If you or a loved one has been seriously injured and you suspect it’s because your doctor did something wrong, you can’t sit back and wait for them to admit fault. Iowa law says it is your responsibility to investigate what happened.
So how does an ordinary person investigate something like medical malpractice? Most of the time, investigating a medical malpractice claim is too overwhelming or expensive for a victim to handle. If you feel overwhelmed or are not able to foot the cost of investigating a claim, an experienced Iowa medical malpractice lawyer can look into things for you.
Generally speaking, we do not advise that people try to handle their medical malpractice cases on their own. Here are a few reasons why:
Medical malpractice claims are expensive
It can easily cost between $50,000-$100,000 to investigate a medical malpractice claim in Iowa and prepare it for trial. Between getting your medical records, doing research for your case, and hiring experts to review your records and testify on your behalf, it can be extremely expensive to bring a claim. If you don’t have a medical malpractice lawyer fighting for you, this money will need to come out of your own pocket. For most people, this just isn’t realistic.
Most Iowa medical malpractice firms work on contingency, which means you only pay for their services if they settle your claim or win at trial. This also means they cover the costs associated with your claim until your case is over.
Most medical malpractice cases are complex
The nature of medical malpractice claims requires experts to prove that malpractice occurred. Experts can be very expensive, and unless you are able to pay for experts yourself, you will not be able to proceed with your case.
It’s not just the cost of the experts that can trip people up – it’s finding them in the first place. Most experts that testify in medical malpractice cases come from out of state. This happens so that the expert is not criticizing a colleague or someone they know well. It’s the best way to get an unbiased assessment of questionable medical care – but it can be difficult to find that person.
Finally, the vast amounts of medical records that need to be ordered and analyzed can be too much for people who don’t understand the terminology. There’s simply too much medical information for most medical malpractice victims to understand.
Knowing how much your claim is worth can be tricky
You’ve probably never dealt with a medical malpractice claim before. That puts you at a disadvantage to the other side’s insurance company, who has handled thousands of these claims. The insurance company has one job: make money. That means they are looking to pay you the least amount possible – even if it means you don’t get a fair settlement for your injuries.
Asking for too much or too little in your settlement demand will point out to the insurance company that you don’t know how the system works – and they’ll stop taking you seriously. On the other hand, an experienced Iowa medical malpractice lawyer can analyze your case and present a fair settlement demand to the other side.
Hire an Iowa Medical Malpractice Lawyer
This is why we recommend a lawyer to help navigate you through this complex situation. One of our experienced Iowa medical malpractice attorneys may be able to help you. If you would like a free, no-obligation case evaluation, call RSH Legal today at 1-319-774-1783.
