Vaccines are an essential component of medical care and typically safeguard patients from contracting severe diseases and illnesses. Like most medical treatments, though, vaccines are not without risk, and if they are not properly administered or patients are not advised of potential side effects they may experience, it can lead to serious vaccine injuries. Such harm is often the result of medical negligence, and patients who suffer adverse outcomes following vaccines have the right to seek damages from their providers. If you were injured due to a vaccine, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible to discuss your potential claims. The experienced Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group can inform you of your rights and help you pursue the total amount of compensation recoverable under the law for your losses.
Common Vaccine InjuriesVaccines can cause a variety of injuries, some of which are more serious than others. If they are not properly administered, vaccines can cause pain, stiffness, and shoulder injuries. Vaccines cause some patients to suffer allergic reactions or go into anaphylactic shock. They can also lead to critical illnesses, like encephalitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, brachial neuritis, transverse myelitis, and brachial neuritis. Vaccines cause some people to suffer bowel issues, like intussusception, and bleeding disorders, like thrombocytopenic purpura.
Elements of Claims Arising Out of Vaccine InjuriesThe harm caused by vaccines is often permanent and requires lifelong treatment. In many instances, though, such injuries are the direct result of a doctor’s carelessness. As such, people who sustain vaccine injuries will often pursue medical malpractice claims against the parties responsible for their harm. In most medical malpractice lawsuits filed in Maryland, the plaintiff will allege a medical negligence claim against the defendant.
Establishing medical negligence requires the plaintiff to prove that the defendant had a duty to provide the plaintiff with treatment that met the standard of care, which is the care that a reasonable professional who practices in the same specialty as the defendant would provide in a similar situation. After that, the plaintiff must show that the defendant deviated from the standard of care in some manner. Typically, the plaintiff will need to hire an expert to testify regarding what the standard requires and the manner in which the defendant breached the standard. Finally, the plaintiff has to prove that the defendant’s departure from the standard of care proximately caused the plaintiff to suffer measurable losses. In other words, the plaintiff would not have been injured if the defendant had complied with the standard of care. Expert testimony is usually needed to establish causation as well.
If a plaintiff successfully demonstrates a defendant’s fault, they may be awarded compensation for the cost of any medical treatment they needed due to their vaccine injuries or that they will need in the future. If they are unable to work due to their injuries they may recover lost wages as well, and they typically will be compensated for any out-of-pocket expenses. In addition to damages for the financial losses suffered due to their harm, plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases can also usually recover damages for the intangible losses they sustained, like mental trauma, anxiety, depression, suffering, and pain. If they were married when their harm occurred, their spouse may also be able to recover compensation.
Meet With a Seasoned Baltimore AttorneyAlthough vaccines are generally safe, mistakes can lead to vaccine injuries that cause irreparable losses and may be grounds for pursuing medical malpractice claims against the health care providers that carelessly caused their patients to suffer injuries. If you were harmed by the administrating of a vaccine, you could be owed damages, and you should meet with an attorney. The seasoned Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group are proficient at holding negligent medical providers responsible for the harm they cause, and if you hire us, we will advocate zealously on your behalf. We frequently represent parties in medical malpractice cases in Baltimore, where our office is located. You can reach us by calling (410) 889-1850 or using our online form to set up a confidential and free conference.