Doctor & Hospital Negligence Attorneys in Reading, PA

Medical Negligence, Hospital Negligence, & Nursing Negligence Claims

When a doctor, hospital, or nursing staff member fails to meet the accepted standard of care (the baseline of treatment a competent provider in the same field would deliver) and a patient is harmed as a result, Pennsylvania law gives victims and their families a path to compensation. These cases are technically demanding. They require attorneys who understand medicine as well as litigation and who can go toe-to-toe with hospital legal teams that handle these claims every day.

Liever, Hyman & Potter has been fighting for wrongful injury victims since 1959. All four of our attorneys handle only wrongful injury and death claims. No real estate closings, no business contracts: every hour we bill and every argument we make is on behalf of someone who was hurt through no fault of their own. Virtually all of our combined 115-plus years of practice have been devoted to that single purpose, and the broader legal community reflects it. A significant portion of our clients come to us through referrals from other law firms, satisfied former clients, and community members who know our record, earning us a reputation as “The Lawyers’ Lawyers.”

If you believe a doctor, hospital, or nursing staff member caused you harm, call us. Our consultations are free, and you owe us nothing unless we recover for you. Contact Liever, Hyman & Potter today at (610) 885-1991.

Common Causes of Doctor & Hospital Negligence Claims

Medical negligence doesn’t always look like a dramatic surgical mistake. A deviation from the standard of care can be subtle: a misread test result, a delayed diagnosis, or a medication ordered for the wrong patient. What matters legally is whether the provider’s conduct fell below what a competent professional would have done and whether that failure caused the patient harm.

Negligent practices commonly cited in lawsuits include:

• Poor care
• Unsanitary facilities
• Contaminated medical instruments
• Wrong medications
• Incorrect therapy
• Failure to conduct the right tests
• Failure to properly read and promptly act on test results
• X-rays that weren’t taken or interpreted correctly

The results can be serious, permanent, or even fatal. Not every bad outcome is negligence, but when a provider’s deviation from the standard of care is the cause of that outcome, the law provides a mechanism for victims and their families to pursue compensation.

Who Can Be Held Liable & What You Can Recover

Medical negligence cases often involve more than one responsible party. Potentially liable parties include the attending physician, surgeon, nursing staff, anesthesiologist, radiologist, and the hospital or facility itself. Hospitals are generally accountable for the negligent acts of their employees (staff nurses, hospitalists, and lab technicians), while the accountability picture for independent physicians with admitting privileges can differ and requires careful legal investigation.

In Pennsylvania, recoverable damages in a medical malpractice case may include past and future medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. In wrongful death cases, the family may also pursue damages for their own loss. Pennsylvania applies a modified comparative negligence standard: victims who bear less than 51 percent of the fault may still recover compensation, reduced in proportion to their share of responsibility.

How We Build a Medical Negligence Case

Pennsylvania law requires expert medical testimony to establish that a provider deviated from the accepted standard of care and that the deviation caused the patient’s harm. Selecting the right medical expert witness is often the most consequential decision in the case. Our attorneys have developed medical background through decades of study and trial work in wrongful injury cases, which means we can identify critical deviations in medical records, imaging studies, and treatment notes that a generalist might overlook.

When building a case, we consult board-certified physicians, often drawn from major medical university settings, for advice, guidance, and testimony when needed. We search nationally for the doctor best qualified to evaluate and support the specific facts of each case, not just whoever is available locally. Every case we accept is reviewed and assigned to a Civil Trial attorney qualified to handle it. We’ll meet with you at our Reading office, or we can come to you at your hospital room or home anywhere in Berks County.

Documented Results in Medical Negligence Cases

Our attorneys have produced published results in this practice area that speak directly to the work we do for clients harmed by medical negligence.

Selected published results include:

• $12.75 million - Settlement for failure to diagnose brain disease
• $6.5 million - Settlement for a teenage client who suffered a brain bleed resulting in hemiplegia

These results sit within a broader record: more than 500 awards and settlements in a recent three-year period alone, including numerous million-dollar and multi-million-dollar recoveries. Since 1959, we’ve won thousands of awards and settlements for victims and their families, more than any other firm located in the Berks and Schuylkill County area. You can review our published medical negligence results on our awards and settlements page.

Lead attorney John R. Badal was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1978 and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991. His entire legal career has been devoted exclusively to representing wrongful injury victims. He holds national recognition as a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, memberships tied to documented results at those dollar thresholds. Other law firms routinely refer clients to us, which reflects how the broader legal community views our record.

Don’t Wait to Contact a Doctor & Hospital Negligence Attorney in Reading

Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations for most medical malpractice claims is two years. Under the discovery rule, that two-year period may be tolled when a victim couldn’t reasonably have known that malpractice occurred. The clock begins running from the date the victim knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its connection to negligence, not necessarily the date of the act itself. These deadlines are strict. Beyond the legal cutoff, waiting makes cases harder to build: medical records, personnel records, and witness recollections become more difficult to preserve with every passing month.

Perhaps the harm can’t be reversed, but there are laws in place to help victims and their families put the pieces of their lives and future back together as much as possible. If you believe you have a doctor and hospital negligence case anywhere in Berks County, contact Liever, Hyman & Potter as soon as possible. One of our experienced lawyers can be available to protect your case, guide you through the entire process, and deal directly with the doctors, hospital, and insurance companies. You’ll pay us no money, not a cent, until we recover money for you, after which our contingent fee will be based on a percentage of the award or settlement, clearly defined in the initial agreement to represent you. Unlike most other law firms, our agreement says that you won’t have to repay any of the expenses we may have advanced on your behalf unless we recover money for you. 

Call us at (610) 885-1991 for a free consultation.