Birth Injury Lawsuits Explained
Families are conditioned to believe that their medical doctors and other professionals maintain a high level of care. Birth injuries can be catastrophic for families if they’re not treated properly.
Contact a birth injury attorney to seek assistance in the event that you suspect your child suffered an injury that could be prevented during birth due to medical malpractice. Reputable attorneys will evaluate your case with no upfront fees. A successful claim requires proving the four elements of your case.
Duty of Care
The birth of a baby is one of the most joyous and memorable events in a person’s life. Unfortunately, this process could be difficult for parents if medical mistakes result in serious injuries to their baby during the birth process and during labor. These errors could be irreparable which can cause a lifetime of challenges for a family.
Doctors and other medical professionals have a legal obligation to treat patients with the care and expertise that is expected of health care providers in their field under similar circumstances. This is known as the duty of care. In order to win a case against an at-fault healthcare provider you must prove that the medical professional violated this obligation. This usually means proving that the medical professional’s actions or failure to act in a manner that was not consistent with what a reasonably trained and competent medical professional would have done in similar circumstances.
The third element in a negligence lawsuit is the causation. You must prove with medical records and evidence from an expert that the healthcare provider responsible for the breach of duty caused your child’s injuries. A doctor, for instance, may not have monitored your child’s vitals during labor and delivery. This could have led to prolonged oxygen deprivation which then led to brain damage.
Damages are the last element in the case of a successful negligence claim. You must demonstrate that you and your child suffered actual significant financial losses, which are quantifiable, resulting from the healthcare professional at fault’s inability to meet their obligation of care. This typically includes past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and non-economic losses like suffering and pain.
Causation
Medical professionals are bound to their patients to provide treatment that is consistent with the standards in their area of expertise. A nurse or doctor who fails to meet the standard of care may cause injuries to a patient and could result in the possibility of a claim for damages. To prevail in the case of a birth injury, an attorney must prove that the breach of duty directly caused the injuries suffered by your child. This must be proved using evidence such as medical records and expert testimony.
It is also essential to prove that your child would not have suffered an injury in the event that a medical professional been able to provide the level of medical care expected. Medical experts are required to examine the case to determine if the physician or the hospital behaved in a way that was not in accordance with the accepted medical practice.
Birth injuries can cause a lot of trauma and require medical care for the rest of their lives. It is important to hold the at-fault doctors and hospitals accountable for their negligence and obtain compensation to help pay for your child’s future requirements.
A lawyer who has dealt with medical malpractice cases can manage the entire legal process, including responding to insurance inquiries and filing a suit against the parties responsible. They can also construct an argument with the help of evidence, obtain expert testimony, locate documents and medical records and argue for fair settlements to cover family’s lifetime care costs and losses.
Damages
A birth injury lawsuit requires the expertise of medical experts who will examine medical records, testimonies from your family and you, and other evidence. They will establish that the doctor in your case violated their duty to provide care and harmed your child. They will then determine the amount of damage you have suffered because of those injuries. This includes the current and future medical expenses, lost wages, loss of quality of life, emotional distress, and many other losses.
When nurses, doctors, or other medical staff commit mistakes that are not preventable before or during the birth of your child, it can have devastating consequences for your family. It can also be difficult to take legal action against the hospital and doctors who might have acted negligently or erroneously. They have lawyers on staff who work full-time to protect their clients, denying claims or decrease settlements.
You can hold medical professionals responsible for their actions by hiring a New York birth injuries lawyer. Your attorney will handle communications with insurers and will submit your claim to court, and construct solid evidence-based arguments to prove liability. They will also fight for you to obtain a fair jury verdict or settlement for your damages and costs over your entire life. They will also file your lawsuit in time to satisfy any applicable deadlines, since the clock starts ticking on the date of the medical negligence or malpractice.
Statute of limitations
Four components are essential for a successful claim to be compensated when birth injuries occur. Your attorney can provide a detailed explanation of each element and develop a solid legal argument to support your claim.
Medical negligence claims depend on proving that the defendant owed you a duty of care and that the defendant violated this duty and that the breach directly resulted in your child’s injuries. It is essential to prove causation in order to be successful in an action. This means that the defendant’s actions or inability to act could not have caused the injuries to your child.
Defense attorneys can challenge any of these elements. They can claim that there isn’t a doctor-patient connection or that the normal care isn’t what you claim it to be. In addition, they can challenge your evidence as well as your expert witnesses opinion.
You’ll need to submit medical records, other documents along with an explanation of what happened during the birth of your child. You will also need to provide a demand package which contains the names of all individuals you believe should be named defendants. An experienced attorney can help you identify the right defendants and ensure that there is adequate insurance coverage. A lawyer can assist you in advancing costs associated with litigation, like the costs of highly skilled medical experts. This helps ease some of the financial strain associated with litigating a birth injury claim.