The Villages Medical Malpractice

The Villages is an active retirement community located in sunny central Florida mid-way between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The Villages occupies parts of three counties in Florida (Lake, Sumter & Marion). The Villages property area covers over 32 square miles and 23,000 acres. Conceived over 50 years ago, it has flourished in popularity and the US Census ranked The Villages as the fastest-growing U.S. city for two years in row. The Villages has more than doubled in size since 2010; about 114,350 people now live in the community.

The city has 3 main town squares, all three of which feature free nightly entertainment, modern movie theaters, and a colorful assortment of shopping and dining opportunities. The Villages places a strong emphasis on the health of its residents. The Villages Healthcare Centers, The Villages Regional Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center, VA outpatient clinic, senior living facilities, and a long term acute care hospital are just a few of the health centers located in The Villages.

Medical Malpractice can be defined as “improper care or treatment by a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional”; also called “medical negligence”. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.—behind only heart disease and cancer. Before hiring one of our Villages attorneys to handle your case, it is always a good to get a Medical Assessment done by a health care professional after you feel the mistake has been made. Nearly all states require that the patient have a medical expert able to discuss the appropriate medical standard of care and prove that you did not receive the care you should have.

When you bring about a medical malpractice case, or a claim of medical negligence, you are alleging that, but for the medical professional’s negligence, you would have avoided the harm that you suffered as a result of their mistake. However, just because you are unhappy with your treatment or results does not mean the doctor is liable for medical malpractice. The doctor must have been negligent in connection with your diagnosis or treatment and you must be able to prove that the mistake caused you harm or further damage to the original problem. Basically, you must prove that if a different doctor had treated you differently, you would not be having the problem(s) you have now.

To file a Florida medical malpractice lawsuit, you must be within the two-year statute of limitations. Florida also has a repose statute, which bars all claims after four years from when the event occurred, whether or not they are discovered. The two years begin to run when the patient discovers the problem allegedly caused by medical negligence. The limitations period can be extended an additional two years if the defendant fraudulently concealed their involvement in the case to temper these limitations. If you or a loved one has been a victim of medical malpractice recently, it may not be too late to act.

Malpractice statutes of limitation and repose can be extremely complicated, and it is not always cut and dried as to whether a case was filed on time. Often times, many malpractice cases involve patients that were already sick or had declining health, so it can be hard to prove what the doctor did (negligent or not) actually caused harm or death. Our skilled attorneys can help you have the peace of mind to move forward with your malpractice claim. Seeking compensation for somebody else’s mistakes can be a long and exhausting process. Make sure you have one of our skilled advocates on your side to make your case run as smoothly as possible. At the Dean Law Firm, we represent clients in many of The Villages injury and negligence cases, including medical malpractice. Contact us online or call (352) 387-8700 to set up a free initial consultation with a Villages medical malpractice lawyer today.