What Is Birth Injury Lawyers And How To Utilize It
How a Birth Injury Attorney Can Help Families Get the Compensation They Need
The risk of complications can be present in the course of the birth of a child despite advancements in medical technology making it safer than ever. If you suspect your child suffered a preventable birth injury, consult an experienced birth injury attorney immediately.
A firm that focuses on birth injuries will typically advance all litigation expenses and only be compensated if they obtain the case and receive compensation.
Damages
While advances in medicine have made childbirth more secure than it used to be, many mothers and babies are still at risk of injuries due to a variety of reasons. These include oxygen deprivation, head trauma, and infections. These injuries can result in permanent and devastation to the body like cerebral palsy. A good birth injury attorney can help families receive the compensation they need to fund lifelong care and support.
Your attorney will ask for all medical records and reports related to the injuries sustained by your baby. The attorney can employ medical experts who will review the evidence and give an official opinion as to whether the medical personnel who delivered your baby did not follow the standard of care. In a typical situation, an expert will evaluate the medical treatment provided by the defendant with the practices generally accepted by other medical professionals who have similar qualifications and experience.
Economic and non-economic damages are able to be awarded. Economic damages can cover expenses like current and future medical bills, lost income and property loss. Non-economic damages include emotional distress as well as pain and suffering. In rare cases punitive damages are also awarded. They are intended to punish the person who is at fault and deter similar behavior in the future. These are different from compensatory damages which are awarded to cover actual loss.
Medical Experts
Although medical advances have made childbirth safer than ever before, the process is not without risk for both baby and mother. It is the responsibility of the nurses and doctors who are involved in the birth to behave professionally and to avoid making mistakes which could result in devastating consequences for both mother and baby's health. Parents can claim damages if doctors and nurses fail to act professionally during a delivery.
A birth injury attorney will be in close contact with you throughout the duration of your case, starting from beginning with the initial consultation until final resolution. They will gather evidence from you such as medical records and witness testimony as well as seek expert opinions from many sources, including other specialists and doctors.
These experts will review all the evidence and give a formal opinion on whether the injuries were by medical negligence. The lawyer will use this to decide how best to proceed.
If a medical professional is of the opinion that malpractice occurred the lawyer will file a lawsuit against the parties at fault. This typically consists of the obstetrician who was responsible for the delivery and pregnancy as well as any surgeons or birth injury attorney nurses who assisted during the birth, as well as the hospital where the birth took place.
The costs of a lawsuit could be high due to the costs for expert witnesses, records and depositions. Your lawyer will pay for these expenses and then reimburse you after they have settled your case.
Preparing for trial
Typically, a birth injury lawyer takes any case where the baby suffered injuries due to negligence of a doctor prior to or shortly after the birth injury lawsuits. The lawyer will examine two things when reviewing the case whether there is evidence of medical negligence and how serious the injury.
In most cases, attorneys consult with medical experts in order to determine if medical negligence led to the injury. They will look over all documents related to pregnancy, childbirth and medical treatment for injuries. They will also be able evaluate the effects of the injuries on the child as well as his or her future life.
The experts will aid the lawyer in determining which medical professionals are to be named as defendants in the lawsuit. The lawyer will send an email to the medical providers and insurers to respond to the claim. A good birth injury attorney will know how to negotiate with the insurance companies and will be prepared to bring the case to trial should it be necessary.
Parents may be entitled to damages for past and future medical expenses resulting from the injuries of their child. They may also be able to claim damages for suffering and pain. These damages can be substantial in the event that a child's injuries were serious. A good birth injury attorney can maximize the amount of compensation that is paid to the parents.
Insurance Companies
A birth injury lawsuit can't undo the damage done to your child, but it can help pay for future medical expenses therapy, home modifications and ongoing support. These expenses may seem overwhelming at first but a good birth injury attorney will collaborate with several experts to calculate the financial impact of a specific injury on your family, birth injury attorney and the amount you are entitled to compensation for these expenses.
To make a claim for birth injuries it is necessary to prove that your doctor and your child had an professional relationship, and that he or she breached this relationship by not acting appropriately prior to or during the birth of your child. This is easy to prove through the collection of your medical documents and hospital bills.
Once this is established, the lawyer will need identify the specific actions made by the doctor that were negligent and the effect they affected your child's health. A birth injury attorney will know what to look for and where to get the medical documentation and expert witness testimony to demonstrate your case.
A good birth injury attorney will take care of all the complexities of your case. They should not require you to pay out of pocket to pursue justice. They must be able and willing to work on a contingent fee basis. This means that they will only be paid if they win your case, and their fee is a percentage from the settlement or award.