Pittsburgh's Top Medcial Malpractice Lawyers

The Best Pittsburgh Medical Malpractice Lawyers

With over sixty (60) years combined experience, the medical malpractice lawyers of Flaherty Fardo have recovered millions of dollars for victims of medical neglect and malpractice. Our experiences includes verdicts, awards and settlements on behalf of men, women and children of all ages and all backgrounds.

Medical malpractice is defined as the deviation from the acceptable standard of care by a doctor, hospital and/or healthcare professional. It is often called negligence or medical neglect. To win a medical malpractice case in Pennsylvania, the Plaintiff has to basically prove three (3) things:

1. A physician or other healthcare provider was in fact "negligent" (which means deviated from the acceptable standard of care);
2. That the negligence was a proximate "cause" of any harm suffered; and
3. That the Plaintiff actually suffered "harm".

These three (3) elements of "negligence", "cause" and "harm" must all be satisfied to have a successful medical malpractice claim. Most malpractice lawyers reviewing potential cases, actually start with understanding the "harm" first, because unless the "harm" is severe enough, it may not make sense to accept the case from a time or cost perspective. Malpractice cases can be costly and time consuming. However, if all three (3) elements are met, then there is typically adequate insurance coverage to compensate injured victims of medical malpractice claims.

PA Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice Cases

The statute of limitations for Pennsylvania medical malpractice cases is typically two (2) years from the date of the alleged negligence, but can be tolled or extended in limited circumstances involving either minors (under age 18), and/or if it was not possible for the Plaintiff to have learned of the negligence because of other factors.

Pennsylvania Certificate of Merit

Pennsylvania also requires a Certificate of Merit in order to proceed with a medical malpractice case. The Certificate of Merit is the acknowledgement by another physician in the same or similar field, that they reviewed the case, and that in their medical opinion, the defendant was 1) negligent, and that the negligence 2) caused 3) harm. These experts opinions must be documented in writing and stated with a reasonable degree of medical certainty. Notice of the Certificate of Merit should be filed at the same time of the filing of the complaint.

Types of Malpractice Cases We Handle

Our Practice has handled a variety of medical malpractice cases, including but not limited:

• surgical errors,
• OB/GYN mistakes,
• anesthesia errors,
• emergency room mistakes,
• failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis,
• lack of informed consent, and
• plastic surgery errors.

We carefully screen each medical malpractice case before accepting it and believe each medical malpractice case is unique and needs to be treated that way. At our firm, we typically use a minimum of three (3) lawyers assigned to each malpractice case, and limit the number of cases that we actually accept.

If you or a loved one has been injured and would like to discuss your case, please feel free to call Managing Attorney Noah Fardo directly at (412) 855-5511