“I just want to get answers.”
“We don’t want this to happen to anyone else at that hospital.”
These are two of the most common comments that I hear from my clients as a Houston, Texas medical malpractice attorney. In fact, I think it’s rare that new clients don’t say one of those phrases during our initial meetings with them.
Texas law helps hospitals hide the truth
The sad truth is the deck is stacked against patients and their families.
Powerful medical lobbyists donate generous sums to politicians who, in turn, pass laws that keep critical information from ever being publicly disclosed.
Patients are kept in the dark up front.
If you needed to hire a surgeon, wouldn’t you want to know if he had been suspended or kicked off a hospital medical staff for having bad surgical outcomes? Of course you would, but the credentialing, hospital committee, and peer review privileges keep that information secret—it even can’t be subpoenaed in a lawsuit.
Meanwhile, hospitals can sweep poor care under the rug and allow incompetent doctors to keep working on innocent, unsuspecting patients who are depending on them to get better. This happened to a client of mine at a Dallas-area hospital—he became quadriplegic following s surgery performed by a neurosurgeon that the hospital knew was dangerous.
Then, when something bad happens or there’s an unexpected outcome at a hospital or doctor’s office, patients are kept in the dark once again. Most healthcare providers are tight-lipped and “circle the wagons.”
Well-meaning family members may be of no help
Sometimes folks who’ve been seriously injured come to our office almost apologizing for considering a medical malpractice lawsuit, even though they have good reason to suspect a doctor or hospital is at fault.
They may mention that family members told them that it would be better if they should just look forward or move on. They may have been told that medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits are frivolous. From time to time clients are distressed that family and friends question whether they’re even really injured.
There’s an astounding amount of medical mistakes
While it’s true that not every bad healthcare outcome means there was medical malpractice, there’s still a lot of it out there.
A 2016 study out of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, found that medical errors are the number-three cause of all deaths in the United States. To put that into better focus, that works out to about 10% of all deaths!
Medical malpractice attorneys help get answers
I focus my law practice on medical malpractice cases involving serious injuries or wrongful deaths.
I started my academic career in medical school and went on to become a hospital administrator. When I graduated from Baylor Law School, my first job was in the health litigation group at a huge defense firm in downtown Houston, where I defended doctors and hospitals. Since 2006, I’ve exclusively represented plaintiffs.
What I’m getting at is I’ve seen all sides of medical malpractice. I know where healthcare providers hide information and know how to use the legal system to uncover the truth.
While my goal is to obtain the maximum possible recovery for my clients, I find it rewarding to help clients get answers, closure, and the knowledge to explain to family and friends what happened to them.
Not just any lawyer will do, though. When hiring an attorney to handle a medical malpractice case, look for someone with direct experience in this complex area of the law.
We are here to help
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or even died because of medical or hospital care, then the experienced medical malpractice attorneys at Painter Law Firm, in Houston, Texas, are here to help. Click here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form or call us at 281-580-8800.
All consultations are free, and, because we only represent clients on a contingency fee, you will owe us nothing unless we win your case. We handle cases in the Houston area and all over Texas. We are currently working on medical malpractice lawsuits in Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Conroe, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Bryan/College Station, and Waco.
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Robert Painter is a medical malpractice attorney at Painter Law Firm PLLC, in Houston, Texas. He is a former hospital administrator who represents patients and family members in medical negligence and wrongful death lawsuits against hospitals, physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare providers. A member of the board of directors of the Houston Bar Association, he was honored, in 2018, by H Texas as one of Houston’s top lawyers. Also, in 2018, the Better Business Bureau recognized Painter Law Firm PLLC with its Award of Distinction.
