Birth Injury Lawsuits Explained
Families expect that their doctors and other medical professionals will ensure a high standard of care. If they don't, birth injuries can be devastating to families.
If you suspect that your child has suffered a preventable birth injury due to medical malpractice, contact a birth injury lawyer for help. A reputable lawyer will review your case for free and charge 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 exciting and special events in the life of a person. However, the birth process can be traumatic for parents when medical errors cause serious injuries to the baby during labor and birth. These mistakes can be irreversible and make a family face a lifetime of challenges.
Medical professionals and doctors are under the legal obligation of treating their patients with the same level of care and expertise that is expected from health professionals of similar professions under similar circumstances. This is called the duty of care. You must prove that a medical professional violated this duty in order to prevail on a claim. This typically means proving that the medical professional's conduct or failure to act was in violation of what a reasonably educated and competent medical professional would have done under the same circumstances.
The second part of a negligence claim is causation. You must prove through medical records and testimony from an expert that the healthcare provider at fault's breach of duty caused your child's injuries. For instance, a healthcare professional might not have been able to observe your child's vital signs during labor and delivery. This could have resulted in prolonged oxygen deprivation which could have caused brain damage.
Damages are a crucial aspect in the case of a successful negligence claim. You have to prove that you and/or your child suffered genuine tangible, quantifiable losses as the result of the healthcare professional's failure in their duty of care. This includes future and past medical costs in addition to lost wages, and also non-economic damages such as discomfort and pain.
Causation
Medical professionals owe a duty to patients to provide treatment consistent with the standard of care in their field of. A doctor or nurse who fails to meet the standard of care may cause injury to a patient, and result in an action for damages. To prevail in a birth injury case, an attorney must prove that the breach of duty directly led to your child's injuries. This has to be proved by evidence such as medical documents and expert testimony.
It is also essential to establish that your child would not have suffered the injury if the medical professional had been able to provide the standard of treatment. Medical experts are required to examine the situation to determine if the physician or hospital behaved in a way that was not in accordance with the accepted medical guidelines.
Birth injuries can alter the course of your child's life and require medical treatment for the rest of your life. It is crucial to hold at-fault physicians and hospitals responsible for their negligence and obtain compensation that will the future of your child's requirements.
A lawyer who has dealt with medical malpractice cases can manage the entire legal process including responding to insurance inquiries and filing a lawsuit against the parties responsible. They can also create an evidence-based argument and obtain expert testimony, recover medical records and other records and negotiate an equitable settlement to cover the loss of your family as well as lifelong costs of care.
Damages
A birth injury lawsuit requires the expertise of medical experts who review medical records, testimony from you and your family, and other evidence. They will determine if the doctor involved in your case violated their duty of care and caused injuries to your child. They will then calculate the damages you've suffered because of these injuries. Included are your current and future medical expenses and lost wages, as well as loss of quality of life emotional distress and other losses.
It can be devastating for your family when doctors, nurses and other medical personnel make errors that could have been avoided prior to or during the birth your child. It can be also difficult to bring legal action against the hospitals and doctors who may have committed malpractice or negligence. They usually have their own teams of lawyers who are on call 24/7 to protect their clients and deny claims or reduce settlement amounts.
By hiring a New York birth injury lawyer to represent you,
Birth Injury you can hold at-fault medical professionals accountable. Your lawyer will be in contact with the insurers and file a claim in court and construct a solid argument based on evidence to establish the responsibility. They will also try to secure you a fair settlement or verdict from a jury for your losses as well as lifetime cost of care. They will also submit your lawsuit on time to comply with any applicable statute of limitations, as the clock starts ticking on the date of the medical negligence or malpractice.
Statute of limitations
A successful claim for compensation in a
birth injury case requires four components. Your lawyer can explain each of them and formulate a convincing legal argument in support of your claim.
Medical negligence claims require you to demonstrate that the defendant was under an obligation of care for your child, and that they breached this duty, and that the breach caused the injuries to your child. In order for a claim to be successful it is essential that you establish causation, which means that your child's injuries would not have occurred if it weren't for the actions of the defendant (or the failure to act).
Defense attorneys can challenge any of these elements. They could argue that you haven't established a doctor-patient connection or that the standard of care is different from what you declare it to be. Additionally, they may challenge your evidence as well as your expert witnesses and their opinions.
In order to prove a breach of duty, you'll need submit medical records and other evidence, and provide a declaration of what went wrong in your child's birth. Also, you'll need to submit an order form with the names of all individuals you believe should be named as defendants. A skilled lawyer can help identify the right defendants and ensure there's adequate insurance coverage. Lawyers can assist in advancing litigation-related expenses, for example the fees of highly qualified medical experts. This can help to reduce some of the financial burden associated with litigating a claim for
birth injury lawyers injury.