Medical Malpractice is much more common than you’d expect in the United States. In New Mexico, doctors can fail to provide a standard of care that is acceptable to patients on a somewhat regular basis. Many people hear horror stories of a botched surgery from friends or family members. Misdiagnosis, failure to treat, and prescription drugs errors are all common malpractice claims that personal injury lawyers accept claims for.

While multi-million dollar settlements are not a constant occurrence for every personal injury lawyer in the State, medical malpractice is common enough to keep lawyers busy. Many victims of medical malpractice simply never pursue a case for malpractice due to a number of reasons. Other victims may be completely unaware that they have a case, or may not believe they have a chance to win the case.

One type of medical malpractice claim that personal injury lawyers come across often is misdiagnosis. Such a situation impacts the victims’ ability to receive vital treatment in a timely matter. Medical malpractice involving misdiagnosis or surgical errors cause hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. Many of these deaths were preventable had appropriate treatment and diagnosis being had.

The average medical malpractice settlement in New Mexico from 2017-2021 was $318,063. Patients who have had a medical malpractice situation are encouraged to contact a personal injury lawyer to see if they have any case at all. No more than 2% of medical malpractice victims ever retain a personal injury lawyer or file a claim because they are unaware that they may have a case. Hospital stays involving medical errors are a regular occurrence in the United States and continue to contribute to the number of personal injury cases.

Due to the lack of reporting against doctors by victims, no more than 1,000 medical malpractice reports were filed between the years of 1990 and 2003 in New Mexico. That is a very small number considering the amount of malpractice cases that still exist in the State, simply because victims do not report or file a claim at any point. Surgeons are the most common defendants in malpractice cases filed across the United States due to complications performing surgeries or botched surgeries in general.

Each year over 12,000 victims die while undergoing surgery in the United States. The unfortunate nature of doctor/patient treatment is that many medical errors are in fact preventable. Doctors have an obligation to follow standard medical care guidelines and when they deviate from that, malpractice cases often arise.

250,000 people die from medical errors in the United States, making it one of the leading causes of death in the country. Life changing injuries impact a victim’s ability to go about daily living as they once did. Victims of medical errors deserve fair compensation for their injuries. If you have suffered at the hands of a doctor or hospital, reach out to receive a case review regarding your medical malpractice case. Don’t be another statistic by not having a personal injury lawyer review and consider if you have a strong medical malpractice claim in New Mexico.