Few things are less scary than a birth injury inflicting suffering upon you or your child. If you’ve suffered from a birth injury due to doctor negligence or malpractice, the first thing you’ll want to do is hire a good birth injury attorney. But the work of securing a verdict in your favor doesn’t stop there. There are important steps to take to prepare for a birth injury case. If you are in this situation and want to give you and your child your best chance, read on.
Hire an attorney.
The most important thing you can do after a traumatic birth involving a birth injury is to hire a birth injury lawyer you trust. If you live in Illinois, for example, you’ll want to Google ‘birth injury attorney in Chicago‘ as soon as possible to get your birth injury claim started. Even if to just get some free legal advice and to find out your legal options, attending an initial consultation will be important to how you move forward.
While some parents struggle with the idea of filing a medical malpractice suit and hiring a birth injury lawyer because they are more focused on their child, it’s important to think about the long term ramifications of your child’s injuries down the road. That is, if they suffered a permanent disability, they may need ongoing support and care as they get older. Whether it’s mobility equipment or specialized services, hiring an experienced lawyer to handle your medical malpractice claim now will mean peace of mind down the road.
Get your paperwork in order.
Before meeting your potential attorney for a free consultation, make sure to have your paperwork in order. Even if it means going to your unit at an Albuquerque self storage facility, you’ll want to pull out all your old medical records and be ready to provide your attorney with a full medical history for you and your baby.
Gather medical bills from the hospital where your child was born. You’ll also want records from any doctor or specialist who’s worked with you, both before and after the birth. The more information you’re able to give your lawyer on your healthcare providers, the better. They will know what information is relevant to your claim and what’s not important. Being prepared and letting your experienced birth injury attorney call the shots when it comes to determining the severity of your case and child’s injury will help you in the long term.
No two birth injuries are the same. You may be facing a common birth injury like the type caused by forceps or something severe, such as doctor carelessness causing oxygen deprivation or spinal cord injuries. Either way, your lawyer will be able to give you an idea of your legal options every step of the way. Even if you decide you don’t want to go forward with your case, having the knowledge to make an informed decision will be important to your overall state of mind.
Surround yourself with a support system.
Assuming you decide to proceed with the case, you need to focus on healing to give you and your child the best chances of quality of life. Once you’re happy with your healthcare lawyer, it will be in your best interest to surround yourself with supports. While a good attorney-client relationship will be important, nothing can replace being around other people who know exactly how you’re feeling. Maybe your child has permanent brain damage. Being around other parents who are in this same situation will have similar concerns and be as angry about medical negligence as you likely are. While there are many different types of birth injuries, any parent whose child is suffering or who has been hurt will naturally be able to relate to another.
Birth injury support groups are a great place to start and can be an invaluable resource as you navigate your claim. Not only will many parents be aware of your legal rights, but they’ll have tips and tricks for how to advocate for both yourself and your child. Other parents will understand your medical bill concerns, be able to recommend the best decisions to make during birth injury litigation, and even be familiar with how the health care industry works in birth injury situations. These people, who may even become lifelong friends, will be able to talk you through not only your grief but shared experiences and frustrations as you work through your personal injury claim.
Educate yourself about future needs and concerns.
A birth injury is only the beginning. When preparing for your birth injury case, you’ll want to keep in mind the future expenses and situations you may find yourself in. While picking out the perfect petite jeans for your first hearing, be sure to do some research on the types of cases like yours where birth trauma meant long term consequences. If your child has a permanent injury, for example, you’ll want to be sure you’ve talked to your lawyer about upcoming expenses, things they will need to be successful in the future, and more. The good news is your experienced birth injury lawyer will be more than familiar with patient care needs you can anticipate down the road and will likely factor this into your case as they go. This is why finding a lawyer with years of experience in medical malpractice cases will be important.
In the end, preparing for a birth injury case can be a lot of work. From finding the right lawyer in a birth injury practice area to helping them prove doctor carelessness or poor medical care, you’ll want to go into a birth injury case having done your homework. While it’ll be up to your lawyer to prove a medical error, being armed with facts and stats about fair compensation, whether or not your child will have a permanent disability, and more will all be important in decisions you make for your case including whether to settle in mediation or take it to a judge. The best you can do is follow your gut, put your child’s best interest first, and do your research. Your future self and child will thank you for the hard work later.
