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Malpractice Center

Radiology Error Lawyers in the United States (2026)

If you're worried about a radiology mistake, learn what these errors involve, when malpractice may be involved, and how to prepare your images and medical records for review.

Sources checked

5 lawyers and firms

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The short answer

Of the 266 firms that show misdiagnosis work on our 92 city lists in the United States, Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. scores highest on malpractice focus, published results, client reviews and experience, followed by Hastings Law Firm and The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates. Each firm keeps its best score from the cities it serves; open a city for its full list.

Best Radiology Errors Lawyers in the United States

  1. 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.

    See what's included
  2. Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. logo1

    Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A.

    4.8181 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 181 reviews

    Best for: Birth injury and hospital negligence

    In its published cases, Schochor, Staton, Goldberg, and Cardea, P.A. describes oxygen deprivation during delivery and Erb’s palsy; it also publishes verdicts involving deaths after hospital care.

    On our lists for Washington and Baltimore.

    How they were picked

    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

  3. Hastings Law Firm logo2

    Hastings Law Firm

    4.6102 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 102 reviews

    Best for: Misdiagnosis and surgical injury claims

    Among Hastings Law Firm's published results are a $19,750,000 failure-to-diagnose settlement and a $10,700,000 negligent-prescribing jury verdict. Because it focuses on malpractice and publishes those results, it tops this list.

    On our lists for Houston, Phoenix, Dallas and Austin.

    How they were picked

    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. The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates logo3

    The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates

    5.0216 Google reviewsRated 5.0 out of 5 on Google from 216 reviews

    Best for: Delayed diagnosis and anesthesia injuries

    An alleged delayed diagnosis of HSV encephalitis is behind the $11.65 million result published by The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson MD, JD & Associates. For negligent anesthesia care, it reports another result of $8 million.

    On our list for Washington.

    How they were picked

    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

  5. The Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek, LLC logo4

    The Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek, LLC

    4.724 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 24 reviews

    Best for: Misdiagnosis and surgical injury claims

    A $12 million misdiagnosis result stands out among the cases published by The Law Offices of Cardaro & Peek, LLC. For negligent surgery, it lists a $7.9 million result; for breast cancer misdiagnosis, it lists $7.1 million.

    On our list for Baltimore.

    How they were picked

    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

  6. 5

    Wapner Newman Attorneys At Law

    4.7226 Google reviewsRated 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 226 reviews

    Best for: Birth injury and delayed diagnosis

    Among Wapner Newman Attorneys At Law's listed results are $8.4 million for brain injury after a delayed diagnosis and $7 million for birth trauma causing brain damage.

    On our list for Philadelphia.

    How they were picked

    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

Radiology errors lawyers by state

The rules change from one state to the next, so the lawyers near you are the ones to call.

About radiology errors claims

On this page(8)

If a misread scan or an abnormal finding that never reached your treating doctor harmed you, a malpractice review may be worth considering. A reviewer asks whether the care fell below the standard that applied, changing what happened to you. An error isn't enough by itself. Before asking a lawyer in your state to review what happened, gather the images and written report that help explain it.

What a radiology error means

When errors happen in radiology, they involve medical imaging, including X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and mammograms. The image may have been misread. Even if someone identified an abnormal finding, they may never have reported it to the doctor responsible for treatment.

The failures aren't the same. Before checking what your treating doctor received, separate what the image showed from what the report actually said. Even when a finding appears in the written report, that alone doesn't tell you whether an urgent message reached the person who needed to act.

According to Gunn Law Group's discussion of radiology malpractice, potential problems include misinterpreted images or failures to communicate essential or urgent findings. Separate those concerns first. Someone may have read the image incorrectly, or your concern may be about how they communicated the finding (or both).

How to recognize a concern worth reviewing

Reading the scan yourself isn't your job. Ask your treating doctor to explain the report if you think someone missed something, including whether it addresses the concern that prompted the imaging.

Hands reviewing an unlabeled radiology scan beside a closed folder and reading glasses

Follow the message if you're worried that someone didn't communicate a finding. To trace it, ask what finding needed to reach the treating doctor and who should have received it. Check what the chart says about that contact next. The scan wasn't necessarily normal just because nobody spoke.

  • Keep both explanations if the later one doesn't seem to match the original report. To understand the difference, ask the doctor.
  • Ask what a finding means for your care if you don't understand it in the report, including whether anything remains unresolved.
  • Note who told you and when if someone says an earlier scan was misread. Instead of relying on memory alone, request the records that support what they said.
  • Ask for records if an urgent finding wasn't communicated, so you can see when someone reported it and when your treating doctor received it.

Although these concerns need explaining, they aren't proof of malpractice. Don't mix medical questions with legal ones. While your treating clinician can explain the care you need now, a lawyer can assess whether the earlier events support a claim.

An imaging error isn't automatically malpractice

Even when the outcome is bad, care isn't necessarily negligent. In the American Journal of Roentgenology article, “Radiologic Errors and Malpractice: A Blurry Distinction,”, medical malpractice is described as an unreasonable lack of skill. Because finding an error leaves legal questions unanswered, the title reflects a difficulty that families face.

Radiologic interpretations in daily practice containing errors, as described in the American Journal of Roentgenology article.
Approximately 4%
Source

Although that figure counts errors, it doesn't give the percentage of patients with valid malpractice claims. To determine whether someone negligently read your scan or a different reading would have changed your care, you can't rely on it.

Questions about your own case?

The standard of care

Before deciding whether your care fell short, the review must establish what the circumstances required. Ask how the lawyer will arrange an evaluation of the original images if you believe someone misread the scan. If someone failed to communicate a finding, ask how they'll review the reporting process.

Even with a later diagnosis, questions remain. Along with the surrounding chart, the reviewer needs the earlier report and actual images from you. To understand what still needs a medical opinion, ask which questions those records answer.

Causation: connecting the error to the injury

The review then turns to harm. If someone had read the image differently or the finding had reached your treating doctor on time, ask what would have happened, including whether the alleged error caused harm.

Identify the treatment decision you believe the error affected, then focus on what happened between the imaging and the later diagnosis. Avoid generalities. To understand whether your records show the connection the law requires, ask a lawyer in your state to explain it.

Harm: documenting what changed

If you believe the error harmed you, describe how. Putting a dollar amount on it isn't something you need to do yourself. When explaining what changed, include the medical care you received afterward and expenses you want the lawyer to consider; describe missed work or changes in your daily life in your own words.

According to DeFrancisco & Falgiatano's radiology malpractice page, someone hurt by a radiologist's negligence may be able to recover compensation. Although compensation is possible, that doesn't predict what will happen in your case. To learn which claimed losses could apply under your state's rules, ask a lawyer.

Build a record of what happened

Begin simply. When you ask for help, you don't need a finished theory of the case. Explaining what worries you shouldn't require you to guess which medical terms to use, either.

Preparing for a radiology malpractice review
  1. Write a short chronology

    When you write down the imaging date and when you received the result, also note when you learned there might be an error. Include the facilities' names. If dates are uncertain, label them.

  2. Request the images and reports

    To begin, request the original images and written report. If you know of a later report or revised reading, ask for that, too. Rather than replacing the earlier report with the newer one, keep every version.

  3. Collect the surrounding chart

    To trace what happened, ask for the relevant treating doctor's notes and records of communication about the finding. Ask the reviewing lawyer what other records they need before you spend time gathering material that may be unrelated.

  4. Describe the suspected injury

    If someone missed or didn't report the finding, describe what you believe changed because of that. Gather the bills and relevant correspondence supporting your account. Separate what a clinician told you from what you suspect happened.

  5. Ask about review and timing

    To assess the standard of care and causation, what does a lawyer in your state need from you? If a filing deadline needs immediate attention, ask about that, too.

Don't discard your own messages, either. If you can identify the date and the person you contacted, a note saying “I called about the result” tells more. When you send the lawyer anything, including your chronology, save a copy.

Which part of the care needs review?

You can't choose a defendant just by looking at a name on the imaging report. To identify who was responsible for the action you believe failed, ask the lawyer to examine it. Before they can answer, they'll need to examine the records and the rules that apply to your situation.

Unmarked medical folder, glasses, and pen beside an unlit monitor in an empty radiology room

If you're concerned about a missed or delayed diagnosis, our Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis page offers related reading. Keep your imaging records alongside it as you read. Even with a later diagnosis, you don't have proof that someone negligently read the earlier scan.

See Hospital & Nursing Negligence if you're concerned about how a hospital handled a reported finding. As you prepare for a consultation about emergency department care, the Emergency Room Errors page may help with your questions.

Deadlines differ by state

There isn't a nationwide statute of limitations for radiology malpractice claims. The deadline depends on the state. After finding your state through our U.S. state pages, ask a local lawyer how those rules apply to the dates in your case.

Learning of the suspected error doesn't necessarily mark when the clock started. Along with the date you discovered the concern, give the lawyer the date of the imaging. Explain any gaps in your timeline instead of presenting estimates as facts about when things happened.

What to ask at the first consultation

To explain your concern, you might start with: “The report said this, but I was later told that.” Explain that an abnormal finding apparently never reached your doctor if that's what worries you instead. Rather than giving a long list of conclusions, offer a short account of the facts so the lawyer has a clearer starting point.

  • When you review the written reports, will you also look at the original images?
  • To assess whether the reading or communication fell below the standard of care, what medical opinion would help?
  • If the alleged error changed my treatment or what happened to me, which records could show that?
  • To check which state's filing rules apply, what dates do you need from me?
  • When reviewing a possible case, how does your firm handle the costs, and how are fees charged?

If the lawyer can't assess your case yet, ask what's missing. Rather than an early opinion based on an incomplete chart, a specific request for records may give you something more useful to take home.

How a malpractice claim usually moves
  1. 1.Something went wrong

    Write down dates and names while they're fresh.

  2. 2.Get your records

    Ask for your full chart and test results.

  3. 3.Free case review

    A lawyer looks at what happened, free.

  4. 4.Medical opinion

    A doctor checks whether the care fell short.

  5. 5.File before the deadline

    Your lawyer starts the claim before the deadline.

  6. 6.Settlement or trial

    Many claims settle. Some go to a judge or jury.

Questions about your own case?

Common questions

What is radiology malpractice?
When imaging care falls below the applicable standard and causes harm, radiology malpractice may be involved. A misread X-ray, CT scan, MRI or mammogram may be at issue. If an essential finding wasn't communicated, that may raise a concern, too. Because a mistake alone doesn't establish a claim, ask a lawyer in your state to review what the records show about your care and how it affected you.
Can I sue over a misread scan?
If a scan was misread, legal review may be worthwhile. A lawsuit doesn't follow automatically, though. Before a claim can proceed, the review must address whether the reading fell below the standard of care and that failure harmed you. Alongside the written report, bring the original images if you have them. To find out whether further medical review is needed, ask a lawyer in your state about the case.
Can failure to communicate an abnormal finding be malpractice?
According to Gunn Law Group's discussion of radiology malpractice, failure to communicate essential or urgent findings is a potential problem. If you're considering a claim over that failure, what happened and the resulting harm matter. To identify who received the finding and when it was reported, request records that also identify the finding itself. Under your state's rules, a lawyer can assess whether that communication concern supports a claim.
Does a later diagnosis prove the radiologist was negligent?
It doesn't. Even after a later diagnosis, questions remain about the earlier reading and whether it caused an injury. Rather than relying on the later diagnosis alone, ask the reviewer to examine the original images and report. Before deciding whether a different reading or timely communication would have changed what happened, they'll need to consider what care was required at the time.
What records should I gather for a radiology malpractice consultation?
The original images and written reports come first. Along with messages about the results, include relevant treating doctor's notes and any later or revised reading. To show when the imaging happened and when you learned of the suspected error, write a short chronology. If you've requested missing records, tell the lawyer which ones. While you're assembling the chart, ask about a filing deadline rather than waiting until you're done.
How long do I have to file a radiology malpractice claim?
Because the rules differ by state, there's no single national deadline. After visiting our U.S. state pages, ask a lawyer in your state to check your dates. When you explain when you learned of the suspected error, include the imaging date, too. Even if you discover the problem later, you don't necessarily get a particular amount of additional time.

Sources

  1. Understanding Radiology Malpractice, Gunn Law Group
  2. Radiologic Errors and Malpractice: A Blurry Distinction, American Journal of Roentgenology
  3. Radiology Malpractice, DeFrancisco & Falgiatano

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