Parents never dream their child will sustain a birth injury. This problem is not on their radar until it happens. When it does, the entire family is affected. The child may struggle with long-term challenges that impact every area of their daily lives and health.
Parents should search for a birth injury lawyer to help them navigate this process. They will need assistance in seeking compensation for the injuries and ensuring the child receives the care they need for the highest quality of life. What should parents know about birth injuries when seeking this help?
Lifelong consequences
Birth injuries vary by child. One child may be diagnosed with Erb’s palsy, while another receives a traumatic brain injury diagnosis. These injuries often require extensive medical care and lifelong therapies to help the child overcome challenges.
The injury may affect the child’s physical and cognitive development, leading to the need for individual education plans, adaptive environments, and therapy for family members affected by the injury. These family members may be stressed and anxious, and they could struggle with depression.
The financial strain many families experience when a child is diagnosed with a birth injury can be significant. In addition to medical bills related to the birth of the child, the family must pay for therapy, caregivers, and special education. One parent may find they must cut back on their hours or quit their job to care for the child. This life change leads to a loss of income and increased financial stress.
The parties responsible for the child’s birth injury must be held accountable. Many people question how a family could sue a doctor for compensation when it doesn’t reverse the effects of the birth injury. The family wants justice for the injury and funds to provide the care their child needs to have the highest quality of life. They aren’t seeking compensation for themselves but money to give their child the best life possible.
Proving Negligence
To receive these funds, a family must prove that one or more medical professionals were negligent. The family should seek an attorney to help them establish their case. The attorney will help the family show that the healthcare provider’s actions did not meet the accepted standard of care, resulting in the baby’s injury. The doctor may have failed to monitor the fetus to ensure it was not in distress. They may have incorrectly used delivery tools or failed to manage complications. When the family can prove this is the case, the medical professional will compensate the parents for the child’s care.
The Role of the Attorney
The attorney will help the family collect medical records, seek expert testimony, and document each step of the process to prove the child’s injuries have led to extreme consequences. Parents need to act quickly to ensure all evidence that proves their case can be collected. They must demonstrate the medical professional was negligent and had a profound impact on the child’s life as well as the family’s. Doing so ensures the responsible parties will be held accountable for their actions.
Any parent who has been told their child suffered a birth injury should speak to an attorney today. Many families hesitate to do so because they worry about adding another financial burden to their already overfilled plate. Most attorneys operate on a contingency basis, so families only pay if the case is won. It never hurts to speak to an attorney in this situation because the child needs help, and those responsible for the injuries should provide this help in the form of financial compensation.