Mt. Vernon Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Proven Mt. Vernon Medical Malpractice Attorneys Ready To Serve You

Our office in Mount Vernon, WA

• Address: 720 S Main St #213, Mt Vernon, WA 98273
• Open hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Phone number: 360-395-2135
• Map Directions

Mt. Vernon residents enjoy the comfort of knowing that when injury or illness strike, local medical facilities are among the best in the state of Washington. Skagit Valley Hospital and Hospital De Mt. Vernon are just a couple of examples of the top-tier medical institutions that are available to residents. No medical institution anywhere, however, is completely immune to the risk of medical malpractice.

Medical malpractice occurs when a doctor or other health care professional’s diagnosis or treatment of a patient falls below a professional standard of care, and this failure harms the patient in some way. The standard of care is variable – a general practitioner will probably be held to a lower standard of care than a specialist (although a general practitioner might commit malpractice by failing to refer a patient to a specialist when called for).

Generally, however, the term “standard of care” refers to the type and level of care that an ordinary, prudent health care professional, with the same training and experience as the health care provider involved in the case, would provide under similar circumstances in the same community. Essentially, this means that, in a medical malpractice case, the question at issue is: “Would another health care professional with similar training and skills have provided me with the same treatment under these circumstances?” If the answer is “no” and you suffered harm as a result of the failure to provide adequate care, you may have a valid medical malpractice case.

What Circumstances Qualify for a Medical Malpractice Claim?

Any number of circumstances can ultimately lead to a medical malpractice claim. Certainly, we all have our own unique medical conditions, and our medical treatment experiences will therefore be slightly different as well. Nevertheless, the following examples are some of the most common examples of medical malpractice, though there are certainly many other scenarios in which medical malpractice could occur:

• A mistake in monitoring the amount of anesthesia a patient needs – either providing too much, or too little, leading to complications
• Failing to account for all sponges, materials, and other instruments used during surgery
• Failing to check a patient’s medical history and administering medications to which the patient has an allergic or otherwise adverse reaction
• Amputating the incorrect body part
• Failure to monitor an infant’s condition properly during labor and delivery
• Dropping a patient due to improper lifting or transporting techniques
• Ignoring lab reports or other pertinent test results
• Providing sub-standard trauma care immediately following a severe accident

Regardless of the particular incident that occurred, a successful medical malpractice claim will require proof of the following elements:

• The existence of a doctor-patient relationship: A doctor-patient relationship is typically found to exist when a doctor agrees to examine you, receive your medical history, and provide you with some type of diagnosis or treatment. Once a doctor-patient relationship exists, the doctor has an obligation to the patient to provide competent care.
• Proving negligent care that caused an injury: Sometimes, even when all precautions are taken and a medical procedure is performed in the safest manner possible, accidents do occur. In some situations, accidents are truly without fault. In other circumstances, however, injuries that occur during the course of medical treatment are a result of negligence on the part of the medical provider – a failure to perform to the standard of care. In these circumstances, proving that negligence occurred, and that the negligence caused the injury, is key to successfully establishing a claim for medical malpractice.
• Present Proof of Damages: In addition to establishing that negligent care caused an injury, a successful medical malpractice claimant must also prove that the injury at issue caused damages. These damages may include past and anticipated future medical bills, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, pain and suffering, and more.

Proving these elements is essential to a successful medical malpractice claim. To do so, it is very important to retain a knowledgeable and experienced attorney who understands medical malpractice law and how to put that knowledge to use on your behalf.

Medical malpractice case review

What Makes a Mount Vernon Medical Malpractice Case Strong?

Medical malpractice cases usually turn on one central question: did a healthcare provider fail to meet the professional standard of care, and did that failure cause measurable harm? The answer often depends on medical records, expert review, timing, damages, and how clearly the case connects the mistake to the injury.

Delayed or Wrong Diagnosis Surgical Error Medication or Anesthesia Error Birth Injury Medical Transport Injury Hospital or Nursing Neglect

Delayed or wrong diagnosis cases depend on what should have been done sooner.

These cases often require a careful review of symptoms, test results, referrals, imaging, lab reports, chart notes, and whether a reasonably careful provider would have taken different action.

• What symptoms were reported, and when?
• Were labs, imaging, or specialist referrals delayed or ignored?
• Did the delay change treatment options, recovery, prognosis, or survival chances?

Evidence readiness

Have the Key Medical Records Been Preserved?

Medical malpractice claims are technical. A strong review starts with the records that show what happened, who was involved, what the provider knew, what should have been done, and how the outcome changed.

Record readiness 0/9

Hospital, clinic, ER, specialist, surgical, nursing, and discharge records Lab reports, imaging, pathology, monitoring records, and test results Medication lists, anesthesia records, allergy history, and dosage records Timeline of symptoms, visits, calls, messages, referrals, and treatment delays Names of doctors, nurses, facilities, transport providers, and other involved parties Photos, wound records, injury progression, mobility changes, or family observations Second opinions, corrective treatment records, rehabilitation, and specialist opinions Bills, insurance statements, wage loss, care costs, and future treatment concerns Any letters, calls, incident reports, complaint records, or facility communications

Start with complete medical records, a timeline, provider names, test results, bills, and follow-up treatment records.

Proof framework

The Four Questions We Look at First

A bad outcome is not automatically malpractice. The claim usually becomes stronger when the evidence can answer each of these questions clearly.

01

Relationship

Was there a doctor-patient or provider-patient relationship that created a duty of care?

02

Standard of Care

What would a reasonably careful provider with similar training have done under similar circumstances?

03

Causation

Did the provider’s failure cause or worsen the injury, rather than simply coincide with it?

04

Damages

Did the mistake cause measurable losses such as medical bills, future care, lost income, disability, pain, or death?

Medical negligence case results

Case Results Connected to Medical Harm and Care Failures

These results show the kind of serious medical, developmental, cognitive, and long-term damages that can be involved when a healthcare mistake or care-related failure causes harm.

Birth injury case $29M

Child injured at birth

Recovery for a child injured at birth due to negligence involving medical providers and the State of Washington.

Medical transport injury $1.2M

Improper securement and cognitive decline

Recovery for an elderly client injured during medical transport after the driver failed to properly secure her.

Complex medical damages Future care

Long-term losses matter

Serious medical malpractice claims may involve lifelong care, lost earning ability, therapy, treatment, mobility limits, and family support needs.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every medical malpractice case depends on its own facts, medical records, expert review, damages, and applicable law.

Who are your Mount Vernon medical malpractice lawyers?

Meet the Attorneys Behind the Case Review

Medical malpractice cases require a careful review of medicine, records, expert opinions, financial loss, and the human impact of the injury. Each attorney brings a different lens to that review.

David Brown

“The client should understand the case before making decisions.”

David’s approach is direct and practical. In a medical malpractice case, that means explaining the standard of care, what the records show, where the proof is strong, and where expert review is needed before the client makes decisions.

• What did the provider know at the time?
• What would a careful provider have done differently?
• What will the defense argue about causation or damages?

Matt Conner

“The medical story and financial story need to line up.”

Matt’s background in economics helps shape how damages are presented. In a malpractice claim, the review may need to connect treatment costs, lost earnings, future care, rehabilitation, disability, and reduced independence.

• What has the injury already cost?
• What care or support may be needed in the future?
• How does the injury affect work, independence, and family life?

Paula McCandlis

“Pain, fear, and loss need language before they can be valued.”

Paula’s perspective focuses on explaining what the injury changed. Medical malpractice harm can be difficult to describe because the damage may affect trust, independence, mobility, family routines, grief, and the way a person feels inside their own body.

• How did the medical error change daily life?
• What losses are not shown by bills alone?
• How can pain and suffering be explained clearly?

Mount Vernon Office 720 S Main St #213, Mt Vernon, WA 98273. A medical malpractice review can help determine whether the records support a claim, whether expert review is needed, and what deadlines may apply.

Call 360-395-2135 Review My Medical Malpractice Case

Why Us?

Anyone fresh from passing the bar exam can hang out a shingle and seek medical malpractice clients. Likewise, a trusts and estates expert can take a break from drafting trust agreements to deal with a medical malpractice case. For best results, however, you are going to need a law firm that handles personal injury cases, and especially medical malpractice cases, on a frequent basis. That would be us.

At Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner, we have been winning settlements and verdicts for our clients since 1972. During that time, we have handled over 2,500 cases and we have secured a cumulative total of over $100,000,000 in damages for our clients. There isn’t much that can happen in a medical malpractice case that we haven’t seen before.

Types of Cases We Handle

In addition to medical malpractice cases,  we also frequently handle the following types of cases:

• Wrongful Death
• Car Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• DUI Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Sexual Abuse

All of these types of cases can be exacerbated by medical malpractice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How will I prove my case?

To win, you will need to retain expert medical witnesses to analyze your case and testify on your behalf. The use of professional expert witnesses is common in medical malpractice cases. Medical experts are also useful in settlement negotiations to encourage the defendant to settle in the face of your strong case.

What is the statute of limitations deadline?

The statute of limitations sets a deadline for you to file a lawsuit. If you miss it, your case will be dismissed. The Washington medical malpractice statute of limitations deadline is three years from the date that the malpractice occurred, with the following exceptions:

• If you don’t discover the malpractice right away (if you can’t trace your injury to medical malpractice until later, for example), you have one year from the date of the discovery to file a lawsuit – as long as your failure to discover it earlier was reasonable.
• If you were under 18 at the time the malpractice occurred, you have until your 19th birthday to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Before you turn 18, only your parent or guardian can file the lawsuit since minors cannot file lawsuits in their own name in Washington.

Under no circumstances can you bring a medical malpractice claim later than 8 years after the malpractice occurred.

What is mandatory mediation?

Under Washington law, you must first attempt to mediate your medical malpractice claim before you file a lawsuit. If you do, the statute of limitations period is suspended for a year.

How does the comparative negligence defense work?

If your injuries were partially your fault, a proportionate amount can be subtracted from your damages. A medical malpractice defendant might raise this defense if, for example, you failed to follow doctor’s orders and this failure contributed to your injury or illness.

Let’s Make It Happen Together

Medical malpractice claims tend to be complex undertakings requiring technical expertise, negotiating skills, and an intimate knowledge of both medical malpractice law and the rules of evidence and civil procedure. Our Mt. Vernon medical malpractice attorney is well versed in all of these areas of practice, and we know how to tailor our strategy to the individual concerns of each client.

If you believe that you may have been victimized by medical malpractice (it’s not always obvious), then contact a skilled Mt. Vernon medical malpractice lawyer at Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner as soon as possible by calling or by filling out our online contact form for a free initial consultation. Our lawyers serve clients from Twin Brooks, Skagit Highlands, Pine Creek Estates, and elsewhere in Mt. Vernon. Remember: If we don’t win, you don’t pay us a dime.