Did a doctor or other medical professional give you some bad advice? Did this advice lead to an injury, complication or anything else that caused you to suffer? If so, you may have been the victim of medical malpractice. But before you can move forward and obtain compensation to right this wrong, you need to make sure you have a solid case that will stand up in court. Here are three things you should do as soon as possible as soon as you realize that you have been the victim of medical malpractice.

Get Another Medical Opinion

Unless the error by the initial doctor is extremely obvious, you are going to need someone to confirm for you that the service or advice provided by your doctor was faulty. The best way to do this is to seek out a second opinion with another doctor. A doctor that knows what he or she is doing will be able to quickly see where the other medical professional went wrong. Having another doctor on your side if you should end up moving forward with a lawsuit can help you seal the deal on your medical malpractice claim.

Document Everything

The more paperwork you have to back up your claims, the better off you will be in court. Secure every scrap of paper ever given to you by the doctor in question. If some of the bad advice was given verbally, write down your own account of what happened as soon as possible after it occurs. If you are in a lot of pain or suffering in some other way because of this doctor's mistakes, you should be documenting this as well. Consider keeping a journal and jotting down the day and time each time that you are inconvenienced or inexperience pain because of what happened to you.

Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney

Most doctors and hospitals will fight any medical malpractice claim vigorously. Even if they know that a mistake was made, the people you want to sue will likely hire someone to defend themselves in order to protect their financial interests. If you want to level the playing field, you need to hire a medical malpractice attorney yourself. This will show that you are serious about your claim and may make it more likely that the doctor or hospital will settle with you. A good attorney will also ensure that your paperwork is ready to go and that you hit all deadlines related to filing your claim.

For more information, contact R.J. Marzella & Associates, P.C. or a similar firm.