But what happens if they fail you?  What if a medical professional is negligent and puts your life or your loved one’s life at risk?  Unfortunately, this is happening more and more in the United States. A recent Johns Hopkins study shows that medical errors are the third-leading cause of death in this country, only surpassed by heart disease and cancer.

A medical professional may have committed malpractice if he made a misdiagnosis, delayed in making an appropriate diagnosis, or failed to appropriately treat an illness or injury. Sometimes the medical professional makes a surgical error. Medical malpractice can also result in birth injury.

In our country, hospitals are becoming some of the biggest businesses, each year cashing in substantial profit. Unfortunately, profits are sometimes prioritized over people. In addition to providing redress for the injured, lawsuits help to rebalance the prioritization and improve patient safety for other patients.