Why Hire A Birth Injury Lawyer?
Most expectant parents look forward to the birth of their babies with anticipation and can’t wait to meet them. While labor and delivery progress normally for many people, some babies can undergo trauma during delivery that results in severe, potentially lifelong injuries and disabilities.
If this happened to you and your baby, you might find it difficult to get answers from your doctors and might not know how to handle the ramifications of your child’s birth injuries on your own. A Philadelphia birth injury lawyer at Raynes & Lawn can help you determine whether your child’s birth injuries might have resulted from medical errors made by the labor and delivery staff. If they resulted from the negligence of the doctor, midwife, or others in the delivery room, you might be able to pursue compensation to help your family and your child. If your child’s birth injuries were caused by the negligence of a medical professional, filing a birth injury lawsuit might help you to recover compensation to pay for your child’s treatment and other related expenses. Here are some reasons why to consult infant injury law firms to find the right birth injury lawyer to handle your case.
Finding a Lawyer Who Is Experienced in Handling Birth Injury Cases
Birth injury cases are complex, and not all attorneys competently represent plaintiffs in these types of lawsuits. Lawyers who have experience handling birth injury claims are likelier to understand what to look for during their investigations. At the outset, an attorney will look for evidence that the injury might have been caused by medical negligence and the injury’s severity. Birth injury cases are expensive to take on because of the necessity of consulting with multiple medical experts. For that reason, extensive documentation of a child’s severe injury might be needed. Some examples of severe birth injuries include the following:
Determine the Cause of Your Child’s Birth Injury
Birth injury lawyers have experience investigating what happened when children were injured at birth and the parties who might have been responsible. Medical providers who help to deliver babies must make quick decisions about the health of both the baby and mother in emergencies. Some birth injuries might be unavoidable under the circumstances. However, others might result from the negligence of one or more medical professionals.
A birth injury attorney can work with an expert to review the medical records and determine what happened during labor and delivery and evaluate whether the birth injury could have been prevented. If the lawyer and medical expert find that the injury was preventable and likely resulted from substandard medical care, you might have a viable birth injury claim.
Value Your Damages
When you hire a birth injury lawyer, they will help to determine the damages to pursue in your case. Damages generally fall into two categories, including economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages are monetary compensation to cover the out-of-pocket expenses related to your child’s injuries, including the following:
- Past medical expenses
- Future medical costs
- Past and future therapy costs
- Cost of prosthetic equipment
- Nursing care
- Child’s future lost earnings
Non-economic damages are monetary compensation for the more intangible losses caused by your child’s injury, including pain and suffering, physical impairment, loss of the ability to enjoy life, inconvenience, disfigurement, and others.
Help With Accessing Critical Resources
The chances of succeeding in a birth injury lawsuit without the help of an experienced and competent attorney are low, especially when you are also dealing with a birth injury. An attorney can help by investigating and building your case, consulting with medical experts, and navigating through the legal process. Having an experienced birth injury attorney on your side can also give you access to multiple experts who can testify in your case. The resources a birth injury attorney can offer might help to strengthen your case and increase the probability that you will obtain the most favorable outcome possible.
Receiving Money for the Care Your Child Needs
Birth injuries can result in a lifetime of care and place a significant strain on your finances. Depending on the severity and type of injury your child suffered, you and your child might be facing costs related to medical treatments, occupational therapy, in-home care, home modifications, physical therapy, and more. Birth injuries also can dramatically impact your child for the rest of their lives and have a large emotional toll on your family.
If medical malpractice or negligence caused your child’s birth injury, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit against the responsible parties. While filing a lawsuit won’t resolve the complications of your child’s birth injury, a successful birth injury claim might result in substantial compensation to pay for your child’s care for the rest of their life. A birth injury lawyer will aggressively litigate for you to recover all of the compensation to which you should be entitled and hold the responsible parties accountable for their negligence.
When Should You Talk to a Birth Injury Lawyer?
Pennsylvania has a statute of limitations found in 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524 of two years from the date of the medical negligence that resulted in patient injuries. However, this statute of limitations does not begin to run until the date that you knew or should have known that your child’s birth injuries were caused by medical negligence. The best approach for you to take is to speak to a birth injury attorney as soon as possible after you learn that your child suffered a birth injury rather than waiting. Getting help quickly might help you to recover evidence that could be lost and strengthen your claim.
How Do I Find Birth Injury Lawyers Near Me?
If your child suffered a severe birth injury, you should reach out to the Philadelphia birth injury lawyers at Raynes & Lawn. Our attorneys can help determine whether your child’s injuries were preventable and caused by medical negligence. Call us for a free consultation at 1-800-535-1797.
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