Children’s Medical Negligence Attorneys Serving All 50 States
As a parent there is no way to describe how a parent feels when their child is hurt by someone else’s negligence or carelessness. When this person is a doctor, a nurse, or a hospital, the emotions are even stronger as these are people who you trust to give the utmost care and concern for your young ones. Medical malpractice and medical negligence that injures a child is particularly devastating and far reaching. As parents and caregivers it is assumed our pediatricians can be trusted when it comes to preventing any injury or illness suffered by our children. We trust that they will do the best for our children and provide care to the utmost of their ability. When that trust is broken the damages done and scars rendered are long lasting and devastating. If you feel your child has been the victim of medical malpractice you need the help of our experienced child medical malpractice lawyers.
Please contact our team of child medical malpractice lawyers for a free consult. They handle child medical negligence cases on a contingency fee basis meaning they charge no fees unless they recover for you. Serving all 50 states such as California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Puerto Rico & Washington D.C.
About Children’s Medical Negligence Laws
A children’s medical malpractice case can result from many different injuries. It could be a birth injury in which the child suffered physical or mental damage because a nurse or doctor failed to adhere to the medical community’s standards. It could be a misdiagnosis that leads to cause harm to the child. Whatever the case, if a doctor, nurse or hospital has harmed your child, you will need an attorney who has worked with children and knows how to win these types of medical malpractice lawsuits.
Unfortunately, there are healthcare professional such as doctors, nurses, aides, EMT’s and paramedics who do not do everything in their power to provide the required care. They instead deviate from the accepted Medical Standard of Care. As these medical professionals aren’t doing everything in their power to provide the best possible treatment, there is a probability that your child may receive injury or harm. In most states this harm is referred to as medical malpractice and in others it is called medical negligence. Regardless, our team of child medical malpractice lawyers will fight to get your child the benefits and compensation they deserve.
Defining Children’s Medical Malpractice
To understand children’s medical malpractice, it is imperative to appreciate the responsibilities a doctor has to treat their patients using the Medical Standard of Care. This standard has been designated to minimize any added harm to the patient. If a doctor isn’t able to treat the patients to the height of the standards and to the best of their ability, there is unquestionably a chance that the pediatric patient could receive some kind of injury.
Many people tend to think that Medical Negligence and Medical Malpractice is the same thing. They are most assuredly not. Medical Negligence is defined as an act of negligent treatment or an error in treatment by a medical professional to the patient which isn’t a part of the accepted Medical Standard of Care. Medical Malpractice, on the other hand, takes place when this negligent behavior causes undue injury to the patient.
To prove the injury was received due to medical negligence, it must be verified that the medical standard of care given was not the reasonable standard set forth, and in lieu of this subpar care, the patient has suffered some type of injury.
Proving Child Medical Malpractice & Medical Negligence
You are going to require some expert opinions. Start by contacting experts who can provide the obligatory reports which state what the standard of care is in any particular hospital. Also, gather all of the pertinent medical records, which must be reviewed by a medical expert to decide whether or not the injury was indeed caused by receiving this substandard treatment.
In the case of Gabriela Arteaga v. United States of America in United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit , for the sub-par obstetrics and gynecological treatment causing the birth injuries of her daughter, Ms. Arteaga received a hefty settlement to help pay for her daughter future care.
What many parents do not realize is the long term effects and costs of children’s medical malpractice. Birth injuries, misdiagnosis of childhood illnesses and other instances of medical malpractice are far-reaching both financially and emotionally.
Birth Injuries & Medical Negligence
If your baby has been diagnosed with any type of mental disorder, delayed or impaired motor skills or Cerebral Palsy it could very well be the result of medical malpractice or doctor negligence during delivery or following delivery. Most injuries sustained at birth, or during the process of giving birth can result in significant medical, emotional and financial challenges over the course of a lifetime. If your child was injured when he or she was born it needs to be determined who is at fault such as the obstetrician, nurse, physician assistant, pediatrician or other healthcare provider. A skilled personal injury attorney handling birth injury claims can help you.
Birth Injury Types
Cerebral Palsy
Cranial Nerve Trauma
Erb’s Palsy
Fractures
Intracranial Hemorrhage
Meningitis
Paralysis
Nerve Injuries
Shoulder Dystocia
Spinal Cord Trauma
Causes Of Birth Injuries
Many types of injuries induced during child birth can be prevented. As an example, Cerebral Palsy is a very common type of birth injury. It occurs due to a lack of sufficient oxygen to the fetus during labor. This lack of oxygen starts out as perinatal asphyxia. The prolonged lack of oxygen ultimately causes permanent brain tissue damage. The obstetrician team should be able to prevent this lack of oxygen by monitoring variations in the heart rate of the fetus during birth. Other types of birth injuries, such as fractures, paralysis and nerve trauma can be the end result of the doctor or healthcare practitioner being too rough during the birthing process. Some birth injuries, such as Shoulder Dystocia, are a result of the fetus being too large or awkwardly positioned in the uterus.
Failure to Diagnosis Cancer and Meningitis
Cancer and meningitis have fatal consequences if left undiagnosed in children. While these conditions do get progressively worse over time, they are treatable if properly diagnosed.
Bacterial meningitis: This contamination of the fluid around the spinal cord and brain may go undetected in children, because of its flu-like symptoms. If identified early, it is treatable with antibiotics. Should it be misdiagnosed, the infection will cause brain damage, paralysis, and in many cases, death.
Cancer: The earlier doctors are able to identify cancer in a pediatric patient, the greater the chance to recover. However, the costs are devastating when a medical professional fails to detect cancer, erroneously diagnose a patient, or precipitately discharges a pediatric cancer patient.
Contact Our Child Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Our child medical malpractice lawyers know how to win medical malpractice cases. In their experience handling child medical malpractice claims across the country, they have embraced the opportunity to be able to take some of the burden off of the family going through the crisis. Our child medical malpractice attorneys will handle your child’s case with both determination and compassion.