Alabama Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Harmed by a Medical Error in Alabama?
We trust doctors, nurses, and hospitals with our lives. When that trust is broken — a missed diagnosis, a surgical mistake, a medication error — the consequences can be devastating and permanent. Patients and families are often left with more questions than answers.
At John C. Hubbard, LLC, we help patients in Birmingham and across Alabama find those answers. Medical malpractice cases are among the most complex in all of personal injury law: they require careful review of medical records, consultation with qualified medical experts, and the resources to take on hospitals and their insurers. We handle that fight on a contingency fee — you pay nothing up front, and there’s no attorney’s fee unless we recover for you.
Your consultation is free and confidential. Call 205-378-8121 or contact us online today.
Types of Medical Malpractice We Handle
Medical negligence takes many forms. We review and pursue cases involving:
Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis
When cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and infections are missed or caught late, treatable conditions become tragedies.
Surgical Errors
Wrong-site surgery, damaged organs and nerves, and instruments left behind are errors that should never happen.
Medication Errors
Wrong drug, wrong dose, dangerous interactions — medication mistakes harm patients in hospitals and pharmacies alike.
Birth Injuries
Negligence during labor and delivery can cause lifelong injuries to both mother and child.
Anesthesia Errors
Too much, too little, or poor monitoring under anesthesia can cause brain injury or death.
Emergency Room Errors
Overcrowded, rushed ERs are where critical symptoms get overlooked and patients get discharged too soon.
Failure to Treat
Ignoring test results, skipping follow-up, and failing to refer to specialists all put patients in danger.
Hospital & Nursing Negligence
Understaffing, poor communication, and broken protocols cause preventable patient harm.
What to Do if You Suspect Malpractice
If you believe a medical error harmed you or a loved one, these steps can help protect your health and your potential claim:
- Get the medical care you need now — your health comes first, including a second opinion if appropriate.
- Request copies of your complete medical records as soon as possible.
- Write down what happened while it is fresh — dates, providers, conversations, and symptoms.
- Keep evidence: photos of injuries, medication bottles, discharge papers, and bills.
- Talk to an Alabama medical malpractice lawyer early — these cases require expert review and take time to build.
Why Malpractice Cases Are Different
Medical malpractice claims in Alabama are governed by the Alabama Medical Liability Act (Ala. Code §§ 6-5-480 to -488 and §§ 6-5-540 to -552). A patient ordinarily must use expert testimony from a similarly situated health care provider to prove the standard of care, breach, and causation. As Ala. Code § 6-5-548(a) states, “the plaintiff shall have the burden of proving by substantial evidence that the health care provider failed to exercise such reasonable care, skill, and diligence as other similarly situated health care providers in the same general line of practice ordinarily have and exercise in a like case.”
The deadlines are also strict. Under Ala. Code § 6-5-482, a medical malpractice action generally must be “commenced within two years next after the act or omission or failure giving rise to the claim”; if the injury could not reasonably have been discovered in that time, the action may be brought “within six months from the date of such discovery,” but in no event “more than four years after such act” — a four-year statute of repose. The deadline for minors is different: a child under four years old has until his or her eighth birthday to bring the claim.
Hospitals and their insurers defend these cases aggressively, and not every bad outcome is malpractice. That’s exactly why an early, honest case evaluation matters: we’ll tell you plainly whether we believe you have a claim worth pursuing.
Have more questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or call us for straight answers about your specific situation.
Reviewed by John C. Hubbard, Attorney.
Last reviewed: June 2026.