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FREE CASE EVALUATION
PALM BEACH COUNTY MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ATTORNEY
How do I pick the best doctor?
When looking for a doctor for a specific problem—be it surgery, dermatology, neurology or any other specialty, it’s important to do your homework first.
Find out about your doctor’s qualifications. Is he/she board certified in a specific medical specialty? Where did they go to medical school? Are they on the staffs of any local hospitals? Do they carry medical malpractice insurance?
How do you find out all these things? Easy—ask the Florida Board of Medicine at this link: https://appsmqa.doh.state.fl.us/MQASearchServices/HealthCareProviders/PractitionerProfileSearch
Q: Does it matter if my doctor doesn’t have medical malpractice insurance—I’m not planning on suing him.
Yes, it matters. Many doctors who don’t have medical malpractice insurance are unable to get insurance coverage due to a high number of claims. Whether your doctor does or doesn’t have malpractice coverage may not be a deciding factor on whether you see him/her, but it should be an early red flag.
Q: What does board certification mean?
It means that your doctor passed an oral and a written examination by other doctors of the same specialty and gets qualified as an expert in that particular specialty. It’s a significant achievement and shows that the doctor is skilled, knowledgeable and meets a higher standard in that area of medicine.
- What if I can’t find a doctor in my area who is well qualified?
Some areas that aren’t in major metropolitan areas—Okeechobee, Clewiston, Vero Beach, Sebring, for example, may not have a local doctor with the qualifications you need to care for you. Don’t hesitate to expand your search to areas such as Orlando, Gainesville, West Palm Beach or Miami to get the right doctor.
- What else should I be on the lookout for?
On the Board of Medicine website (above), it also tells you if your doctor has had any disciplinary action against him by the Board, whether they’ve had health insurance companies take them off their lists of providers, and whether there have been any significant claims against them involving judgements or settlements. (But if no claims are listed, know that that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any—those postings are not always accurate. All these factors are important to know when choosing a doctor.
[hrf_faqs category=’top-personal-injury-questions’]
Stuart- The founding of Martin County had much to do with its surrounding waters such as the countless creeks, the South and North Forks of the Saint Lucie River, the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. The pioneers and the inhabitants of the area largely depended on the water and the benefits it brought to the area. A gentleman named Homer Hines Stewart, Jr bought a substantial amount of property and built his bungalow North of the St. Lucie River. He gave part of his land away to put a Depot on it and so his surname was used for the railway stop when the train station came there from Palm Beach. At the time, there was no bridge that crossed the river.
The life of the Pioneers changed dramatically after the railway came to the area. The Railway meant that there was reliable transportation that helped to ship pineapples and fish to other areas. Tourists were able to travel there and for many, their social life revolved around the mail being brought by the train. At first, the tourists were mostly outdoorsmen who wanted to fish and hunt. A man named John Danforth used his houseboat as a floating Hotel. Later he built the Danforth Hotel. Later on, the Stewart house, which began as a post office and store combination, was later transformed into a hotel. Witham Field Was built in the area for the purposes of training Navy pilots during World War II. It was a full 35 square miles and after the Coast Guard added facilities it was riddled with Lookout Towers.
Some of the servicemen would meet local ladies and marry them. After they returned from the war they permanently moved to the area to be with their wives. Once the war was finished, part of that area was turned into Dickinson State Park. The area promoted itself as being the World Capital of Sailfish. Stuart published fishing guides in The Daily News in the mid-1930s. The guides were distributed by the Chamber of Commerce and it managed to attract thousands of tourist. The editor of the Stuart news wrote most of the text and the guides were full of ads paid for by local businesses. Mr. Lyons was an environmentalist and an avid Sportsman and he instilled in the local residents the idea they should help preserve nature and to enjoy it.
“It's personally rewarding to bring justice and closure to these clients who have been so horribly injured through the negligence or incompetence of others.”
A BRIEF HISTORY OF PALM BEACH COUNTY: WEST PALM BEACH, PALM BEACH GARDENS, NORTH PALM BEACH
A Short History of North Palm Beach & Palm Beach Gardens
Palm Beach Gardens is the home of the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) headquarters. Every year, legendary professional golfers play at the Honda Classic. There is also great shopping to enjoy in Downtown Gardens. It is an open-air area where the only traffic that is allowed is the pedestrian variety. The PGA Common features many outstanding boutiques and restaurants. Gardens Mall offers many high-end shopping destinations feature impressive decor. There are also many fine hotels and a wide range of recreational activities that are all conveniently located at or near the area’s beaches.
Palm Beach Gardens: Former Pine Forest and Cattle Ranch
Prior to being developed, the land that was to become Palm Beach Gardens was mainly pine forests and cattle ranches, in addition to swampland in the farther west region. In 1959, John D. MacArthur, a wealthy insurance magnate and landowner, announced plans for developing 4,000 acres and building houses for 55,000 people. He selected the name of Palm Beach Gardens because the Florida Legislature denied his first choice of Palm Beach City due to the name being too similar to the nearby city of Palm Beach. MacArthur was planning on building a “garden city.” Therefore, he slightly changed its name. The city became incorporated in 1959 as a “paper town” (which meant it only existed on paper). The 1960 Census shows that the city’s official population was one, which was a squatter who MacArthur allowed to remain on his property.
The city’s population was almost 7,000 people by the 1970s.
During the 1960s, rapid development occurred. In order to highlight his brand-new community, MacArthur bought an 80-year-old banyan tree situated in the nearby community of Lake Park that was scheduled to be cut down in order to expand a dental office. Moving the tree cost 1,000 hours of labor and $30,000. The next year a second banyan tree was moved. While the first banyan tree was being moved across the Florida East Coast Railway, the huge tree shifted and ended up disconnecting the Western Union’s telegraph and telephone lines running next to the railroad, which cut off a majority of communications between Miami, located 78 miles south of the area and the rest of world until damage was repaired. Those trees are still in the middle of MacArthur Boulevard close to Northlake Boulevard and are featured prominently on the city’s shield. Alexandre Renoir, the great-grandson of the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, presented the city with a painting in 2007 which depicts the banyan tree of the Gardens. It is on display currently at the city hall located on North Military Trail.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the growth of Palm Beach Gardens was slow but steady. A 55,000 population that MacArthur had envisioned had still not been reached. However, in 1988, Gardens Mall, a 1,300,000-square-foot facility, opened and spurred on a large wave of new development, along with the sell-off of about 5,000 city acres in 1999 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This property was developed rapidly and led to a lot of new growth for the city. An Art in Public Places ordinance was adopted by the city in 1989, which has resulted in an eclectic collection of art being amassed.
During the 1985 and 1989 hard freezes, a great deal of damage was sustained by Palm Beach Gardens’ tropical landscaping. Since that time there have been no freezing temperatures experienced by North Palm Beach. In 2004 and 2005 the city was struck by Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma. Following each storm, a majority of the city lost power for several days at a time, and many of the city’s directional signs and traffic signals were destroyed. Numerous businesses and homes were seriously destroyed during these two storms and construction materials and contractors were at a high premium. At the time that Hurricane Wilma hit the next year hundred of houses were close to finishing their final repairs. The storm destroyed or damaged many of the ongoing or completed repairs.
Downtown at the Gardens, Legacy Place, Midtown, PGA Commons, and The Gardens Mall are at the heart of the retail market of the city. They are all located on the main stretch of the municipality’s PGA Boulevard.
This FREE e-book, will help the Fort Pierce victims of medical malpractice understand and navigate through the legal process. This guide was written by Kip Sinclair based on his many decades of experience dealing with medical malpractice cases. Fill the form below to get your FREE ebook!
SURGICAL INJURY OR DEATH
Surgical injury or death may be as a recognized complication, or it may be due to medical malpractice. Our experts can find out for you.
NEWBORN
BIRTH INJURY
Malpractice occurring during or just after birth of a baby can result in a lifetime of heartache and care, and such injuries should be investigated.
BRAIN DAMAGE
OR DEATH
This can happen from a head injury, a bleed, a stroke or lack of oxygen to the brain, and can possibly be from medical malpractice.
SLIP AND FALL
INJURIES
Most falls in nursing homes or assisted living facilities can be prevented with proper safety measures and the proper attention of the intitution’s staff.
WRONGFUL
DEATH
This is outrageous, five times as many Americans die every year from hospital/doctor mistakes than die from auto accidents.
NURSING HOME ELDERLY ABUSE
Unexplained injuries, bruises and other related injuries may be the result of nursing home abuse. These injuries are a felony under Florida law.
WHO ARE
MY PALM BEACH CLIENTS?
My Palm Beach clients are people who have been seriously and permanently injured by medical/hospital errors; who have had family members die at the hands of incompetent doctors or nurses; whose elderly loved ones have been abused and mistreated by uncaring nursing home staff. Many cannot even leave their houses because of their injuries. Sometimes their computer is their only contact with the outside world. These are my people!
