Medical Malpractice

Medical Malpractice Attorney in North Texas & Dallas, Texas

You trusted a doctor or hospital with your health — or the health of someone you love — and they failed. Medical malpractice cases in Texas are among the most complex personal injury claims, with strict procedural deadlines that can permanently destroy your case if missed. Ford Law has the experience and resources to take on hospitals, insurance companies, and medical providers across North Texas.

Attorney Matthew Ford brings years of litigation experience on both sides of the courtroom. He understands how insurance companies and hospital defense teams build their cases — and he knows how to dismantle them. If a healthcare provider’s negligence caused your injury, Ford Law will fight to hold them accountable.

Free Consultation — No Fee Unless We Win
Call (214) 227-9972 or Request a Free Case Review Online

What Is Medical Malpractice in Texas?

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider — a doctor, surgeon, nurse, anesthesiologist, or hospital — deviates from the accepted standard of care and that deviation causes injury to a patient. Under Chapter 74 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code, you must prove four elements:

1. Duty: The healthcare provider owed you a duty of care (a doctor-patient or hospital-patient relationship existed).
2. Breach: The provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care — meaning they did something a reasonably competent provider in the same specialty would not have done, or failed to do something they should have done.
3. Causation: The breach directly caused your injury. This is often the most contested element and requires expert medical testimony.
4. Damages: You suffered real, measurable harm — physical injury, additional medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering.

Types of Medical Malpractice Cases We Handle

Ford Law represents patients and families across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in medical malpractice claims involving:

Surgical Errors — Wrong-site surgery, instruments or sponges left inside the body, nerve damage during procedures, unnecessary surgery, and post-operative complications caused by negligent care. These errors are preventable and often devastating.

Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis — The largest single category of malpractice claims. Missed cancer diagnoses, delayed heart attack or stroke identification, failure to order appropriate tests, and incorrect disease identification. When a doctor misses or delays a diagnosis, the disease progresses and treatment options narrow.

Birth Injuries — Erb’s palsy, brachial plexus injuries, shoulder dystocia, cerebral palsy caused by oxygen deprivation, and spinal cord injuries resulting from improper delivery techniques. Failure to recognize fetal distress and failure to order a timely C-section are among the most common causes of preventable birth injuries in DFW hospitals.

Anesthesia Errors — Over-sedation, under-sedation, anesthesia awareness (waking up during surgery), intubation complications, and failure to monitor vital signs during procedures. Anesthesia errors can cause brain damage, cardiac arrest, and death.

Medication Errors — Wrong drug prescribed, incorrect dosage, dangerous drug interactions, pharmacist dispensing errors, and improper administration of medications. These errors happen in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and nursing facilities.

Emergency Room Negligence — Failure to triage patients appropriately, misdiagnosis under time pressure, premature discharge, communication failures between ER staff, and delayed treatment of life-threatening conditions.

Hospital-Acquired Infections — MRSA, sepsis, surgical site infections, catheter-associated infections, and other preventable infections caused by inadequate sterilization, poor hygiene protocols, or understaffing at healthcare facilities.

Critical Texas Medical Malpractice Deadlines You Cannot Miss

WARNING: Texas imposes some of the strictest procedural requirements in the country for medical malpractice claims. Missing any of these deadlines can permanently destroy your case — even if the malpractice is clear and the injuries are severe.

60-Day Pre-Suit Notice — Before filing a lawsuit, Texas requires you to send written notice by certified mail to each defendant healthcare provider at least 60 days in advance. The notice must state your intent to sue and the damages you are seeking.

120-Day Expert Report Deadline — Within 120 days of each defendant’s answer being filed, you must serve a qualifying expert report. This report must come from a physician in the same or similar specialty and must detail: the applicable standard of care, how the defendant deviated from that standard, and how the deviation caused your injury. Failure to serve this report on time results in automatic dismissal with prejudice — your case is gone and cannot be refiled.

2-Year Statute of Limitations — You have two years from the date of the negligent act to file your claim. The discovery rule may extend this deadline if the injury was not immediately apparent, but a strict 10-year statute of repose applies — no claim can be filed more than 10 years after the negligent act, period.

How Much Compensation Can You Recover?

Texas medical malpractice law imposes damage caps on non-economic damages but places no limit on economic damages:

Economic Damages (No Cap)
Past and future medical expenses. Lost wages and lost earning capacity. Cost of future care, rehabilitation, and therapy. Assistive devices and home modifications. Any other quantifiable financial loss caused by the malpractice.

Non-Economic Damages (Capped)
$250,000 maximum per individual physician defendant. $250,000 maximum per healthcare institution (hospital, clinic, nursing facility), with a combined cap of $500,000 for all institutions. The total non-economic cap across all defendants is $750,000. These caps cover pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of companionship.

Maximizing Your Recovery
Because non-economic damages are capped, an experienced attorney focuses on thoroughly documenting every economic loss — future medical costs, lifetime care projections, lost earning capacity, and vocational impact. This is where the real value of your case lies, and it requires expert economic and medical testimony.

How We Build Your Medical Malpractice Case

Step 1: Free Case Evaluation — We review your medical records, identify potential negligence, and give you an honest assessment of whether you have a viable claim. No cost, no obligation.

Step 2: Expert Medical Review — We retain qualified physician experts in the same specialty as the defendant to review the care you received. These experts determine whether the standard of care was breached and prepare the required expert report.

Step 3: Pre-Suit Notice & Investigation — We send the required 60-day notice, preserve evidence, obtain complete medical records, and interview witnesses. In hospital cases, we investigate staffing levels, training records, and institutional policies.

Step 4: Filing Suit & Expert Report — We file the lawsuit and serve the expert report within the 120-day deadline. No exceptions, no extensions — this is the deadline that destroys most medical malpractice cases, and we treat it as our highest priority.

Step 5: Discovery & Depositions — We depose the defendant doctors and nurses, retain economic and vocational experts to quantify your damages, and build the evidence package for mediation or trial.

Step 6: Settlement or Trial — Many medical malpractice cases settle after discovery when the defendant’s negligence is clear and thoroughly documented. If the defense refuses a fair offer, we are prepared to try your case before a jury.

DFW Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

Ford Law handles medical malpractice claims against healthcare providers and institutions throughout North Texas, including cases involving treatment at facilities within the Texas Health Resources, Baylor Scott & White Health, Medical City Healthcare, and UT Southwestern Medical Center systems, as well as community hospitals, urgent care centers, surgical centers, and private physician practices across Collin County, Denton County, and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Why Patients in North Texas and Dallas Choose Ford Law

We Know How the Other Side Thinks — Matthew Ford previously defended insurance companies. He knows how hospital defense teams minimize injuries, blame patients, and exploit procedural technicalities. That experience is now your advantage.

Deadline Discipline — The 120-day expert report deadline destroys more medical malpractice cases than any other factor. We treat every procedural deadline as a hard wall — no extensions, no excuses.

Expert Medical Network — We work with qualified physician experts across specialties — surgery, obstetrics, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, and more — to build airtight cases.

Direct Attorney Access — You work directly with Matthew Ford from consultation through resolution. Medical malpractice cases are too important and too complex for hand-offs.

No Fee Unless We Win — We handle medical malpractice cases on a contingency basis. You pay nothing upfront. We cover all expert fees, investigation costs, and litigation expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Medical Malpractice

What is the statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Texas?

Two years from the date of the negligent act. A discovery rule may apply if the injury was not immediately apparent, but a strict 10-year statute of repose prevents any claim filed more than 10 years after the negligent act.

What is the 120-day expert report requirement?

Texas requires you to serve an expert report from a qualified physician within 120 days of the defendant’s answer. The report must identify the standard of care, the breach, and causation. Missing this deadline results in automatic dismissal with prejudice.

Are there damage caps on medical malpractice cases in Texas?

Non-economic damages are capped at $250,000 per individual physician and $250,000 per healthcare institution (max $500,000 for all institutions). Economic damages — medical bills, lost wages, future care costs — have no cap.

Can I sue a hospital in Texas for medical malpractice?

Yes. Hospitals can be held liable for the negligent acts of their employees. Economic damages against hospitals have no cap; non-economic damages are capped at $250,000 per institution.

What types of injuries qualify as medical malpractice?

Surgical errors, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, birth injuries, anesthesia errors, medication errors, emergency room negligence, hospital-acquired infections, and failure to obtain informed consent. The injury must result from a deviation from the accepted standard of care.

Do I need a pre-suit notice before filing?

Yes. Texas requires written notice by certified mail to each defendant at least 60 days before filing suit. This is a mandatory procedural step that cannot be skipped.

How long do medical malpractice cases take?

Most cases take 1 to 3 years due to the complexity of medical evidence, expert review requirements, and discovery. Cases that settle during litigation resolve faster; cases that go to trial take longer.

Do I pay anything upfront?

No. Ford Law works on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. All costs — expert fees, investigation, court costs — are covered by our firm.

Suspect Medical Malpractice? Time Is Not on Your Side.

Texas imposes strict deadlines on medical malpractice claims. The 120-day expert report requirement alone ends more cases than any defense argument. Contact Ford Law today for a free, confidential case evaluation. We serve patients and families in North Texas, Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Prosper, and throughout North Texas.

No Fee Unless We Win — Available 24/7
Call (214) 227-9972