Williamsport Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Offering Hope, Delivering Results.
When you put your health in the hands of your doctors and something goes wrong due to negligence, the resulting damages can severely affect the rest of your life. For example, medical negligence resulting in birth injury can be catastrophic to both the child and the family. Other actions of medical negligence include, but certainly are not limited to, leaving instruments in the body after surgery, operating on the wrong body part, misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose serious illness, and negligence in anesthesia administration. All are devastating to the patient and can result in violations of Pennsylvania malpractice law.
If the harm was caused by negligent or incompetent care on the part of medical professionals, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit to obtain compensation for your loss. However, not everything that goes wrong during a medical procedure is necessarily grounds for medical malpractice. For a claim to be successful, the burden of proof is on the patient, by a preponderance of the evidence. Therefore, it is essential to have a skilled medical malpractice lawyer on your side.
The experienced and compassionate Williamsport medical malpractice lawyer Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann has spent decades honing his skills and successfully representing Pennsylvania families who have suffered an injury or loss due to medical negligence and faulty devices. Our attorneys offer personal attention and loyalty to every client, aggressively fighting for their right to compensation. We offer a free consultation to examine the facts of your case and show you how we can help, so contact us online or call our offices at (570) 323-8711 to set up your free consultation.
Cliff Rieders advocates for clients in matters involving the following, among many others:
- Pharmaceutical damages, prescribing wrong medication or dosage
- Vitamin and dietary supplements
- Laboratory errors or ignoring laboratory results
- Surgical malpractice ,doing unnecessary surgery, leaving a foreign object in the body, or operating on the wrong body part
- Medical devices
- Emergency room errors
- Diagnostic mistakes, including misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer
- Birth injury, and obstetrical and gynecological injury
- Head injuries, brain injuries and concussions
- Nursing negligence involving LPNs, RNs and nurse practitioners, and physician assistant negligence
- Ophthalmology cases involving glaucoma, LASIK surgery and other eye conditions
- Errors involving radiology, CT scans, X-rays and other imaging.
What Constitutes Medical Malpractice?
According to Pennsylvania law, medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional commits medical negligence by violating the generally accepted standard of care used by other medical professionals. Standard of care refers to what a reasonably prudent healthcare provider would have done under similar circumstances. If the standard of care was breached, and the result is injury or damages to the patient, medical negligence has taken place and a medical malpractice case may be warranted.
There is a nationwide standard as to most doctors. The resulting injury must have been a factual cause of the professional’s actions or omission of actions, and the injury must have led to damages.
There are situations in which there may be neglect in connection with use of medical devices or pharmaceuticals. Sometimes a claim may be brought against someone other than a doctor, such as a manufacturer or retail sales representative who recommended the device.
Contact Cliff Rieders at (570) 323-8711 to determine whether you have a viable medical malpractice case.
We Wrote “The Book”
Attorney Cliff Rieders wrote THE BOOK on medical and hospital malpractice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This is a leading textbook on medical malpractice, which is used in Pennsylvania by lawyers who work in the field. Cliff is a well-known teacher, media authority, speaker and writer who teaches the subject to lawyers. He has a great deal of experience, testifies frequently, and has helped write Pennsylvania legislation.
The law firm of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann, through a number of iterations over the years, stems from the early 1800s. The firm has handled much litigation since then. We have accumulated the names of many potential expert witnesses who may be available to provide consultation on specific medical topics, as well as nurses to help us evaluate potential claims. In Pennsylvania, a lawyer must sign a certificate of merit indicating that he has received a statement from a medical professional. These are complex rules for malpractice, and there are filing dates which apply, so it is essential to enlist the help of a skilled and experienced medical malpractice attorney.
Expert Testimony in Malpractice Lawsuits
What are the Pennsylvania Requirements?
Pennsylvania has requirements regarding expert medical witness testimony as follows:
After Initial Filing — A plaintiff’s attorney must file a “certificate of merit,” signed by the attorney, within 60 days of filing a medical malpractice Complaint. The attorney’s statement must indicate that an expert has provided a written statement that asserts one of the following:
- • There is a reasonable probability of breached standard of care; or
- The defendant was responsible for the person who breached the standard of care; or
- There are circumstances where expert testimony is not needed to pursue the claim.
At Trial — Pennsylvania requires testimony of an expert witness to establish what the medical standard of care is and that the defendant breached it, “unless negligence is obvious to a lay person.”
An experts who testifies must be:
- a physician who is actively engaged in practicing or teaching and is experienced in the field. In certain circumstances, a physician who is retired may testify, depending upon when the retirement occurred, of the same or a similar specialty as the defendant, and
- board certified, if available and the defendant is board certified.
The court can waive these requirements if an expert has sufficient training, experience, or knowledge gained from actively practicing or teaching medicine within five years of the date of the injury.
There is much case law and great complexity with respect to who may be an expert witness, under what circumstances, whether expert testimony is needed for liability or for causation as well. Sometimes experts have to be in the same field, but there are also exceptions in this respect. Once again, these are very complex situations.
Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice Legal Help
Put Your Trust in Us. Contact Us for a Free Consultation.
If you or a loved one has suffered from medical malpractice, time is of the essence, and it is essential to have a skilled and knowledgeable Williamsport medical malpractice lawyer on your side. Medical malpractice laws are complicated, cases can be complex and require much research and planning, and evidence evaporates quickly. Your medical malpractice attorney will secure your medical records, conduct interviews, supply expert witnesses, find out whether your healthcare provider has had other complaints of negligence in the past, and determine when to settle your case or take it to trial in a timely manner. Having a knowledgeable, compassionate attorney advocating for your health and your future can make all the difference in the award you receive.
Whether in settlement negotiations or pursuing a favorable trial verdict, the skilled Williamsport medical malpractice attorney Clifford A. Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann is familiar with the law and thoroughly prepared and committed to achieving a just outcome and getting you the compensation you deserve. With our experienced staff, we offer strength in numbers while providing top-notch personal service.
ABOUT MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAWYER CLIFF RIEDERS
Williamsport Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney Cliff Rieders of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann is a Past President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, formerly Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association. Rieders has won numerous awards and recognition from the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and he received the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority recognition award. Cliff Rieders was a founder of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and served on same for 15 years.
Rieders was a Law Clerk in the federal court system for one of the most well-known and longest serving federal judges in the country, the Honorable Malcolm Muir. Cliff has received the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award, as well as the Milton D. Rosenberg Award from the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers. Rieders is on committees and organizations that write the law in many fields of practice. Cliff Rieders was involved in the writing of the Mcare Act, which governs medical liability actions in Pennsylvania. Cliff Rieders wrote the book on medical malpractice that lawyers use in the state.
Cliff teaches the subject of medical malpractice at seminars attended by the leading lawyers in the state. Cliff Rieders is recognized as an outstanding authority in the medical malpractice field. Cliff has even testified before the legislature on medical malpractice laws.
Rieders is a nationally Board Certified specialist for Civil Trial and Civil Practice and Procedure, a cum laude graduate of New York University as well as Georgetown University Law Center.
Cliff Rieders is the lawyer that other lawyers call for counsel and advice in the medical and hospital malpractice and pharmaceutical/vitamin supplement fields. Cliff Rieders does substantial work in multi-district litigation in connection with pharmaceutical products and medical devices.
Based in Williamsport, we serve clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania, offering a free consultation on all injury matters. More than that, we offer you experience, knowledge, compassion, and a long history of results. Contact us online or call our offices today at (570) 323-8711.
Cliff Rieders wrote the book!