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When you trust a medical provider with your care, you expect skill, honesty, and answers. But when something goes wrong, and no one will explain what happened, you’re left with questions that deserve more than silence.
As Charleston medical malpractice lawyers with over 20 years of combined experience, Hopkins Law Firm takes that silence seriously. We investigate, get records, consult medical experts, and give you straight answers about your legal options.
If you’re looking for a Charleston personal injury lawyer who will treat your case like it matters, you’re in the right place. Principled. Practical. Personal. That’s how we do things here.
What Counts as Medical Malpractice in South Carolina?
Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare professional fails to meet the accepted standard of care, and someone gets hurt as a result. It isn’t just about bad outcomes. It’s about preventable ones.
A Charleston medical malpractice attorney will examine whether your doctor, nurse, or hospital staff acted in a way that other professionals would consider careless, reckless, or outright dangerous. Examples of medical negligence include:
- Surgical errors or retained surgical tools
- Medication errors or incorrect dosages
- Anesthesia errors
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose serious conditions like cancer or stroke
- Birth injuries such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or shoulder dystocia
- Emergency room negligence
- Nursing home abuse or neglect
Not every medical mistake leads to a lawsuit, but many do. If you suffered harm and believe something preventable happened, we’ll help you figure out the next step.
Medical malpractice can involve diagnostic errors, missed test results, or poor communication between providers. When a provider fails to follow up, monitor, or refer, it can lead to serious harm. If a red flag was missed, we’ll help uncover why.
How to Know If You Have a Medical Malpractice Case in Charleston
Not every bad outcome means malpractice. But if your condition got worse because a provider ignored your concerns, missed something another professional would have caught, or made a preventable mistake during treatment, it may be worth investigating.
Many of our clients came to us after feeling dismissed, confused, or blindsided by a second opinion. If you’re in that position now, we can review what happened and help you understand whether the standard of care was followed—or not.
How a Charleston Medical Malpractice Attorney Builds a Case
We don’t take shortcuts. We start with medical records, second opinions, and clear communication with our clients. You’ll always know what’s happening in your case.
To build a strong malpractice claim, we:
- Gather all relevant medical documentation
- Work with independent medical experts to review the standard of care
- Identify the exact act or omission that led to your injury
- Calculate damages—medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more
We handle malpractice claims involving surgical malpractice, outpatient surgery errors, diagnostic mistakes, and defective medical devices. These cases require focus, experience, and commitment. That’s what we bring.
We review how medical professionals communicated during your care. Did they listen to your symptoms? Order the right tests? Share records with the team? When providers ignore warning signs or cut corners, the results can be life-changing—and those decisions deserve a closer look.
Fill out a Free Case Evaluation form today!
Statute of Limitations for South Carolina Medical Malpractice Cases
South Carolina law gives you three years from the date of injury—or from the date you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) the injury—to file a medical malpractice claim. That rule comes from the South Carolina Code § 15–3–545.
In no case can you file more than six years after the alleged medical mistake, even if you discovered it later. There are shorter deadlines if the claim involves a government-run hospital or facility. And in some cases involving minors, the rules vary. Waiting too long could bar your claim entirely.
A Charleston medical malpractice lawyer can review your timeline, protect your rights, and make sure your case stays on track.
Common Medical Errors and Medical Negligence in Charleston
Medical mistakes happen in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, and even during routine visits. Some errors are obvious—like operating on the wrong body part. Others hide in lab results, pharmacy notes, or rushed chart entries.
Our Charleston medical malpractice attorneys handle cases involving:
- Inaccurate diagnosis or delayed diagnosis
- Surgical errors
- Birth injuries linked to fetal distress or obstetrical malpractice
- Pharmacy and medication errors
- Hospital negligence, including infection control failures
- Nursing home negligence or abuse
- Anesthesia complications
We also review cases involving defective medical devices, improper sterilization, miscommunication during shift changes, or premature discharges from care. Sometimes a single mistake snowballs into a crisis because no one caught it. Our job is to trace that error back to its source.
Medical negligence can lead to physical injury, emotional distress, lost wages, or permanent disability. Some clients face long-term rehab or permanent health changes. Others never get back to where they were before the mistake. These are life-changing outcomes. And they deserve accountability.
What You Can Recover in a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Every case is different. Damages depend on your specific injury, recovery outlook, financial losses, and emotional impact. In South Carolina, you may seek:
- Economic damages: medical bills, lost wages, future medical expenses
- Non-economic damages: pain and suffering, emotional distress
- Punitive damages: in rare cases where the conduct was grossly negligent
We work with medical experts, economic specialists, and your treatment team to understand what this injury has cost you—and what it may continue to cost in the future.
South Carolina places caps on certain types of damages in medical malpractice cases. However, when there is gross negligence or misconduct, courts may still award punitive damages to discourage that behavior in the future. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That preparation often helps us reach stronger settlements, even outside the courtroom.
Talk to a Charleston Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today
If a healthcare provider’s mistake changed your life, you don’t need guesswork. You need clarity, honesty, and legal advice grounded in facts. At Hopkins Law Firm, we’ve recovered over $100 million for clients by treating every case with purpose and precision.
We take on hospitals, insurance companies, and anyone else who refuses to take responsibility. You’ll never feel left out of the process. We keep our clients informed, involved, and supported from start to finish.
Don’t delay, call Clay. Let’s talk about what happened and what comes next.
