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Although most healthcare professionals are trying to do their best to provide adequate care for their patients, the unfortunate reality is that mistakes happen. In fact, mistakes are common, particularly in healthcare facilities with an overabundance of patients, poor professional training and supervision, and negligent administration. If you have been injured due to the medical malpractice of your treating healthcare professional(s) in Greensburg, PA, then Pennsylvania law may give you a right of action against that professional, as well as their employer. Contact a Greensburg medical malpractice lawyer at Matzus Law for further assistance.
Medical negligence (that causes injury) is the basis of a typical medical malpractice claim, in Greensburg and elsewhere in Pennsylvania. Medical negligence is essentially a violation of the applicable standard of care, and that standard of care changes from case to case (based on the factual circumstances). Factors that can have a significant influence on the standard of care include the illness/condition itself, the age, training, and experience of the treating medical professional, and the tools available to the physician.
Generally speaking, the court in a Greensburg medical malpractice case will find medical negligence when a similarly positioned healthcare professional would not have acted the same way and the victim’s injuries would therefore not have occurred.
In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims is two years from the date of injury. The statute of limitations is essentially a “hard deadline” that defines the point in time when the claim will be abandoned and will no longer be actionable under the law. In many cases, if the statute of limitations deadline passes and you have not filed your claim in the relevant court of law, then you may not be legally entitled to recover damages.
Due to the statute of limitations, it is critical that you get in touch with a qualified Greensburg medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible. Your attorney will gather evidence, evaluate your claims, and file such claims before the deadline passes.
Delayed Discovery: Importantly, you are not entirely without options in situations where the deadline has passed. In some circumstances, the delayed discovery rule will apply, giving you an opportunity to extend the deadline.
How does the delayed discovery rule work? In Pennsylvania, the statute of limitations period (two years) does not begin to run until the date of injury — but that date of injury is not necessarily the “actual” date of injury. Instead, the date of injury is the date when the injured patient discovers their injury, or should have reasonably discovered the existence of their injury.
This can seem quite complicated, but in reality, the issue is a simple matter of hidden conditions. Suppose that your treating healthcare professional in Greensburg, PA commits a surgical error and accidentally leaves a small item inside your body. You are feeling fine, and it is not until years later that the object dislodges in your body and causes you to suffer significant injuries (and a widespread infection). Although the normal statute of limitations deadline would have already passed, the delayed discovery rule suspends the deadline and does not allow the statute of limitations to run until that later date.
Why? Because the object left in your body was not reasonably detectable at the time. It was not until much later, when symptoms appeared, that you would have been expected to discover its presence.
Matzus Law attorney Jason Matzus has spent decades representing the injured in medical malpractice litigation across Pennsylvania, including Greensburg, PA. We have secured numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients. Here at Matzus Law, we are committed to a thorough, detail-oriented approach to medical malpractice litigation. As such, we consult with medical experts throughout the process, and we prepare for trial litigation from the very beginning, ensuring that we are well-equipped to negotiate favorable outcomes for our clients.
Interested in learning more about your claims? Call or submit an online case evaluation form today to speak to an experienced Greensburg medical malpractice lawyer at Matzus Law. Consultation is free and confidential, so don’t wait!
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Greensburg is a small city in Westmoreland County, located within the greater Pittsburgh metro area and boasting an estimated population of 14,430. Greensburg is — like many other “suburbs” of Pittsburgh — just a 30-minute drive away from the city center. Although the population of Greensburg has declined over the decades from its peak in the 1970s, and the manufacturing and heavy industry economy declined as well, the city remains an important economic and cultural center in the region. Daytime population in Greensburg doubles due to inbound commuters, indicating that the city has a thriving economy which is primarily built on light service industries.
There are many major healthcare facilities in, around, and near Greensburg, PA. These include Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, Latrobe Area Hospital Home Health Services, Mercy Jeannette Hospital, Westmoreland Regional Hospital, and more. If you have been injured at any of these healthcare facilities due to the negligence of a healthcare professional, then you may be entitled to bring an action against that professional (and the facility) for medical malpractice.
Here at Matzus Law, our office is located at 310 Grant St., #3210 in Pittsburgh, PA. Although we are located in Pittsburgh, we are only a 30-minute drive away from Greensburg, and we are within quick access of other cities and towns throughout Western Pennsylvania. We encourage you to call to arrange a quick visit.
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