Little Rock Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Protecting the rights of clients injured because of medical negligence
Despite the trust that most Americans place in our doctors and healthcare system, human error or negligence is a factor that causes injury and death to patients. When you visit your doctor for medical care, or when you enter the hospital for an emergency or a planned procedure, you trust in the education and expertise of your doctor and the rest of the medical staff who will be taking care of you. When that trust is violated and you suffer a serious injury because of it, you may consider taking legal action.
At Bailey & Greer PLLC, our Little Rock medical malpractice lawyers are here to be your advocates as you pursue justice in the form of financial compensation for your injuries caused by medical negligence. You are welcome to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case and learn about the legal options available to you. Also, you will never pay attorney fees until we have recovered compensation for you.
Free Case Evaluation
How can we help you today?
- How can a Little Rock medical malpractice attorney help my injury case?
- Do I have a medical malpractice case?
- What are some examples of medical malpractice and the injuries they cause?
- How safe are the hospitals in the Little Rock area?
- What is the time limit for filing a medical malpractice claim in Arkansas?
- What damages are available in a medical malpractice lawsuit?
- Who can be held liable for medical malpractice in Little Rock?
- Can you sue a hospital for misdiagnosis in Little Rock?
- Is there a medical malpractice cap in Arkansas?
- What is the average settlement for a medical malpractice lawsuit?
- Has your firm had success filing medical malpractice cases?
- Do you have a Little Rock medical malpractice lawyer near me?
How can a Little Rock medical malpractice attorney help my injury case?
Proving that your doctor’s preventable medical mistake was the cause of your injury or your loved one’s death can be complicated and challenging. At Bailey & Greer, our Little Rock medical malpractice attorneys work with medical experts who will review your records and testify about the validity of your claim.
We help clients by advancing the costs to prepare a case to pursue compensation, and we do not receive payment until after we have recovered compensation for you. And we help you by providing individualized attention as your case moves through the legal process. Our injury attorneys and our friendly, dedicated staff are here to offer the best client experience possible after you have survived a serious injury or the death of a loved one.
The process begins with a free consultation. You schedule a time to come in and discuss your case, and our experienced medical malpractice attorneys will discuss options for your next legal steps.
Do I have a medical malpractice case?
Mistakes happen in the healthcare setting every day. Because of the high stakes involved in medical care, everyone from physicians to nurses and medical assistants is trained in proper procedures to protect patient health and safety. There is a standard of care that medical professionals adhere to, based on their type of medical practice.
Medical malpractice is a medical mistake caused by the negligence of a medical professional that causes injury and other losses to a patient.
A physician or any other medical professional owes a duty of care to the patient to comply with the accepted standard of care of his or her profession. The failure to do so can be considered negligence. While Arkansas state law does not require the use of an expert medical witness to testify about the line of causation between the doctor's negligence and the patient's injury, because the burden of proof is in the hands of the plaintiff, they may wish to (and usually do) use medical expert testimony in proving their case.
What are some examples of medical malpractice and the injuries they cause?
The following are some examples of medical mistakes and how they cause injury or death to patients:
- Misdiagnosis/delayed diagnosis. Misdiagnosis and any type of diagnostic error were responsible for 32% of medical malpractice payouts in 2022, according to a medical malpractice payout analysis. When a patient is given a wrong diagnosis or the correct diagnosis is delayed, it can cause serious injury or death for patients. Early treatment is critical in many serious diseases. Delayed, missed, or wrong diagnoses cause the patient to lose the opportunity to catch their disease early, which can lead to less than optimal outcomes.
- Medication errors. Whether from an overdose, prescribing the wrong medication, failure to check for drug interactions, or the failure to warn about the known harmful side effects of the medication – if the patient was harmed because of a medical professional's preventable error, the patient may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
- Anesthesia errors. These occur more often than you might think. Some common types of anesthesia errors include administering too much or too little anesthesia, resulting in anesthesia awareness – which is regaining consciousness during surgery but being unable to move or speak. Other anesthesia mistakes include adverse drug reactions, failure to monitor a patient under anesthesia, and defective equipment used to administer anesthesia. Injuries from anesthesia errors include brain injury, stroke, seizures, paralysis, coma, and death.
- Surgical errors. Operating on a human being requires precision focus, undivided attention, and meticulous skill. Surgical errors such as wrong site, wrong side, wrong patient errors, medical tools left inside the body, nerve damage, perforated organs, and making an incision in the wrong place can have serious and even deadly consequences for the patient.
- Hospital-acquired infections. MRSA, C. diff, pneumonia, surgical site infections, sepsis, and other infections can be a result of negligence on the part of the hospital’s medical staff.
- Birth injuries. Injuries that are not a natural result of the birthing process but are caused by a preventable medical error may be grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit.
How safe are the hospitals in the Little Rock area?
LeapFrog's Hospital Safety Grade measures the quality of care and patient safety at hospitals throughout the United States. Twice each year, the LeapFrog Hospital Safety Grade assesses the safety and performance of hospitals and assigns a letter grade to keep consumers informed about where they are receiving health care. Hospitals are rated for how they handle infections; surgical problems; safety issues; practices to prevent errors; and doctors, nurses, and hospital staff.
The following are just a few local examples of the safety grade of local hospitals:
4301 West Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205-7102
Hospital grade: C
CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center
2 St. Vincent Circle
Little Rock, AR 72205-5499
Hospital grade: C
Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock
3333 Springhill Drive
North Little Rock, AR 72117-2922
Hospital grade: B
Who can be held liable for medical malpractice in Little Rock?
If there is a healthcare provider/patient relationship, the provider breached his/her duty of care, and you suffered harm due to that breach; you can file a medical malpractice case.
The defendants may include:
- Hospitals
- ER doctors
- General physicians
- Specialist doctors
- Anesthesiologists
- Pharmacists
- Nurses
- Medical technicians
- Midwives
- Other healthcare providers
Can you sue a hospital for misdiagnosis in Little Rock?
Yes, you can – but it depends on the case. Generally, the person or entity responsible for making a diagnosis has the duty to use the standard of care appropriate for their profession. Hospital employees such as emergency room doctors and doctors who are employed by the hospital who examine you generally can be held liable for their medical mistakes. Hospitals can be held liable for the negligence of their employees.
Our lawyers examine the relationship between the doctor who makes the diagnosis and the hospital to determine if just the doctor can be held accountable, or if the hospital can also be held accountable for a misdiagnosis.
Is there a medical malpractice cap in Arkansas?
There is no current medical malpractice cap on economic damages for medical malpractice cases in Arkansas, which may include medical expenses, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses resulting from medical negligence.
What is the average settlement for a medical malpractice lawsuit?
There’s no real “average” for a medical malpractice lawsuit, but the overall medical costs alone for a severe injury can and do reach several million dollars. Most cases are worth significantly more than the medical costs.
Has your firm had success filing medical malpractice cases?
You can see our results page here. This page lists some of our results.
Three of our top four results were for medical malpractice claims:
- Birth injury - $12 million birth injury settlement for a child who developed cerebral palsy due to birth trauma because nurses at the defendant hospital failed to alert the attending doctor to the baby’s heart rate deterioration during labor.
- Child injury - $7.5 million medical malpractice settlement for a child who sustained brain damage due to the loss of oxygen after a routine medical procedure.
- Birth injury - $7 million medical malpractice settlement for a Memphis baby injured at birth due to the failure to identify fetal distress and failure to perform a timely C-section.
What is the time limit for filing a medical malpractice claim in Arkansas?
According to the Arkansas Annotated Statutes, Section 16-114-203, the statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice claim is two years from the date of the injury. In cases involving a retained foreign object, the injured person has one year from the date that the object was discovered.
Because of the short timeline in which to file a lawsuit, if you or a loved one has been injured because of medical negligence, it is vital that you contact a Little Rock medical malpractice lawyer right away if you intend to pursue a claim for compensation.
What damages are available in a medical malpractice lawsuit?
If you have been successful in proving that your doctor's negligence caused your injury, the damages for which you are eligible will depend on many factors, including the extent of your injuries and whether the effects will be permanent:
- Medical expenses past, current, and future related to the injury
- Lost income and benefits for the time lost at work for medical care and recuperation
- Disability
- Diminished earning capacity
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death
The damages will vary depending on whether corrective surgery is necessary and possible.
Do you have a Little Rock medical malpractice lawyer near me?
Bailey & Greer, PLLC is located in Little Rock at 415 N McKinley Suite #250-J. Our office is just a five-minute walk from Little Rock Zoo by the Park Plaza Mall. We represent people throughout Arkansas. Rest assured, however, that if you are critically injured and unable to come to Little Rock, we will travel to visit you in the hospital or rehabilitation center. We also offer virtual conferences and telephone consultations.
We’ll guide you calmly and clearly through each phase of the claims process.
Advocates for victims of medical negligence throughout Arkansas
The Arkansas medical malpractice lawyers at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, provide you with the expertise you need if you or a loved one has suffered at the hands of medical professionals. You may call our Little Rock medical malpractice attorneys today to schedule a free initial consultation. You can also complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation.
Also serving Bryant, Shannon Hills, Austin, Conway, Cabot, Maumelle, Alexander, Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Gibson, Sherwood, Evergreen, Plaza Terrace, Hillcrest, Briarwood, University Park, Forest Hills, North Normandy, South Normandy.
Related Articles
Little Rock Office
415 N McKinley Suite #250-J, Little Rock, AR 72205
Call: 501-213-1512