Orlando Medical Malpractice Lawyer

What Is Medical Malpractice?

Medical providers are expected to follow clear professional standards. When they choose care that falls outside those standards, and a patient is harmed as a result, it may be considered medical malpractice.

Not every poor outcome qualifies. Some treatments carry risk, and not every illness responds to care. The key question is whether the provider ignored widely accepted practices in a situation where better care was possible.

Examples of medical malpractice can include:

• Failing to diagnose a serious condition,
• Delaying treatment without a valid medical reason,
• Operating on the wrong part of the body,
• Administering an incorrect medication or incorrect dosage,
• Making preventable mistakes in the emergency room,
• Performing a procedure without properly warning the patient of known risks,
• Failing to monitor a patient after surgery, and
• Overlooking signs of fetal distress during birth.

Watch now to understand better the kinds of mistakes that should never happen and the lasting impact they can have on patients and families.

Signs Your Experience May Involve Malpractice

You may not be sure yet—that's common. The full picture rarely comes all at once. But certain signs point to a deeper problem with the care you received.

Start By Looking at the Timeline

Was there a delay in taking your symptoms seriously? A diagnosis that came too late? A series of rushed appointments where no one asked new questions?

Pay Attention to What Was Missed

Test results that were filed but never followed up on. A condition that kept getting treated as something else. A hospital stay that ended with more questions than answers.

Think About What Made Things Worse

A medication that should never have been prescribed. A surgery that didn't match what you were told. A preventable infection or injury after a procedure. If your instincts tell you the care was sloppy, inattentive, or careless, it's worth listening to. Patients often sense something went wrong before they can explain exactly what. That feeling is valid.

What matters is whether your provider failed to deliver the safe, competent care that medical standards require. If that choice caused serious harm, it may not just be an error. It may be malpractice.

What Kinds of Malpractice Cases Does Osborne & Francis Handle in Orlando

At Osborne & Francis, we represent individuals and families in Orlando who have suffered due to medical negligence. Here are the types of malpractice cases we handle.

Failure to Diagnose

Delayed diagnosis is one of the most common forms of malpractice. A patient may report symptoms repeatedly, only to be told it's nothing serious. In one case, what begins as persistent abdominal pain turns out to be cancer diagnosed too late for effective treatment. In Orlando hospitals and clinics, these failures can lead to irreversible harm that should have been prevented.

Failure to Treat

Sometimes the diagnosis is right, but the treatment never follows. A serious infection is identified but not addressed. A deteriorating condition is noted, but not monitored. When Orlando medical providers fail to act on what they know, patients face complications that could have been avoided with timely care.

Surgical Errors

In surgery, precision and protocol are non-negotiable. The damage can be permanent when a doctor operates on the wrong body part, fails to remove an instrument, or overlooks signs of infection. Whether at a major Orlando hospital or a private surgical center, these are serious breaches of duty and are preventable.

Medication Mistakes

Medication errors can happen at any stage: prescribing, filling, or administering. A nurse might give the wrong dose, a pharmacist might mislabel the bottle, or a doctor may prescribe drugs with dangerous interactions. In Orlando's fast-paced emergency rooms and outpatient clinics, these errors can cause lasting harm.

Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesia requires constant monitoring. When that process breaks down, patients can suffer oxygen loss, organ failure, or even regain consciousness during surgery. These events are traumatic and often entirely avoidable. If you or someone you love experienced an anesthesia-related injury in Orlando, you are not alone.

Failure to Obtain Informed Consent

Every patient has the right to be told what a procedure involves. That includes the risks, alternatives, and possible outcomes. If a provider in Orlando skips that conversation or moves forward without your full understanding, that may constitute malpractice. You can't consent to what you were never told.

Birth Injuries

Mistakes during labor and delivery can have lifelong consequences. If signs of fetal distress were missed or a C-section was delayed without reason, the result may be a birth injury such as cerebral palsy or developmental delays. At Osborne & Francis, we work closely with Orlando families who are facing the emotional and financial challenges these injuries bring.

If you believe substandard care in Orlando harmed you or someone you love, we encourage you to reach out. A review of your case costs nothing and may help you get the clarity and answers you've been looking for—call (561) 293-2600 to speak with an Orlando medical malpractice attorney today.

Holding Orlando Medical Providers Accountable

Osborne & Francis has worked with families across Orlando when something went wrong during medical care. These examples show what resolution can look like when families take action.

Surgical Mistake Leads to Paralysis

A man was undergoing spinal surgery at a Florida hospital. During the procedure, material was misapplied and compressed the spinal cord. He was left without the ability to walk. The case settled for $7.5 million, helping cover in-home care and necessary adjustments to his living space.

Emergency Room Sent Stroke Patient Home

A man visited the ER after his wife noticed changes in his speech and balance. He was discharged without imaging. Hours later, he was unable to speak and could not move one side of his body. Testing confirmed a stroke. The case settled for $4.5 million.

Failure to Act During Labor Caused Brain Injury

Fetal monitoring showed signs of distress during labor, but no intervention was made. The child was deprived of oxygen and later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The case settled for $4 million to help provide therapy, equipment, and basic care throughout the child's life.

Prescription Error Resulted in Permanent Nerve Damage

A patient was prescribed an antibiotic despite known warnings. The medication caused permanent nerve damage within days. The case settled for $500,000, the full amount available under the physician's insurance policy.

Families come to us during some of the most difficult points in their lives. A national study found that patients who worked with a medical malpractice lawyer received more than three times as much on average as those who pursued a claim on their own.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for Medical Malpractice in Orlando?

Medical errors don't always result from a single bad call. They often result from communication breakdowns, overloaded systems, or gaps in care that occur across multiple providers. Florida law allows people to bring a claim against any individual or medical organization that fails to provide safe, responsible care.

Hospitals and Clinics

Hospitals are responsible for staffing, supervision, and how systems function behind the scenes. When test results are delayed, records are misplaced, or critical information isn't passed along, patients can be put in danger. A missed diagnosis or worsening condition can often be traced back to preventable missteps inside the facility.

Nurses and Staff

Nurses are often the first line of defense in a hospital or clinic. Serious harm can occur when symptoms are overlooked, medications are administered incorrectly, or care plans aren't followed. A nurse who rushes a dosage or ignores a change in vital signs may unknowingly place the patient at risk.

Pharmacists and Pharmacies

Pharmacists play an essential role in catching possible medication risks. But mix-ups happen — a mislabeled bottle, a dangerous interaction, a failure to flag the wrong dosage. These mistakes can turn safe treatment into a serious hazard, especially in fast-paced, high-volume Orlando pharmacies.

Medical Device and Drug Manufacturers

Some injuries are traced back to the tools and products used in a person's care. Faulty medical devices, unsafe drugs, and incomplete warning labels can all result in patient harm. When this happens, the companies that made or distributed those products may be held accountable.

Anesthesiologists

Anesthesia requires close, continuous monitoring. A failure to adjust medication, manage oxygen, or consider a patient's specific risks can result in long-term brain or organ damage. These injuries are rare and often preventable.

Doctors and hospitals must follow clear standards to keep patients safe. When they fail to do so, and someone is harmed, the law gives that person a way to seek answers and accountability.

"When medical providers stop answering questions, families come to us. We investigate, we demand answers, and we fight for what's right."

— Joseph Osborne

Proudly Representing Orlando Residents For Nearly a Decade