If you need to bring a medical claim against a doctor or hospital, you will need help. A medical malpractice attorney can make the difference in winning and losing your case.

Here are the top 10 reason you should hire a medical malpractice attorney:

Reason 1 – Medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA).

Reason 2 – Over $3 billion was spent in medical malpractice handouts in 2012 alone.

Reason 3 – Proving a physician violated the accepted standard of care is nearly impossible to do alone. In a Medical Malpractice case, it must be proved that a doctor did not uphold the accepted standard of care. If a doctor fails to uphold these standards constitutes negligence.

Reason4 – The defendants attorney will likely try to claim your injuries were not caused by the care your doctor did or did not give you. They may try to claim your injuries were from outside causes. Trying to defend yourself on this point often proves to be difficult. An experienced medical malpractice attorney is skilled at handling what the defense throws at you.

Reason 5 – A medical malpractice attorney can interview the patient, family members and friends to help determine if your case is actionable.

Reason 6 – As there are statutes of limitation, a medical malpractice attorney will be able to help make sure your lawsuit is filed in time. He or she will also make sure the procedural requirements are met.

Reason 7 – You usually won’t have to pay a medical malpractice attorney in advance. The typical fee structure is for a medical malpractice attorney to be paid based on a percentage of what you may collect on a settlement or a judgment.

Reason 8 – An attorney can help you recover as damages: medical bills, pain and suffering, lost earnings and lost earning capacity.

Reason 9 – Medical malpractice attorneys can help you determine if any of the following apply to your case: amputating the wrong body part, failing to diagnose a medical condition during an exam, mistakes monitoring the amount of anesthesia a patient needs, mistakes monitoring the heartbeat of an unborn child during labor, sub-standard trauma care immediately after an severe accident, failing to account for all sponges or instruments following surgery and other such neglectful acts.

Reason 10 – Special requirements exist in a medical malpractice case that do not exist is other types of law suits, such as expert testimony and medical malpractice review panels. A specialized attorney can help acquire the right experts to testify in your case.

Attempting to fight a medical malpractice case alone is often futile. Without the help of an experienced medical malpractice attorney, your case could quickly go awry and you could be left without any compensation for your pain and suffering, medical bills or other damages.