What Happened to You Was Not Okay

You trusted a doctor. A nurse. A hospital. You put your health in their hands.

And something went wrong.

Now you are in pain. You may have lost income. You may be facing a future that looks completely different from what you planned. And you are probably asking: was this my fault? Did they make a mistake? Can anything be done? I want to answer those questions honestly.

My name is Tina M. Bell. I have practiced medical malpractice law in Indiana for over 30 years. I have seen what negligence does to real families. And I know exactly how hard these cases are to win without the right team in your corner.

If you are looking for a medical malpractice lawyer in Indianapolis, read this page carefully. It will tell you what we know, what the law requires, and what you need to do right now.

Speak with a personal injury lawyer today. Call: 317-488-5500

What Makes Indiana Medical Malpractice Cases So Difficult

Most Indianapolis personal injury lawyers do not handle medical malpractice full-time. Here is why that matters.

Indiana has its own Medical Malpractice Act. Before you can file a lawsuit, you must go through a medical review panel. That panel is made up of three licensed physicians who review the evidence and issue an opinion. The process can take a year or more.

You are not fighting one doctor. You are fighting the doctor, the hospital, their insurer, and a legal team that handles these cases every day. They will review every word in your medical records. They will look for reasons to deny your claim.

This is not the kind of case where you can dabble. You need a negligence attorney who has walked this path many times before.

We have secured over $5,250,000 in a single medical malpractice settlement. We know how to build these cases. We know what the insurance companies are looking for. And we know how to counter it.

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What Is Medical Malpractice? The Standard Matters.

Medical malpractice does not mean that something went wrong. It means that a healthcare provider failed to meet the accepted standard of care, and that failure caused you harm. Statistics show that around 250,000 people are killed by medical errors every year, according to a Johns Hopkins study.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

A doctor fails to order the right tests. A nurse gives the wrong medication dose. A surgeon operates on the wrong site. An emergency room physician sends a patient home with an undiagnosed pulmonary embolism. A caregiver fails to maintain basic hygiene and a patient develops a serious infection.

Each of those is a potential medical malpractice or negligence claim.

The law in Indiana is clear. Under the Medical Malpractice Act, a claim must show three things:

  1. The provider owed a duty of care.
  2. The provider breached that duty by failing to meet the accepted standard.
  3. That breach directly caused injury or death.

If all three elements are present, you may have a valid case.

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What You Can Recover

Case results: Brain Injury- $5.25 Million; Medical Negligence - $3.08 Million; Wrongful Death - $1.80 Million

Indiana law allows victims of medical malpractice to pursue compensation for:

Medical expenses. Past bills and future care costs, including surgeries, rehabilitation, medication, and specialist treatment.

Lost wages and lost earning capacity. If your injury has kept you from working or permanently limited what you can earn.

Pain and suffering. The physical and emotional toll of what happened to you.

Long-term care costs. If you need ongoing assistance, that future cost is part of your claim.

Punitive damages. In cases of extreme negligence, additional damages may be awarded to punish the wrongdoer. Indiana, according I.C. § 34-51-3-4, caps punitive damages at the greater of $50,000 or three times the compensatory award.

Indiana places an overall cap of $1.8 million on medical malpractice damages. This includes all categories of compensation. That cap makes it even more important to work with an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can maximize every element of your claim.

Indiana’s Two Year Statute of Limitations

You have two years from the date of the malpractice to file your claim in Indiana. Do not wait to find out whether your case is viable. Call us today. Every day you delay is a day closer to losing your right to file.

There are narrow exceptions. If the patient was a child under six, they have until their eighth birthday. If the harm was not discoverable right away, the clock may start from the date of discovery. But these exceptions are not guaranteed.

How the Medical Review Panel Works

Indiana requires most medical malpractice claims to go through a review panel before trial. Here is what that means for you.

Three licensed physicians review the evidence. They evaluate whether the care you received met the accepted standard. They issue an opinion.

That opinion is not binding. You can still take your case to court even if the panel sides with the doctor. But the panel opinion can be used as evidence at trial.

This process takes time. It is complex. And it requires an attorney who knows how to prepare the submission correctly, question the panelists effectively, and position your case for the strongest possible outcome at trial.

There is a way to skip the panel. If both sides agree in writing, or if you limit your damages to $15,000 or less, you can bypass it. For serious injuries, that limit makes no sense. So the panel process is almost always part of the case.

The Hospitals in Indianapolis Will Have Lawyers. You Need One Too.

IU Health, Ascension St. Vincent, Community Health Network, and Riley Hospital for Children all have experienced legal teams. When a claim is filed against them, those teams go to work immediately.

They will pull your records. They will look for anything that suggests your injury was unavoidable. They will question whether you followed your own treatment plan. They will work to limit what they pay.

You need a medical malpractice attorney who is prepared to counter all of that.

We have taken on major Indianapolis hospital systems. We have won. Our results speak for themselves.

What to Do Right Now If You Suspect Malpractice

First, get a second medical opinion. If something feels wrong after treatment, see another provider. Document what they find.

Second, preserve every record. Keep all discharge papers, billing statements, test results, and prescriptions. Write down what providers said and when. Take photos of any visible injuries or wounds.

Third, do not sign anything from the hospital or their insurer. Do not accept a payment without speaking to an attorney first.

Fourth, call us. We offer free consultations. We will review your case, give you an honest assessment, and tell you your options. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win.

Why Christie Bell and Marshall

We have been representing medical malpractice victims in Indiana since 1993.

We have a registered nurse on our legal team. That matters. Laura Conyers reviews the medical records with us. She identifies where care fell short. She speaks the same language as the physicians on the other side.

We have secured millions of dollars for our clients. We do not settle cases for less than they are worth.

We handle your case with honesty. We tell you what the process looks like, how long it takes, and what to expect. We do not make promises we cannot keep.

And we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Kathy A. Lee and Lee C. Christie medical malpractice lawyers
Understand Your Legal Options

Cases We Handle in Indianapolis

We handle the full range of medical malpractice and negligence cases. Here are the specific situations we see most often.

Emergency Room Negligence

Emergency rooms are chaotic. Providers are under pressure. But that pressure does not excuse mistakes.

We handle cases involving missed diagnoses, premature discharge, medication errors in the ER, and failures to order critical tests. If you or a loved one was sent home from an emergency room and your condition got significantly worse, call us. An emergency room negligence lawyer can tell you quickly whether something was missed.

Pulmonary Embolism Mismanagement

A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot in the lungs. It can kill within hours if untreated. Yet it is regularly missed in emergency rooms and post-surgical care.

As an Indianapolis pulmonary embolism lawyer, I have seen cases where patients were discharged with classic symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid heart rate, only to collapse hours later. Surviving patients are often left with permanent lung damage. Families lose loved ones who should have been saved.

If a doctor failed to diagnose or treat a pulmonary embolism, you may have a strong malpractice claim.

Cauda Equina Syndrome

Cauda equina syndrome is a spinal emergency. When the nerve roots at the base of the spine are compressed, the window for treatment is extremely narrow. Hours matter.

Delays in diagnosis lead to permanent paralysis, loss of bladder and bowel control, and chronic pain. As an Indianapolis cauda equina syndrome attorney, I know that these cases almost always involve a doctor who ignored clear warning signs or failed to order an MRI fast enough.

These injuries are life-altering. The compensation must reflect that.

Botched Circumcision

A botched circumcision is one of the most emotionally devastating injuries a family can experience. It involves a surgical error on a newborn or infant that causes permanent physical damage.

As an Indianapolis botched circumcision lawyer, I approach these cases with the seriousness and sensitivity they deserve. These are not minor complications. They are the result of a physician failing to follow basic surgical standards. Families deserve accountability.

Poor Hygiene and Caregiver Negligence

Proper hygiene in medical settings is not optional. It is a legal standard of care.

When caregivers fail to follow basic hygiene protocols, patients develop serious infections. Wounds become infected. Hospital-acquired infections spread. Vulnerable patients in nursing homes or long-term care facilities suffer the most.

If your loved one developed an infection or worsened condition because of poor hygiene in a medical setting, you may have a claim against a healthcare provider or facility. As a poor hygiene attorney, I know how to document these cases and prove the connection between the caregiver failure and the resulting harm.

Stomach and Abdominal Injuries from Surgical Errors

Abdominal surgeries carry real risks. But some injuries are not risks. They are mistakes.

Perforated bowels left undetected. Instruments left inside a patient. Wrong-site surgery. Infections from improper wound closure. These are preventable. As a stomach injury lawyer, I have handled cases involving all of these injuries, and I know how to show that the surgeon deviated from accepted practice.

Sports Medicine Negligence

Sports medicine providers are trusted to diagnose and treat athletes correctly. When they fail, careers end. Bodies are permanently damaged.

Misdiagnosed concussions cleared too early. Missed stress fractures. Improperly treated ligament damage. Steroid injections administered incorrectly. As a sports medicine negligence lawyer, I have seen how these mistakes compound over time. An athlete who returns to play too soon on bad medical advice can suffer an injury far worse than the original one.

Additional Cases We Handle

We represent victims in a wide range of medical malpractice claims including:

Speak With an Indianapolis Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

If a doctor, nurse, hospital, or caregiver failed you, you deserve answers. You deserve someone in your corner who knows Indiana medical malpractice law and has the experience to fight for you.

Call Christie Bell and Marshall now: 317-488-5500

Or complete our free case review form online. We will contact you promptly.

Christie Bell and Marshall 951 N Delaware St Indianapolis, IN 46202

We serve clients throughout Indiana including Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Bloomington, Carmel, Terre Haute, and all surrounding communities.

Indianapolis Office

951 N Delaware St Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: 317-488-5500