The Benefits of a Birth Injury Settlement
A settlement for birth injuries can help cover medical treatments that can be costly. The amount you receive will depend on the type of birth injury your child suffered.
Costs for long-term care are often caused by severe birth injuries, like cerebral palsy. Such expenses are called economic damages and are not subject to caps on maximum amounts in many states.
Compensation
Medical malpractice laws may hold doctors and nurses liable for errors they make during childbirth that can have lasting and life-altering consequences for the mother or baby. In some instances the court will award compensation for damages like suffering and suffering as well as loss of consortium future and past physical therapy, medical bills and more.
A birth injury attorney injury lawsuit can also seek compensation for other costs that could have been avoided if the doctor did not commit error, such as loss of income or diminished earning capacity. Parents who are forced to care for their disabled children often have significant financial losses. Additionally certain birth injury lawsuit injuries require expensive equipment and modifications to the home, which can create a lot of expenses.
Lawyers usually start the claims process by sending an application to the hospital’s doctor or malpractice insurance company, which includes a detailed statement of the injury and all relevant documentation. The insurance company will review the claim and decide whether to accept or decline it. If the insurance company denies the offer, attorneys will make a claim.
Some states have an indemnity plan for birth injuries that reduces the amount of medical malpractice insurance or charges charged by doctors of obstetrics. However, these funds may not be enough to cover the cost of a lifetime of treatment. Furthermore, they do not prevent plaintiffs from seeking financial compensation from other defendants, such as the hospital where the malpractice occurred.
Expert Witnesses
Medical professionals who are involved in a lawsuit regarding birth injuries owe an obligation of care to the mother and child. If a healthcare professional does not meet their obligation and causes an injury, then they may be liable. Expert witnesses are needed to support this claim. They are typically doctors in the same or similar area, who are able to explain in plain language the standards of practice and the way in which the medical professional who was liable for the malpractice violated that standard.
A birth injury lawyer with experience knows how to gather and provide expert witness testimony. They are able to anticipate and fight the defenses offered by healthcare providers, so that the case will be presented in the most favorable way possible.
Your lawyer will also assist you to determine your total losses and prove these in court. These include both economic and non-economic damages, like medical bills as well as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of income.
A reputable birth injury lawyer is also adept at negotiations with insurance companies and is aware of the tactics insurers use to force victims into accepting low-cost offers. Your lawyer can assist you in resisting these pressures and help keep your case moving until the malpractice insurers of the medical providers agree to accept a settlement. If they don’t, your attorney can bring a lawsuit to force them to negotiate in good faith.
Statute of limitations
Parents can make claims on behalf of their children for costs that result from birth injuries but there are strict deadlines that apply. For example, medical malpractice claims stemming from injuries to the mother must generally be filed within two years from the date of the negligent act or omission that led to the claim. Contrarily birth injury claims based on injuries sustained by the child can generally be filed up to the time that the child reaches 10.
The purpose of constructing an evidence-based case is to establish that the medical professional who treated your child breached the standard of care. This could involve extensive review of medical records and tests, and it could also involve interviewing other doctors, nurses and hospital staff who watched the birth and labor process.
You will not automatically win a claim if you prove that the medical professional did not meet the standard of care. You must also demonstrate that the breach of duty caused the injury to your child. This is known as causation, and it is a hotly disputable issue in many medical malpractice cases.
Choosing an attorney that has the resources to construct your case and go through trial is crucial. Your lawyer will usually pay for the costs of litigation and only be paid if you are able to recover compensation for you. This allows you to concentrate on your child’s recovery, and also provides a degree of financial assurance that you can count on in the event of a long and drawn-out trial.
Time Limits
Every state has a statute or time limit within which you are able to start a lawsuit. This limitation ensures that legal proceedings are handled in a timely manner, and while physical evidence is still accessible and the testimony of witnesses remain fresh. For birth injury cases the statute of limitations is usually two and half years from date of the accident or negligence.
However there are exceptions to injuries sustained by infants. New York law, for instance, permits a longer statute of limitations on medical malpractice claims for children. The deadline is extended to 10 years after the child’s date of birth.
A skilled birth injury lawyer is well-versed in the specifics pertaining to the statute of limitations for each state. They also know any special considerations that are in a birth injury case. Many birth injury cases include significant economic damages. This includes future loss of income, or loss of life expectancy, and past and future medical costs. Economic damages don’t have a maximum amount and can be a significant factor in the value of an instance.
A skilled birth injury lawyer is adept in the art of dealing with insurance adjusters. They will be able to recognize a low-ball offer and utilize their expert experience to counter with a fair settlement amount. In some cases there may be a settlement reached outside of court. In other cases it is necessary to receive the compensation you deserve.