The Cochran Firm Legal Blog

Unfortunately, medical malpractice events are fairly widespread in the US. As politicians debate the causes and economic implications of medical malpractice, hundreds of thousands of families each year are forever changed by these horrific, life-altering injuries. Medical malpractice is a major cause of otherwise preventable injuries. The following national statistics come from a 2011 report from the American Association for Justice, Medical Negligence: the Role of America's Civil Justice System in Protecting Patients' Rights:

 • 44,000 to 98,000 Americans die every year because of preventable medical errors (Institute of Medicine).
• Hundreds of thousands of people are seriously injured every year because of medical malpractice.
• Nearly 18 percent of patients in hospitals are injured at some point in their hospital stay (Harvard School of Medicine). These injuries sometimes result in wrongful death.
• About 40 wrong site, wrong side and wrong patient surgeries happen every week in the US (Joint Commission Center on Transforming Healthcare).
• Few medical malpractice victims actually file a lawsuit. Just one in eight medical errors in hospitals result in a medical malpractice claim (Harvard Medical Practice Study Group).
 • One in three Americans said themselves or a family member has been injured by medical malpractice. 

Preventable medical errors are not uncommon, and you have a right to file a claim if you think negligence by a medical professional caused you or a loved one's injury.

 If you have been injured because of medical malpractice, please contact The Cochran Firm for a free case evaluation. We have law offices across the nation, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Birmingham, Alabama.