Legal Question in Medical Malpractice in Georgia

My doctor performed knee surgery. Several days later I went to see him because the bleeding had not stopped and I had blood clots coming out of my incisions. He put some antibiotics strips over the incisions. a couple of days later I went to my doctor again because my incisions were red, looked infected and I was in a lot of pain. My doctor examined my knee and gave me an order for physical therapy. Later on that day I decided to go to the emergency room. As soon as I got there fluid was aspired from my knee and blood work was done. The emergency room called my doctor and the next day I was having emergency surgery. I was admitted to the hospital for three weeks due to a staph infection/septic knee, and had to go through two more surgeries, for a total of four surgeries. I think all of these could have been avoided if my doctor reacted to the signs of infection early on.


Asked on 5/15/16, 10:30 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Tina Willis Tina Willis Law - Orlando

So you are wondering whether you have a medical malpractice case? The best option is always to call a local med mal lawyer for an evaluation. Medical malpractice lawyers typically require that you have ongoing, serious injury, clear proof in med records that doctor's performance of work was below standard of care, and that doctor's bad treatment caused your injuries. I don't know whether those additional surgeries could have been avoided. Most med mal lawyers, if they think there might be a case, will order med records to study those. If they still think possibly doctor's conduct fell below standard of care, then they will typically hire a doctor (expect) to evaluate records before filing suit. That is required in Florida, not sure about Georgia. But some of this isn't the law. It's just lawyer opinion about which cases they will accept, and which they will not. Some lawyers have different standards for intake than others (and different opinions on the law, because the law is never clear). So your best bet is to call a medical malpractice lawyer for evaluation. Consults are typically free, so there is no harm in calling. Also be aware that you should call immediately because there are deadlines for filing lawsuits that aren't flexible. This is not a case that I could consider. But other attorneys might have a different opinion.

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Answered on 5/17/16, 9:03 am


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