Birth Injury Law Firm
When a mistake is made during the delivery of a baby, the consequences can be permanent and life-altering for the child and family. Even though most birth injuries are preventable, they are one of the most common kinds of medical negligence. If your baby suffered an injury before, during, or immediately after birth, it is critical to contact an experienced lawyer. Birth injuries can leave parents to struggle with the costs of various therapies, special schooling, and other forms of care for their child. A lawyer knows the financial and emotional strain that birth injuries cause to families. A Baltimore birth injury lawyer can fight to help you recover the compensation you need for medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and other damages.
Contact us today to discuss your birth injury case with a knowledgeable lawyer. We proudly serve clients in the Baltimore metropolitan area, throughout Maryland, and northern Virginia.
What Is a Birth Injury Lawsuit?
Birth injuries refer to any damage or harm that your baby sustained before, during, or shortly after delivery. While some birth injuries are minor and a temporary effect of the delivery process, others are more severe and can even be deadly to the infant or mother. When birth injuries are the result of medical mistakes, malpractice, negligence, or flawed hospital policy, you have the right to pursue a birth injury lawsuit. If your baby sustained physical or neurological injuries during the delivery process, you need an aggressive yet compassionate Baltimore birth injury lawyer.
How Do Birth Injuries Commonly Occur?
When a medical professional fails to detect a problem or act before it causes harm, it can result in a severe and life-altering birth injury. Birth injuries that go unnoticed and untreated can lead to motor impairments, damaged vision and hearing, speech disorders, and other challenging conditions for the child in the future.
Common causes of birth injuries include:
- Failure to perform adequate prenatal testing.
- Failure to refer high-risk patients to specialists.
- Failure to address changes in fetal conditions.
- Failure to use labor-inducing drugs.
- Delayed labor and delivery.
- Deprivation of oxygen to the infant’s brain.
- Improper use of forceps.
- Improper vacuum use.
- Failure to diagnose or treat infections.
What Are Common Types of Birth Injuries?
When a doctor or other healthcare provider makes an error that causes a catastrophic birth injury, it is sadly the child and parents who bear the difficult consequences. Families who must provide continuous care and support for an injured child can face enormous medical bills and lifelong emotional trauma.
Common types of birth injuries include:
- Erb’s palsy
- Cerebral palsy
- Brain damage
- Head trauma
- Brain bleed
- Oxygen deprivation
- Meconium aspiration
- Bacterial meningitis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Fractured collarbones
- Shoulder dystocia
- Facial paralysis
Sometimes, babies suffer birth complications that require treatment in the NICU after delivery. Negligence can also occur in the NICU, which can lead to further injury to the baby. For example, brain injuries can develop if an infant’s blood sugar is not monitored correctly or if jaundice is not treated.
What Are the Signs of a Birth Injury?
It is helpful to know what to look out for if you suspect your infant suffered a birth injury. The sooner the birth injury is identified, the sooner you get your child appropriate treatment and file a claim with the help of an experienced lawyer.
Some common signs of a birth injury include:
- Abrasions, bruises, or swelling on the head, face, neck, or shoulders.
- “Floppy” muscles that indicate a lack of tone and strength.
- One arm that appears to be limp.
- Difficulty breathing independently after birth.
- CPR or a breathing tube is needed for resuscitation after delivery.
- Seizures within 48 hours of birth.
Some birth injuries are not recognizable right away and may take months or years to develop or notice. If you feel your child is displaying signs of a birth injury, it is crucial to consult with a doctor as soon as possible, as well as a skilled Maryland birth injury lawyer.
What Damages Can I Recover in a Birth Injury Case in Baltimore?
Birth injury damages provide compensation for losses suffered by children and parents due to a healthcare provider’s negligence. Because the majority of birth injury claims involve severe harm with lifelong consequences, many birth injury cases win significant compensation. You are more likely to recover maximum compensation for your case with an experienced birth injury lawyer.
Compensation in birth injury cases can include both financial damages and intangible losses, such as:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Physical therapy
- Mental health treatment
- In-home care
- Assistive medical equipment
- Home modifications and special vehicles
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Decreased quality of life
- Wrongful death
What Is the Statute of Limitations to File a Birth Injury Claim in Maryland?
Generally, Maryland has a three-year statute of limitations to file a medical malpractice claim. However, in birth injury cases, claims filed for the minor’s injury may be extended up to three years after the child reaches 18 years of age.
How Can a Maryland Birth Injury Lawyer Help With My Case?
Birth injuries can have a traumatic impact and long-term effects on the entire family. Birth injury cases can be complicated to navigate without legal guidance. Evidence in birth injury cases must be identified and preserved as quickly as possible. Consulting with an experienced malpractice lawyer when you believe you have a claim can help you obtain the compensation your family needs.
A Maryland birth injury lawyer can do the following:
- Review your medical malpractice case details and discuss your best legal options.
- Thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the birth injury.
- Identify liable parties, including doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other hospital staff.
- Gather and review medical records, diagnostic tests, fetal monitor strips, labor and delivery flow sheets, and notes on the pregnancy and delivery.
- Work alongside a team of medical and industry experts.
- Calculate the appropriate amount of compensation.
- Negotiate with insurance companies and opposing representatives.
- Take your case to trial if necessary.
Birth injuries caused by medical negligence can involve complex factors and multiple parties. A birth injury lawyer in the Baltimore metropolitan area can protect your rights while fighting for the best possible outcome in your case.
Our Maryland Birth Injury Lawyers at Maryland Accident Law Firm Fight for the Rights of Children and Families
Our Maryland birth injury lawyers at Maryland Accident Law Firm understand that birth injuries place overwhelming financial and emotional strain on families. We are committed to providing high-quality representation to those who need our help with these difficult cases. If your baby suffered a birth injury, fill out our online form here. Located in Baltimore, we serve clients throughout Maryland and northern Virginia.