Birth injuries are scary and often mean lifelong consequences. For parents who’ve waited up to nine months for the arrival of their healthy baby, these situations can be emotionally crushing. But you aren’t alone. Birth injury lawyers can help you to get the compensation you deserve and will work to advocate for you and your child’s future. If you or your child have suffered a birth injury and want to know where to begin the process of navigating a birth injury case, read on.
Navigating Birth Injury Claims
If your baby has been hurt due to a doctor’s negligence at birth, don’t wait. Call a local birth injury attorney for a free consultation. For instance, if you’re in Illinois, Google the phrase “Chicago birth injury lawyers” to find an expert attorney in the Chicago area. Well versed in common birth injuries, these lawyers will work to get you justice in the face of a serious injury. They will be able to give you legal options based on the severity of your situation and help you through any potential lawsuit.
The health care system is complicated. The legal one is, too. With an experienced medical malpractice lawyer on your side, it’ll be easier to secure a verdict in your favor and to navigate your future quality of care with a new medical health care provider too.
While the lawyer’s job is to help you, yours is to be prepared. When you first visit your potential birth injury lawsuit lawyer, come with a list of questions. They’ll be able to answer questions for you about the statute of limitations, long-term expectations around injuries from oxygen deprivation, your chances of a verdict proving medical error, and more. This legal advice will be the first step in how you manage the entire birth injury case process. Be sure to bring any medical records to your first consultation too. The more information you have with you, the better an experienced attorney will be able to help you.
Predicting Future Expenses and Outcomes
A birth injury attorney can help in knowing where to anticipate future expenses. Because they are experienced in common birth injuries, they will be able to look at other client experiences and guide you in the types of situations you might face in the future. While they aren’t doctors and won’t give medical advice or make referrals to a specialist for you, they have the experience to know the types of treatment plans doctors use and may be able to foresee things like hidden prescription drug costs and more in your future based on your baby’s injuries.
Maybe your child suffered an injury to their ear. An experienced attorney from New Jersey, for example, would be aware of other kids in the same situation and how doctors referred them to the audiologists in Pennington, NJ. The attorney would be able to build in costs for chronic hearing conditions and treatments into your lawsuit. Whether your baby will need a hearing aid later on or help from paraprofessionals in the classroom, your lawyer might be able to talk to you about things to ask your doctor.
Quantifying Pain and Suffering
Part of the role of a birth injury lawyer is to take those anticipated permanent injury costs and fees and predict them in the future. They will know, for example, the value of primary care versus rehabilitation training or ongoing work with an occupational therapist for a kid with mobility issues. For this reason, it’s important to see an attorney in a timely manner so they are familiar with your child’s medical history from the start. Birth injury cases can take years and having an attorney in your corner will help with better outcomes than trying to fight the medical care system alone.
Advocating for Future Needs
Another thing a birth injury lawyer can do for you is to advocate for you in your child. Well crafted letters to medical professionals could be exactly what you need for things like enrolling your injured child in early prevention services you might not otherwise think of. Birth injury lawyers can advocate for you when it comes to health care costs too. Your child’s health issue may come with massive medical bills you aren’t ready for. Having an experienced lawyer on your side and ready to advocate for you with hospital billing departments while you focus instead on working with the medical team for the coordination of care for your kid will be a blessing to you.
At the same time, your experienced birth injury attorney will be able to guide you through each step of the court and mediation process. When you’re unsure of whether or not to wear a dress jacket to court, they’re the ones to ask. An ally looking out for you and your child’s best interests, you’ll want to make sure you have a close attorney-client relationship. This is something to be open about from the start, and it’s okay to state that expectation. Personal injury lawyers are more than aware that these types of cases are both emotional and more personal than other areas like corporate law.
In the end, nothing can fix a birth injury. Whether your child is facing a temporary or permanent disability or a serious condition, it’s important you get the help you need to make sure they have a good quality of life going forward. While you can’t change what’s happened, you and your child deserve fair compensation for your child’s birth injury. Hiring a lawyer who specializes in birth injury litigation is the best way to ensure long-term and preventative care for your baby. An experienced birth injury lawyer will work with you to convey not only your patient experience but the long term consequences of your situation to the court.
Finding the right legal team to represent you and your child after a personal injury will not only help you legally but free up time and the resources for you to spend time with your baby and get them medical, academic, and social supports well into the future. While birth injuries and traumatic births are incredibly stressful, having a knowledgeable lawyer you trust and can talk to will make the situation easier.