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Birth Injury Settlement
A birth injury settlement can provide long-term treatment options that allow your child to lead a more comfortable and healthy life. These treatments can include medication, home modifications, and equipment such as wheelchairs.
Medical malpractice trials are rare and therefore many families decide to settle their cases. The amount of a settlement depends on a number of factors.
Damages
A birth injury can affect every aspect of a child's life including their quality of life. For instance, some patients require medication to manage their symptoms and others require modifications to their homes or medical equipment like wheelchairs. Parents may also need to give up their jobs in order to care for their children, which can result in a loss of income. A lawyer will determine the estimated cost of treatment over the course of their life and then seek enough compensation to cover the costs.
The severity and length of the injury will also impact the value of the settlement. For instance, a person with cerebral palsy is more likely to have a much higher lifetime medical expense than someone with Erb's Palsy or shoulder dystocia which are less severe injuries. Some states restrict the amount of non-economic damages for suffering, pain and other emotional distress. This can lower a settlement value.
Both sides will gather evidence from witnesses and create evidence after a lawsuit is filed. The parties will eventually meet to discuss possible solutions through settlement talks. If negotiations fail, the case may go to trial. A judge and jury will listen to arguments and then make a decision. However, trials are typically more expensive and time-consuming than settlements. Therefore, it is advisable to settle as soon as you can.
Expert Witnesses
Expert witnesses can be an invaluable source of evidence when defending any claim for damages. They are also crucial in proving the causality of a medical malpractice claim, which is an essential element. It may be difficult for jurors to decide if your child's injuries are the result of a doctor's deviation from accepted professional practices without expert testimony.
Your lawyer will need to establish the connection between negligence and the injuries suffered by your child to establish the causality. This can be done by many different methods that include medical records and expert testimony. Your lawyer will be able to help you find the best expert witness to assist your case.
Your legal team will determine the defendants in your child's birth injury lawsuit. They could include obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine experts, nurses during the delivery and other healthcare providers. Then, they will need to determine the standard of care which is usually defined by medical expertise. This will require a detailed review and examination of your child's medical records which could be very complex.
Your attorney will also have to estimate your child's needs for care. It can be difficult to determine the cost of therapies, equipment, caregivers at home, additional procedures and surgeries, and many more. Your lawyer will collaborate with expert witnesses who can help you calculate the future costs.
Statute of limitations
The process of preparing a birth injury attorneys injury lawsuit involves careful research and the use of medical experts. It is crucial to select a lawyer who has a deep knowledge of the subject matter and who knows how to construct a convincing case.
The first step is to establish that the defendant violated his duty of care. This requires reviewing medical records and deposing the doctors involved. A lawyer will also engage medical experts to give an opinion about whether the doctors were acting appropriately in the circumstances.
Medical negligence is the failure to follow a certain standard of care and expertise. This is applicable to doctors and other healthcare professionals, but it's especially strict for specialists such as obsetricians, who have a vast education and specialized expertise. A legal claim must also establish the causation. This means that the medical error directly caused the injury to the child.
New York law gives parents two years to file a malpractice suit on behalf of a child who has suffered injury. However, minors are not allowed to file a lawsuit themselves under CPLR Sec. 1207.1. They must have a file for them by a parent or guardian. Medical malpractice claims must also comply with statutory limits on damages, which includes noneconomic damages. This limit is typically set by the court, and is often based upon the number of similar cases in the state.
Getting Started
An experienced attorney is necessary to get adequate compensation and recognition for the injuries a child has sustained because of medical negligence or malpractice at birth. A legal team that is knowledgeable knows how to analyze the various factors that affect the settlement for Birth injury Lawyer injuries, and how to argue these in court to get you the most money-based settlement.
A free consultation with an attorney is the initial step in establishing a connection between you and your lawyer. Once that is done your lawyer will conduct an investigation into the case, including reviewing medical records and calling expert witnesses to determine the accepted standards of care for the particular procedure.
Your lawyer can be negotiating and pushing the insurance companies of the defendants to negotiate on a fair amount for damages. If this fails your lawyer will make a claim against the medical providers and take the case to trial before a judge and jury.
When a verdict is reached the lawyer will draft the legal documents that will be used to calculate the damages you and your child deserve. This includes the projected cost of future medical treatment as well as loss of income and other economic damages. Your lawyer can also estimate the life-long costs of care for your child's injuries. This is called life-care planning. This is usually a large portion of the settlement.