When a doctor fails to diagnose a serious medical condition, the results can be devastating. A missed or delayed diagnosis may give a disease time to worsen, spread, or become untreatable. This kind of medical negligence can lead to unnecessary pain, higher treatment costs, or even preventable death.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by a diagnostic error, a failure to diagnose lawyer in Newark can help you pursue justice and compensation. At O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble, we represent victims of diagnostic failures and other medical errors throughout New Jersey.
Our Newark medical malpractice lawyers bring over 200 years of combined experience to every case, with a strong track record of trial results and client-focused care. We offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis, so you never pay out of pocket unless we recover compensation for you.
What Is a Failure to Diagnose or Delayed Diagnosis?
Failure to diagnose occurs when a healthcare provider misses a condition that should have been identified based on a patient’s symptoms, medical history, or diagnostic testing.
In some cases, no diagnosis is given at all. In others, the right diagnosis comes too late—after the illness has progressed beyond a manageable or treatable stage.
This type of negligence may involve:
- Ignoring or misreading lab tests or imaging
- Failing to order appropriate screenings
- Misattributing symptoms to less serious conditions
- Not referring the patient to a specialist
- Dismissing patient complaints too quickly
A delayed diagnosis may still result in a correct identification of the illness—but only after significant time has passed, leading to worse outcomes. Whether your diagnosis was missed entirely or simply made too late, we can help determine whether your provider violated the accepted standard of care.
Conditions Commonly Involved in Failure to Diagnose Cases
Our firm handles cases where patients have been harmed by delays or failures in diagnosing critical conditions. These situations are especially common with fast-progressing or complex illnesses, such as:
- Cancer, including:
- Lung cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Colon cancer
- Skin cancer
- Breast cancer
- Lymphoma
- Esophageal cancer
- Uterine (endometrial) cancer
- Lung cancer
- Genetic and chronic conditions:
Early diagnosis often leads to more treatment options, lower costs, and better survival rates. When providers fail to act on clear warning signs, the consequences can be catastrophic. Our Newark-based legal team works with medical experts to show how those diagnostic opportunities were missed and what impact that had on the patient’s health.
Legal Standards for Diagnostic Errors in New Jersey
To bring a successful medical malpractice claim in New Jersey, we must prove that a medical provider failed to meet the expected standard of care and that this failure caused direct harm. For diagnostic cases, that means showing that a competent physician would have made the diagnosis when given the same information.
New Jersey law requires:
- Proof of a provider-patient relationship
- Evidence that the provider breached their duty of care
- A direct link between the breach and your injuries
Under N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-27, patients must also file an Affidavit of Merit early in the process. This is a written statement from a qualified medical expert confirming that negligence likely occurred. We handle every step of this process, ensuring you meet all procedural requirements and build a solid case from day one.
Damages Available in a Failure to Diagnose Case
If a missed or delayed diagnosis caused harm to you or your family, you may be entitled to compensation. A successful claim can help you recover damages for:
- Medical expenses, including past and future treatment
- Lost wages or loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of quality of life
- Long-term disability or disfigurement
- Funeral costs and other losses in wrongful death cases
We work closely with medical experts and financial professionals to calculate the full impact of the error on your life. Our goal is to make sure every loss is accounted for—both immediate and long-term.
Why Choose Our Newark Attorneys for Diagnostic Error Cases?
At O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble, we take diagnostic failure cases seriously because we’ve seen the damage they cause. We know that medical malpractice cases require both compassion and courtroom strength, and we provide both throughout every stage of your case.
Here’s what you can expect from working with us:
- Board–Certified Trial Attorneys with deep experience in medical litigation
- A team–oriented approach that blends strategic analysis with individualized attention
- A track record of high–value recoveries for medical malpractice victims in New Jersey
We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial and never back down from holding negligent providers accountable.
Contact a Failure to Diagnose Attorney in Newark
You trusted a medical professional to help you get better. When that trust is broken by a missed diagnosis, the results can be life-altering. At O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble, we’re here to help you make it right.
Contact our failure to diagnose lawyers in Newark today for a free consultation. We’ll evaluate your case, explain your legal options, and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Let our decades of medical malpractice experience guide you through the path to justice.