Phoenix Stroke Misdiagnosis Lawyer

A stroke is a terrifying emergency that requires prompt diagnosis and critical medical treatment to increase the victim’s chance of survival and prevent long-term impairment. Sadly, many of these medical emergencies go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed in hospital emergency rooms and other facilities. When an individual seeks medical care for symptoms such as extreme headache and dizziness, physicians have a responsibility to live up to the standards of care accepted by the medical community by ordering and properly interpreting the correct diagnostic tests. When a medical provider fails to do so and the result is serious injury or death, the provider’s medical malpractice leaves them liable for damages. “Damages” in a stroke misdiagnosis case in Phoenix and elsewhere are often substantial. Although monetary compensation cannot erase the injury, it’s an essential step forward for the victim and their family.

Call the Phoenix medical malpractice lawyers at Knapp & Roberts today for a free confidential evaluation of your case so we can begin a strategy to achieve justice and compensation.

Why Choose Knapp & Roberts as Your Stroke Misdiagnosis Attorneys for a Phoenix Medical Malpractice Claim?

If you or your loved one suffered serious harm due to a misdiagnosed stroke, you’ve come to the right law group for help. At Knapp & Roberts, you can expect:

Professionalism

We believe every client’s case should receive the attention it deserves and treat our injured clients with dignity and respect. One of our firm’s founders, Craig Knapp, earned a rating as a Southwest Super Lawyer by Best Lawyers. He is dedicated to helping injured clients harmed by medical malpractice.

Founding attorney, Dana Roberts, is a trial lawyer with decades of experience. Her dedication to ensuring top-notch representation for injury victims led her to become an executive member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.

Skill and Diligence

With Knapp & Roberts, your claim will receive swift action with meticulous attention to detail in all filings and paperwork. Our team includes highly skilled investigators and negotiators to document evidence and present a compelling case to achieve a large settlement. We are well-practiced litigators who are ready to take your case to court to seek a large verdict should the defendant’s insurer fail to offer a more than adequate settlement amount for your damages.

Results

Since an early notable $45.5 million jury verdict in 2004, founding attorney, Craig Knapp, has a peer-respected track record of success in recovering millions of dollars for injured clients and their families. The client-devoted lawyers at Knapp & Roberts have achieved an admirable history of recovering large settlements and jury verdicts in Arizona medical malpractice cases, including a recent $900,000 settlement in a wrongful death case for a doctor’s failure to diagnose.

What Happens During a Stroke?

Strokes are cerebrovascular events that occur when a blocked artery prevents blood from reaching the brain. Often the blockage results from a blood clot that migrates to the brain. Strokes also result from burst arteries that cause injury to the brain. Damage from a stroke occurs when the blockage or rupture causes a disruption of critical oxygen flow to a portion of the brain resulting in cell death in that area. Because the brain is the body’s control center, as well as the base of all thought and emotion, the death of even a small portion of the brain has serious or even deadly consequences for the victim.

Stroke victims require immediate appropriate care to prevent or minimize damage to the brain. Failure to receive that care can result in serious harm, including impaired function, disability, or death.

Common Causes of Stroke Misdiagnosis

Medical research studies indicate that as many as 165,000 strokes are misdiagnosed each year. Strokes are sometimes wrongfully attributed to non-emergency conditions like headaches and vertigo. Because strokes are so commonly associated with aging men, doctors may overlook signs of a stroke in women, younger men, and minorities.

Except in stroke victims who present with hemiplegia—numbness on one side of the body—many stroke symptoms appear non-specific compared to other ailments. Studies show that doctors miss strokes 30 times as often as heart attacks because many strokes present with non-traditional symptoms including signs like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and altered mental status that may mimic other conditions. If the medical provider fails to order the correct diagnostic tests, the victim doesn’t receive the prompt medical treatment they need to prevent permanent damage, death, or a second stroke.

Do I Have a Medical Malpractice Case for My Stroke Misdiagnosis?

The CDC acknowledges that “time lost is brain lost” when it comes to diagnosing and treating a stroke. Early treatment of strokes improves outcomes for victims by restoring blood flow and oxygen to prevent damage or death. Appropriate treatment also reduces the possibility of a second stroke. Medical experts agree that minor strokes often precede major ones by mere days or weeks. If a medical professional failed to diagnose your stroke or that of a loved one and the result was death, serious impairment, or a life-threatening second stroke, you have a strong case for medical malpractice.

Under Arizona’s liability laws, medical providers have a special duty of care toward their patients. Proving medical malpractice occurred after a stroke misdiagnosis requires presenting evidence of the following legal points of liability:

• A doctor/patient relationship existed at the time the misdiagnosis occurred
• The doctor owed a duty of care to treat the patient at the standard of care accepted by the medical community
• They breached this duty of care by acting negligently
• Their beach of duty directly caused injury to the patient
• The patient suffered significant economic and non-economic damages from the injury

The word “damages” in malpractice cases refers to all of the consequences to the victim, both physical and financial.

What Compensation Can I Expect For a Stroke Misdiagnosis Malpractice Case?

A successful claim for damages after a stroke misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis brings compensation for damages including any or all of the following:

• Medical expenses
• Anticipated future medical expenses
• Related out-of-pocket costs
• Lost income
• Future income loss
• Lowered future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish, PTSD, anxiety, depression, or loss of enjoyment of life

Payment for the above damages typically comes from the doctor’s medical malpractice insurance.

Call Knapp & Roberts Today so We Can Evaluate Your Stroke Misdiagnosis Case

The Phoenix wrongful death lawyers at Knapp & Roberts—including founding partners Craig Knapp and Dana Roberts—have dedicated their legal careers to holding careless doctors and other providers accountable for mistakes that have life-altering implications for the victims. If you or your loved one suffered injury or death due to a misdiagnosed stroke, financial compensation opens doors to the best medical care, replaces lost income, reduces financial hardship, and achieves justice. Contact Phoenix medical malpractice lawyers at Knapp & Roberts today so we can hear about your unique case and begin a personalized legal strategy for prompt action.