As patients, we put a lot of trust in health care professionals to find out what's wrong and do what's necessary to make us better. And, for the most part, they do a wonderful job. But when a health care provider acts negligently, it's called medical malpractice, and it can cause the serious injury or death of a patient.

Medical malpractice covers many different areas including improper or delayed diagnosis, improper care, negligence in performing surgery, medication errors, failure to obtain a patient's informed consent and abandonment of a patient. And the legislature has adopted many special rules that create hurdles that must be overcome when seeking justice for medical malpractice victims.

Medical malpractice is a very complicated area of law and presents challenging medical and legal issues. As you can understand, investigating medical malpractice cases takes time. And, there is a statute of limitations - in other words, a specific time period set by the law - for medical malpractice claims. In Indiana, depending on the situation, the statute of limitations can be as short as two years from the date of the malpractice. Once the statute of limitations has expired, even the most negligent health care provider can escape liability.

If you or a loved one suffers what you believe is medical malpractice, you will want to consult attorneys with the background and experience to take on the investigation and prosecution of these types of cases.

Do not delay if you suspect medical malpractice. Give your attorney the time necessary to do a full investigation to decide if the case can and should be prosecuted.