognized, Locally Focused
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The Inner Circle of AdvocatesFounding member, Lance D. Cline, is one of only two Indiana lawyers ever invited into this most prestigious and selective organization of plaintiff trial attorneys.
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Best LawyersLance D. Cline has been voted by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America in the fields of medical malpractice and personal injury every year since 1997, as the Indianapolis Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year three times and as the Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year in 2019.
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Super Lawyers®Lance D. Cline has been selected by his peers as an Indiana Super Lawyer and as one of Indiana's Top 50 Lawyers since the inception of the award in 2004. He has also been selected as one of Indiana's Top 10 Lawyers in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
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Indiana Trial Lawyers AssociationLance D. Cline has been a member of ITLA's Board of Directors since 1984 and was selected by his ITLA peers as the Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2018.
"I truly want to thank you for helping us through these hard years of litigation. It's finally over."MM
Our Golden Rule
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Triumphant in Complex Injury Cases
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A Record of Client Satisfaction
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A Legacy of Success in the Court Room
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Membership in the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates
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40+ Years of Collective Experience