Of the 320 firms that show misdiagnosis work on our 115 city lists in the United States, Walkup Personal Injury Lawyers scores highest on malpractice focus, published results, client reviews and experience, followed by Wapner Newman Attorneys At Law and Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf. Each firm keeps its best score from the cities it serves; open a city for its full list.
Best Meningitis Misdiagnosis Lawyers in the United States
Feature your firm first on this page
This spot goes to one firm for a year. It's shown first, above everyone below, and labeled Featured.
4.9167 Google reviewsRated 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 167 reviews
Best for: Missed diagnoses and delayed treatment
For failure to diagnose a spinal abscess, Walkup Personal Injury Lawyers publishes a $9.49 million jury verdict, directly linking that result to a missed diagnosis.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.7226 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 226 reviews
Best for: Delayed diagnosis causing brain injury
For a brain injury caused by delayed diagnosis, Wapner Newman Attorneys At Law publishes an $8.4 million result that directly relates to this list. The Philadelphia firm's history goes back to 1978.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.6115 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 115 reviews
Best for: Severe injuries from missed diagnoses
After a failure to diagnose placental abruption left a Brooklyn child with cerebral palsy, Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf reports a $90,939,857 verdict.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.8181 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 181 reviews
Best for: Malpractice-focused representation
Medical malpractice makes up most of Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A.'s practice. Because its site lists misdiagnosis among the cases it handles, the firm has a focus that supports its position here.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.632 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 32 reviews
Best for: Catastrophic injury and wrongful death
Since Kramer, Dillof, Livingston & Moore's founding in 1950, Judith Livingston and Thomas Moore have become senior partners. Alongside birth injuries and surgical errors, the firm's site lists work involving misdiagnosis.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Meningitis misdiagnosis lawyers by state
The rules change from one state to the next, so the lawyers near you are the ones to call.
If a clinician didn't follow the standard of care and the delay caused harm, a missed meningitis diagnosis may call for a malpractice review. What matters is this: did an avoidable error change how the patient fared? If your child received treatment for flu or a virus before a meningitis diagnosis, collect the records from both of those visits.
Getting a diagnosis later doesn't prove negligence. Before assessing the care, the lawyer needs to see what the clinician knew at the first visit, what should have happened and whether earlier treatment could have helped.
What a meningitis misdiagnosis means
When bacterial meningitis is mistaken for flu or another viral illness, especially in infants and children, this page applies. If the patient had meningitis and the clinician treated something else, that's the concern here. When we say a diagnosis was delayed, we mean the time before someone recognized meningitis.
Those words matter. Even if you remember hearing that the illness was viral, the lawyer needs the chart to see which diagnosis the clinician actually recorded. Put what you heard in writing. When you compare that account with the visit notes, don't expect the words to match.
Because meningitis can cause severe harm, it's important to diagnose and treat it promptly. On its meningitis page, GIS Law states that a child can die or suffer permanent neurological injury if meningitis isn't diagnosed and treated promptly. That's harm that may occur. To find what caused a particular patient's outcome, you'll need more than that statement.
How to examine the missed diagnosis
At the first visit you're concerned about, what did you tell the clinician, and how does that compare with the recorded diagnosis? You'll need to read the instructions, too. After that, follow what happened from that visit until someone finally diagnosed meningitis.
Memory alone shouldn't fill the gaps. Tell the lawyer if you remember reporting a change but can't find it in the note from that visit. When you write your account, keep it apart from the records (the reviewer needs to know where each detail came from).
Warning signs and changes in the patient's condition
You won't find a clinical symptom checklist here. When you speak with a treating clinician, ask which signs need immediate attention for this patient and what to do if things change. If symptoms continue or get worse, an earlier flu or viral diagnosis doesn't replace advice about what you're seeing now.
When describing what you saw for the legal review, don't try to attach a medical meaning. For each sign you noticed, say when and whether you reported it. If something changed between the first visit and the return visit, for example, explain what you saw in your own words.
What the published meningitis pages address
Issue
What the source says
source_url
Potential injury from delay
GIS Law states that meningitis not diagnosed and treated promptly can cause death or permanent neurological injury to a child.
Even when an injury is serious and deserves careful answers, that alone doesn't show that the earlier care was negligent. To show negligence, Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp's page about a fungal meningitis misdiagnosis describes the need to establish that a doctor failed to follow standard procedures.
Fungal meningitis is what that page addresses. For a child's bacterial meningitis case, it doesn't prove anything. What the discussion usefully separates is the wrong diagnosis from the clinician's actions: a review needs to examine what the clinician did, not just whether the diagnosis was wrong.
The standard of care
When reviewing the standard of care, ask whether the clinician gave the care required in those circumstances. What information did the clinician have when that disputed visit took place? When the lawyer explains where the response may have fallen short, they shouldn't judge it only by information that came to light later.
Whether the delay caused harm
To assess causation, ask whether the alleged error contributed to injury. If the diagnosis was delayed, could recognizing meningitis earlier have changed the care the patient received or the outcome? You'll need to know the time between visits. Knowing how long that gap lasted, though, won't answer the question by itself.
Before tying the injury to the delay, ask what harm you want the lawyer to evaluate. When you describe the patient's outcome, share the records that show it. If other medical problems followed, don't assume the missed diagnosis caused every one of them.
Build a record of what happened
Before asking for a review, you don't need to decide who was at fault. Begin with the visit where you think meningitis was missed, then the later visit when it was diagnosed: those are the two to identify. The lawyer will need those details.
Prepare for a meningitis case review
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Write a dated account
As you put the encounters in order, note what diagnosis you received at each visit and when someone finally diagnosed meningitis. Dates shouldn't be guesses. Mark any date you're unsure about as uncertain.
2
Request the visit records
When requesting records, include the first encounter's chart and the later diagnosis records, with discharge instructions and any test reports you can get. Don't change the originals you receive.
3
Preserve communications
If you have messages about symptoms or requests for help, save them with follow-up instructions. Write down what you recall from phone conversations. When labeling that account, distinguish it from the written messages.
4
Describe the outcome
When sharing records about the injury you want reviewed, describe what happened after the diagnosis. If treating clinicians haven't answered some of your questions, tell the lawyer which ones remain.
5
Ask about the deadline immediately
When you contact the lawyer, provide the care location and relevant dates. Before waiting for the full medical review, ask which deadline applies and whether you'll need to act sooner.
Keep to what happened. If you think the hospital ignored meningitis, describe what you reported, who responded and what happened next instead of writing that conclusion. To see whether those details support a claim, the lawyer can compare your account with what's in the records.
Deadlines differ by state
For meningitis malpractice claims, you won't find one national statute of limitations. Deadlines depend on the state. Although the state pages are a place to start, ask a lawyer where the care occurred to explain how that state's rules apply to what happened to you.
The date meningitis was finally diagnosed isn't necessarily when the clock starts. Include the earlier treatment dates when you ask. When the patient is a child, say so at the outset and ask the lawyer how that affects the deadline; don't count on having extra time.
Before you have every record, you can still ask about timing. If some records are missing, tell the firm which ones and whether it needs to assess the deadline first. You won't find a filing period for your case on this page.
Choosing a lawyer for the review
When looking for a medical malpractice firm, ask how it reviews claims involving a delayed diagnosis. What meningitis cases has it handled? If it has published a result, find out what that case involved and whether the circumstances resemble yours.
Give that result a close read. If bacterial meningitis was mistaken for a virus in an infant, a fungal meningitis case involves something different. Because sharing a diagnosis name isn't enough, ask the firm to explain what connects that case to yours.
To assess whether the diagnosis was unreasonably delayed, what records would the lawyer need?
If meningitis had been recognized earlier, how would the firm assess whether the outcome could have changed?
Before proceeding, ask the firm what its fees are and which expenses you might owe.
If the firm accepts the review, ask what happens next and who would stay in touch with you.
You don't need every possible category, just the page that fits what happened. Review Laboratory Errors too if a laboratory result concerns you. Which specific report do you want the lawyer to examine?
If bacterial meningitis was first treated as flu or another viral illness, particularly in an infant or child, this page addresses that situation. Compare what the first visit's chart says with the later meningitis diagnosis as your starting point. You can't assess malpractice from those labels alone. Before assessing the case, the lawyer also needs to know what information the clinician had at the earlier visit and whether the delay caused harm.
Is a missed meningitis diagnosis automatically malpractice?
No. Even a wrong diagnosis doesn't, by itself, establish negligent care. To establish negligence, Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp's meningitis case page describes the need to show a failure to follow standard procedures. When a lawyer in your state assesses whether the care met the required standard, they can also assess whether the alleged delay contributed to the patient's injury.
What can happen if meningitis treatment is delayed?
According to GIS Law's meningitis page, a child can die or suffer permanent neurological injury if meningitis isn't diagnosed and treated promptly. That statement doesn't show why a particular patient had that outcome. If meningitis had been recognized earlier, could the care have changed or the harm you're worried about have been prevented? Ask the lawyer.
What records should I gather for a meningitis malpractice review?
Start with the chart from the visit when meningitis may have been missed, then gather records from when it was diagnosed. When requesting discharge instructions and available test reports, also save any relevant messages. Your memories belong separately. If you recall conversations, write them down; make clear which dates you're uncertain about and ask the lawyer what other records they need.
How long do I have to bring a meningitis misdiagnosis claim?
The state determines the deadlines. Because this page doesn't set a filing period for your case, check the state pages and speak with a lawyer where the care occurred. Include the diagnosis date when sharing the initial treatment dates. Don't assume you have more time if the patient is a child; ask how that affects the rules that apply.
What should I ask a meningitis malpractice lawyer?
Has the firm handled meningitis claims, and how does it review cases involving a delayed diagnosis? When asking which records it needs, also ask how it would assess whether the delay was connected to the injury. Make sure the firm clearly explains its fees and expenses. Before the medical review is complete, you can still discuss the filing deadline.
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