Each year thousands of people are needlessly injured by defective medical products and devices. Some of these injuries may be minor, but many others result in high costs, hospital visits, and even more surgeries for people who were already suffering from pain and discomfort prior to the additional injury caused by a defective medical product. If you or someone you love has been injured by a medical device or product, you may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering.

What is considered a medical product or device?

Medical products or devices may include but are not limited to:

• Implants in the body
• Pacemakers
• Medtronic Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators

What makes a medical device defective?

Under Tennessee law, a medical device is considered defective if it contains a manufacturing or design defect. This may include but is not limited to:

• faulty wiring in the medical device
• defective software in the medical device
• Other manufacturing error or design flaw in the medical device that leads to personal injury
• Improper warning labels about injury or side effects

What Should I do if I have or someone I love has been injured by defective device or product?

The first step is to seek medical help and treatment immediately. Make sure you keep all evidence including any medical documents that you may have received. Next, contact our team of malpractice and personal injury lawyers at The Higgins Firm so that we may evaluate your case. Our experienced Tennessee injury attorneys will conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether your case is one that may lead to a significant recovery.

What can I expect from my attorney and a possible lawsuit?

Though thousands of people are annually injured by badly designed medical devices, not all Tennesseans injured by defective medical devices succeed in recovering sufficient losses.  Additional medical procedures and hospital stay, time missed from work, or the pain you have suffered and may continue to suffer are all losses for which we seek compensation. Successful litigation requires the legal resources and experience of a known legal force. In Tennessee, that legal team is found in the personal injury lawyers of the Nashville and Memphis based Higgins Firm.

Tennessee state law governs damages allowable for defective medical devices and malpractice injuries. Depending on the manufacturer's knowledge and degree of damage the patient has suffered, the following damages may be awarded:

1. Economic (special) damages. Under Tennessee law, these damages can cover medical expenses to-date and expected loss of past and future earnings, and loss of potential business opportunities.
2. Non-economic (general) damages. Under Tennessee law, this compensation is awarded for non-monetary damages such as pain, emotional distress, loss of companionship (including loss of consortium), and other such suffering.
3. Punitive damages. Under Tennessee law, punitive damages are awarded with the intention of punishing negligent medical device manufacturers in cases where their conduct was intentional, grossly negligent or reckless.

If you feel that you or a loved one has been a victim of a defective medical device or product please call us toll-free at 855-529-3675 or contact our Nashville or Memphis law office online. Our Tennessee legal team represents victims of defective medical device injuries throughout Tennessee and in the neighboring states of Kentucky and Georgia. Our Nashville, TN legal staff has the experience to take on the medical device lawyers and big insurance companies, and our personal injury lawyers understand the pain and powerlessness many Tennesseans feel after a medical device has caused them injury.