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Medical Malpractice Lawyers based in Morgantown, WV

When you go to a doctor of any kind, the expectation is that they will do everything in their power to care for you to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you are injured as a result of a medical malpractice that could have been prevented by your medical professional.

You must have as much information as possible about medical malpractice claims, so you can make sure you get the recourse you deserve if you suffer a medical malpractice.

If you believe you need a Morgantown medical malpractice attorney, please reach out to Robinette Legal Group, PLLC today. We offer free case consultations and take our medical malpractice cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing until we receive money for you.

Why Choose Robinette Legal Group, PLLC for Your Morgantown Malpractice Attorneys

At Robinette Legal Group, PLLC, we are committed to helping our clients recover maximum compensation for the losses they have endured. As a firm, we choose to limit the clients we take on, so we can provide each client with personalized attention. Our priority is always to meet our client’s goals and needs.

 

We offer free case consultations, where we can answer any questions or concerns you have before filing a claim or hiring an attorney. In addition, we take cases on a contingency basis, meaning you do not have to pay us until after we secure the compensation you need. As former insurance defense attorneys, we know what to expect from insurance companies and we know how to best handle negotiations with them. If taking the case to court is the best option for you, we are prepared to do that. Our Morgantown personal injury lawyers also have the resources to bring in experts who can help determine the true extent of your injuries and prove your claim.

Medical Malpractice Case Time Limit or Statute of Limitations

Generally speaking, medical malpractice claims have a statute of limitations, or time limit, of two years in West Virginia. The two-year time limit begins either at the time of the injury or two years from when you should have discovered the injury with the exercise of reasonable diligence. If your medical malpractice claim is for death and not an injury, you must file within two years of the date of death.

It is also important to understand that West Virginia has a statute of repose. In West Virginia, this means that once ten years have passed from the date of the malpractice, your claim is barred, no matter when you discovered the injury. Even if you had no reason to know about the injury, if ten years have passed, you can no longer file a claim in most cases.

When Is the Statute Of Limitations Different?

If the person who suffered the injury is under the age of 10, you must bring the claim within two years of the date of the injury or before the child turns 12 years old, whichever period is longer in time.

Caps on Damages

The damage cap is the limit on how much you can recover in compensation from a medical malpractice claim. In most circumstances, West Virginia has a cap of $250,000 per claim for non-economic losses. Non-economic damages are a way of compensating you for the intangible losses you suffered. They can include pain and suffering, emotional distress, and lost enjoyment. In some cases of catastrophic injury and death, that cap is increased to $500,000 per claim.

There is no cap on economic losses, meaning you can recover any amount of compensation. Economic damages are monetary losses that can be measured. They include medical expenses, lost income, and other calculable damages.

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Common Types of Medical Malpractice Cases

  • Birth Injuries – Birth injuries may be caused by the negligence, or carelessness, of medical professionals.
  • Surgical Errors – When mistakes made by surgical staff are triggered by negligence, incompetence, or lack of proper quality control, the hospital can be held liable for the patient’s injuries, damages, and losses.
  • Hospital Errors – Adverse health outcomes can result from hospital errors or administration mistakes,
  • Anesthesia Errors – Anesthesia errors can occur for several reasons, they are often the result of negligence on the part of the anesthesiologist and/or the medical team.
  • Wrongful Diagnosis – If a doctor makes a diagnostic error or missed diagnosis, this can lead to incorrect treatment or no treatment at all. Wrongful diagnosis can make a patient’s condition worse and even lead to wrongful death.
  • Severe Postoperative Infections – When medical professionals fail to comply with the standard of care during this crucial post-operative period, the consequences can be devastating.
  • Organ Puncture – A common mistake that occurs in surgery is puncturing, cutting, or perforating nearby organs or parts during surgery.
  • Wrong Site Surgery – Surgical procedures where patients have undergone surgery on the wrong body part or have undergone an incorrect procedure. These types of surgical errors are commonly termed “wrong-site” or “wrong-procedure” errors.
  • Surgical instruments and equipment left in the body after closure

Joint and Several Liability

West Virginia operates under the premise of joint and several liability. Therefore, if the claimant sues multiple people, such as the doctor and other employees of the hospital, the claimant will be able to recover the entire amount from all or one of the defendants if the court determines that the defendants are responsible for the claimant’s injuries (or death). This gives the claimant a higher possibility of recovering damages because if one or two of the defendants cannot pay, the claimant can collect the entire amount from any one single defendant.

If the court determines that the actual physician’s responsibility is less than 25 percent of the overall negligence, then the physician would only be responsible for a prorated share of the verdict based on the percentage of their fault.

Comparative Negligence

West Virginia medical malpractice claims are also governed by comparative negligence. If there is a determination made that the claimant’s percentage of responsibility is equal to or greater than the combined negligence of all the other parties involved, the claimant’s action is barred. If the claimant’s fault is determined to be less than the combined percentage of all the defendants’, the claimant is then permitted to recover damages. The damages would be reduced by the proportion of the claimant’s negligence or carelessness.

Contact an Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Morgantown, WV Today

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or death due to medical malpractice, you must reach out to a professional. If you are unsure of whether you have a legitimate claim or you require help in understanding the filing deadlines, you can benefit from the assistance of an attorney. Our attorneys can provide you with proper guidance and make the legal process easier for you. We will make sure that you do not miss your deadline for filing or make a mistake that may delay your claim.

Additionally, we handle all cases on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no costs for our services until after we win your case. You can rest assured that if we take on your case, we are confident in our ability to help you. We are willing and able to go the extra mile to ensure that you are treated with dignity and respect in this difficult time.

Contact Robinette Legal Group, PLLC, Morgantown Medical Malpractice lawyers, if you have any questions at all regarding medical malpractice. We are here to help in any way we can. Call us at (304) 594-1800 or fill out our convenient online contact form.


“Attorney Robinette was very knowledgeable in his field of expertise. He professionally represented himself, with honesty and dignity. I was always kept well informed and kept up to date regularly. His staff was very courteous and knowledgeable and very patient.”

Call a Medical Malpractice lawyer at the Robinette Legal Group today. If you wait, it may be too late. 304-594-1800

Call us today to find out how we can help you.

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Our Case Results

Brain Injury

While timbering in WV, a heavy equipment operator sustained a permanent brain injury while performing the duties of his job. What price can you put on the loss of a fully functioning, fully reasoning brain? Jeff Robinette was able to negotiate a settlement that was annuitized to provide for this man for the rest of his life.

Crushed Leg Injury

Imagine having your leg crushed so badly in an accident that you have to undergo two surgeries to insert multiple pins and have a rod hammered into the bone just to stabilize the femur. Unfortunately, the first rod inserted into the bone didn’t accomplish the desired effect, so the rod had to be removed and surgically reinserted. Imagine the great pain, the months of therapy and recovery, and the frustration of knowing you can never return to the type of work you have performed for decades.

Jeff Robinette was able to obtain a great enough settlement to pay this man’s medical bills in their entirety and money enough to start a new business so he could work and live a productive life even with his permanent impairment.

Crushed Foot Injury

While working in Morgantown, WV for a large national retailer, our client, a young woman in her early twenties, was ordered to use equipment that she was not properly trained to use. In the course of attempting to complete her task, she sustained a severe crush injury to her foot. Due to this incident, our client lost full use of this foot for the rest of her life and was living with chronic, persistent pain.

Our firm was able to obtain a sizable settlement which took care of all her medical bills and future treatment for her foot injury. The settlement was ample enough to allow this young woman to go back to college and retrain for employment which will accommodate her permanent disability.

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Our Awards and Certifications

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I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome and I will always look to Robinette Legal Group for all my legal needs.
Injury Client
Car Accident Injury Client
My case was resolved favorably and I consider Jeff a TRUE friend.
Former Client
Construction Client
Attorney Robinette was able to secure a settlement that allowed us to have our home repaired and to recoup the fees we paid.
Carie
Home Construction Dispute Client
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