Being diagnosed with cancer is always a life-changing experience, but decades of medical research have made many forms of cancer treatable if they’re caught early enough. Unfortunately, not every doctor is as diligent about identifying the symptoms of early-stage cancer and ordering the right tests to check for it, which sometimes leads to patients suffering serious harm because of their doctors’ neglect.
If your doctor didn’t diagnose your cancer as early as they should have and allowed it to get much worse as a result, you may have grounds to demand civil compensation from them with help from a Blue Bell cancer misdiagnosis lawyer. While money can only do so much to help in a situation like this, getting paid fairly for specific losses your illness has caused and will cause you can still be key to maximizing your long-term quality of life, and a malpractice attorney’s support can be key to achieving that kind of case result.
When Should You Sue Over Cancer Misdiagnosis?
It’s understandable if you want to take legal action as soon as possible after being diagnosed with cancer and learning that it should have been diagnosed much sooner. For legal and practical reasons, you have to take some time to construct the strongest possible civil claim, and Pennsylvania law typically gives you up to two years to sue after initially discovering that you were harmed through malpractice.
Proving you were showing symptoms of cancer earlier than when you were formally diagnosed with it typically isn’t enough to build a malpractice claim around. As a Blue Bell cancer misdiagnosis attorney can further explain, you also need to prove that the doctor you’re suing knew about those symptoms, should’ve known based on their experience and medical knowledge that they could be signs of cancer, and then misdiagnosed you in a way that no other equally qualified doctor would have.
Getting Paid Fairly for All Available Damages
If you can establish that a doctor should’ve diagnosed your cancer sooner or that they diagnosed you with the wrong illness altogether, you can demand compensation for every negative effect their negligence will ever have on your life. This can include both losses that have already happened by the time your lawsuit begins and losses that won’t happen until years or even decades down the line, such as:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Costs of additional medical care you need because your cancer was diagnosed late
- Mental anguish and trauma
- Lost working and earning ability and other costs associated with long-term disability
- Loss of life’s pleasures
Fortunately, Pennsylvania law doesn’t cap damages in malpractice claims the way many other states do. Your cancer misdiagnosis lawyer in Blue Bell can help you recover for the full value of these and other losses you can trace back to your doctor’s misconduct.
A Blue Bell Cancer Misdiagnosis Attorney Can Help
Cancer survival rates have risen in the United States over the past several decades, mainly due to the tireless work of cutting-edge medical researchers and the doctors who treat patients based on what that research discovers. All the medical knowledge in the world can’t do any good if your doctor doesn’t diagnose you accurately.
A Blue Bell cancer misdiagnosis lawyer can help you take proactive legal action against any doctor who allows you to be harmed by failing to meet the standard of care they owe you. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your potential claim.
