When you hire a professional, you put your trust in their expertise, education, and skill. Professionals are usually educated, licensed, and trained in a particular area of expertise and because of that, they are held to very high standards, which is a good thing. When you do not know how to correctly prepare your complicated tax returns, design an addition for your home, or diagnose an illness, you rely on professionals who hold themselves out as being experts in the particular professional field that you need.
Professionals owe their clients and patients a duty of care and when they breach that duty of care (professional negligence) causing harm to the people who relied on them for their professional services, there may be a case for professional malpractice. Professional negligence occurs when a professional’s conduct falls below the professional and ethical standards practiced by other professionals in the same field or standards and expectations set by their professional associations. Professional Malpractice Attorneys know that you rely on professionals and when they breach their standard of care causing you harm, you deserve to be compensated.
Types of Professional Negligence
See below for different types of professional negligence and examples of injuries and damages incurred as a result.
- Architects and building designers causing physical injuries due to structural collapses or financial costs of structural remediation.
- Contractors and subcontractors’ substandard work resulting in physical injuries from mold exposure and financial costs related to remediation.
- Doctors and other medical professionals such as chiropractors and nurse practitioners causing injuries due to failing to recognize a medical condition or failing to properly treat a medical condition.
- Dentists causing injuries during treatment requiring additional dental and medical care.
- Accountants providing incorrect tax advice to clients who are subsequently penalized by the IRS as a result.
- Attorneys missing a statute of limitations deadline resulting in a plaintiff’s inability to seek financial compensation from a potential defendant.
- Engineers failing to supervise a worksite resulting in flawed construction that causes physical injuries or financial costs for remediation.
- Insurance professionals incorrectly advising clients as to coverage included in a policy resulting in a policyholder with no coverage for a particular loss.
- Real estate professionals failing to disclose a property defect of which they had knowledge, resulting in purchasers’ paying for remediation.
- Therapists taking advantage of vulnerable patients by entering into a sexual relationship causing emotional trauma injuries.
- Hospitals or other medical facilities hosting unsanitary conditions leading to the spread of disease or infection.
These are some examples of types of professional malpractice, but there are many other types of professional negligence that may lead to injuries and damages. You expect a sophisticated level of performance from the professionals you hire and when you sustain injuries and damages as a result of their professional negligence, you deserve to be compensated.
If you believe you are a victim of professional negligence, contact a Lawrenceville Professional Malpractice Attorney with The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. to discuss your claim, injuries, damages, and financial recovery options.