If your baby suffered a birth injury in Lawrenceville, GA, your family deserves compensation from the medical team that caused the harm you’ve suffered. You may have a valid claim for compensation for medical bills, financial losses, and your family’s pain and trauma. An experienced Lawrenceville birth injury lawyer at Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys is prepared to help you fight for every penny you deserve.
Our team is led by an award-winning personal injury attorney with over 18 years of experience. Since we opened our law firm more than a decade ago, we’ve recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. We’re well-prepared to fight for the best possible outcome in your case.
For more information on your legal rights and options, call our law offices in Lawrenceville, Georgia, to schedule a free consultation today at (678) 446-3655.
Why Should I Call Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys for Help With a Birth Injury Claim in Lawrenceville?
Birth injuries are incredibly traumatic. You’re already worried about your baby’s health and future. You shouldn’t have to worry about how you’ll afford the treatment your baby needs.
Unfortunately, standing up to hospitals and medical professionals is never easy. Even when they’ve clearly made a mistake, their insurance companies and defense teams will make recovering fair compensation difficult.
Our Lawrenceville personal injury attorneys at Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys know how to fight for justice. We understand the types of evidence you’ll need to force the other side to take your case seriously. We also know how to find it.
We’ll work to help your family by:
- Working with respected experts who can provide critical testimony in your case
- Locating all available evidence
- Determining the cause of your baby’s injury
- Evaluating your losses and determining how much compensation your case is worth
- Negotiating fiercely for a full and fair settlement
Super Lawyers has recognized our Lawrenceville personal injury attorneys for our high-quality legal service. Best of all, we work on a contingency fee basis. That means you’ll never pay attorneys’ fees unless we recover compensation for you.
We’re ready to start building your case today. Contact us for your free case review.
Birth Injuries: A Brief Overview
Birth injuries are injuries caused by some type of adverse event at birth. Birth injuries are different from birth defects. While birth defects are typically unavoidable, birth injuries occur because of some kind of trauma during labor and delivery.
Some birth injuries are unavoidable. Others, unfortunately, happen when doctors and medical professionals fail to provide adequate care.
Our Team in Lawrenceville is Prepared to Handle All Types of Birth Injury Claims
Babies are vulnerable to many different types of injuries when medical caregivers are negligent. Our team at Lawson Personal Injury Lawyers handles any type of birth injury case, including:
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Erb’s Palsy
- Cerebral Palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Bruising or forceps injuries
- Caput succedaneum
- Cephalohematoma
- Facial paralysis
- Brain damage
- Fractures and broken bones
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
- Caput Succedaneum
- Cephalohematoma
- Placental abruption
- Uterine rupture
- Hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen to the brain
Many babies go on to make a full recovery. Others can require lifelong care and assistance. Either way, it’s very likely that your family is struggling financially.
Contact our law firm in Lawrenceville today if your baby was injured due to a medical error. We’ll do everything possible to help your family get justice.
How Common Are Birth Injuries?
Unfortunately, birth injuries aren’t at all uncommon. It’s estimated that between six and eight birth injuries per every 1,000 live births in the U.S. In 2022, the CDC estimates that 3,667,758 babies were born nationwide. Doing the math, that means that roughly 25,674 babies sustained birth injuries that year.
It’s estimated that nearly half of all birth injuries are preventable.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Birth Injuries?
Depending on the nature of your baby’s injury, many different signs may indicate they’ve suffered an injury at birth. Some signs to watch for immediately after birth include:
- Any type of bruising or swelling
- A need for resuscitation after birth
- Rapid breathing
- Pale or bluish skin color
- Low heart rate or heart rate that decreases with time
- Crying with an unusually arched back
- Poor reflexes
- Unusually high-pitched crying
- Seizures
Some types of birth injuries aren’t obvious right away. Sometimes, the first signs of birth injuries are developmental delays, such as trouble speaking, crawling, walking, or hearing.
What Causes Most Birth Injuries in Georgia?
Preventable birth injuries tend to occur when medical professionals make mistakes. Many birth injuries occur because of:
- Negligent use of forceps, vacuum extractors, or similar devices used to assist with labor and delivery
- Failure to perform a C-Section when needed
- Failure to recognize fetal distress
- Failure to properly monitor the mother and fetus during pregnancy
- Failure to properly monitor vital signs during labor and delivery
- Failure to address the risk factors and medical conditions
- Failure to obtain a full medical history
- Medication errors
- Inexperienced medical providers who aren’t properly supervised
- Communication and charting errors
- Misinterpreting lab results
- Failure to order the correct diagnostic tests
- Unsanitary conditions
- Fatigued medical providers
You shouldn’t have to bear the financial cost of someone else’s mistake. Your family is struggling enough right now. Our team is fully prepared to determine why your baby was injured and who is responsible. Contact us today for a free consultation with our Lawrenceville birth injury attorney.
What Do I Have to Prove to Recover Compensation for My Baby’s Injury in Georgia?
Birth injury claims are often based on medical negligence. The elements of a case involving medical negligence are slightly different than those involved in general negligence cases. A healthcare provider is negligent when:
- They have a legal duty to a patient
- The care they provide falls below the medical standard of care
- That substandard care causes injury and damages
The key to most birth injury claims is proving that your doctor’s care deviated from the medical standard of care. The medical standard of care can be a moving target–it varies from case to case. It varies from case to case and involves analyzing:
- The medical provider’s position, education and training
- The medical issues involved
- The patient’s history
In the most basic terms, the “standard of care” is the level of care that a reasonable, trained medical professional would have provided under the circumstances.
What is the Value of My Lawrenceville Birth Injury Case?
The value of your case will hinge on the specific circumstances. The severity of your baby’s injury will be extremely important in determining how much your case is worth. In the end, your case value will depend on the specific losses your family has suffered. Some key issues to evaluate include:
- Whether your baby will recover fully or suffer a long-term impairment
- Your medical treatment costs to date
- The cost of future and possibly long-term medical care, rehabilitation, and assistance
- How the injury will shape your child’s future, considering limitations in educational opportunities, career prospects, and quality of life
- Your family’s out-of-pocket expenses
- How your career and earnings have changed due to the birth injury
- The nature of the at-fault party’s mistake
It’s critical to carefully evaluate your family’s situation when assessing your damages. Your losses will be different from anyone else’s. Don’t let the insurance companies tell you otherwise. Instead, contact an experienced attorney who will work closely with your family to maximize your financial award.
What Kinds of Compensation Can I Recover for Birth Injuries in Lawrenceville, GA?
Damages in birth injury cases are broadly classified as economic damages or non-economic damages. Common economic damage examples include:
- Medical bills and future medical costs
- Your baby’s lost future earning capacity
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitative care
- Long-term care
- Your lost wages while you care for your child
- Additional childcare expenses
- Education costs
- Mental health counseling
Common non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental health issues, like depression and anxiety
- Damages for wrongful death
Punitive damages, while rare, may be available in situations where the defendant’s acts were particularly shocking, reckless, or even malicious.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Birth Injury in Georgia?
In Georgia medical malpractice cases, you have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit.
A discovery rule also applies if you don’t learn about the injury immediately. The two-year clock really starts running on the date you discover or reasonably should discover your baby’s injury. However, even with the discovery rule, you must bring your claim within five years.
Regardless of the facts, you lose your right to damages entirely once the statute of limitations runs out.
Contact an Experienced Lawrenceville Birth Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Learning that your baby has been injured at birth is incredibly difficult. Many families immediately start to see the medical bills pile up. If you’re worried about your family’s future, you aren’t alone. Contact an experienced Lawrenceville birth injury lawyer at Lawson Personal Injury Attorneys for help today.