When you have been severely injured or have a family member who has suffered from wrongful death, you need a personal injury lawyer in Texas you can trust. Get to know the people behind The Girards Law Firm and learn how we can help you.
Frequently, we are asked whether a lawsuit will hurt the defendant doctor or put him out of business or damage his medical license with the Medical Board. The answer to questions such as this is "no." If a case is taken to trial you can be assured that the doctor has enough insurance coverage to pay for the damages that are being requested and no money will come out of the doctor's pocket. As you may guess, it makes no sense to spend many thousands of dollars in expenses to try a case in which there is no fund to pay for the damages found by the jury. We have found that perhaps one of the best ways to assure that a doctor complies with recognized patient safety rules is when his insurance company forces him to do so. And, that only happens with a verdict in favor of the patient. When this happens, the insurance company will insist as a requirement for further coverage that the problems revealed in the lawsuit have been resolved by appropriate education, and/or protocols. When the jury finds for the doctor, no changes are made. Also, a civil lawsuit will not affect a doctor's medical license. The two systems are completely separate. The purpose of a civil lawsuit is solely to provide fair and full compensation to someone needlessly injured by negligence. It is a rare case in which punitive damages are asked for; and, only in cases in which the doctor or the medical corporation's conduct is so bad that it amounts to a complete disregard of patient safety rules. In the appropriate case, we will ask for punitive damages to assure that the relevant medical community takes note and makes the necessary changes to assure that clear patient safety rules are not ignored. Rest assured that when a large medical corporation controlling a major segment of a particular medical specialty is sued the trial is watched closely. When a significant verdict for the patient results from the trial, the entire system is educated about why the case was brought and what can be done to minimize the errors that resulted in that patient's injury. This is most often accomplished through the websites and listservs for that medical specialty or their medical specialty's continuing medical education courses. So, does a large punitive damages award really make a difference in making our hospitals safer? Absolutely.
Each case described below is an actual case handled by The Girards Law Firm. These stories are provided as an example of cases that the firm handles. In some instances, names have been changed in order to comply with either rules, agreements reached in settlement of the case, or to protect the privacy of our clients. Most of the cases handled by the firm involved participation of a referring attorney. The case verdict or settlement information is included with each case summary.
- The Case of the Brain Damaged Infant
- The Case of the Missing Sling
- The Case of the Misfiled Prescription
- The Case of the Misdirected Crane
- The Case of the Missed Heart Attack
- The Case of the Botched Balloon Procedure
- The Case of the Missing Blood
- The Case of the Hot Water
- The Case of the Needless Surgery
- The Case of the College Student
- The Case Involving Too Much Anesthesia
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- Voted Texas Super lawyer From 2004-Present by Texas Monthly
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