Working With a New York Birth Injury Lawyer
Birth injury lawyers are a subset of personal injury attorneys. These lawyers can help families that have been affected by preventable birth injuries pursue legal action to pay for their child’s medical care.
Your New York birth injury lawyer will:
- File your medical malpractice claim
- Collect detailed evidence, including medical records
- Strengthen your claim with resources, including medical experts
- Work to secure legal compensation you can use towards medical expenses
Treatment costs for children with birth injuries may include surgery, medication, adaptive equipment, mobility aids, several types of therapy, and more.
We have helped families near you.
Our partner law firms can work with families in the following New York areas:
- Albany
- Binghamton
- Brentwood
- Buffalo
- Cheektowaga
- Hornell
- Mount Vernon
- New Rochelle
- New York City
- Rochester
- Saratoga Springs
- Schenectady
- Syracuse
- Utica
- Westbury
- White Plains
- Yonkers
- And more
If your child suffered from a birth injury and you believe it was preventable, you may be eligible for compensation. Get a free case review to see if you can work with a New York birth injury lawyer now.
Birth Injuries and Medical Negligence
Medical negligence occurs when doctors, nurses, or other medical professionals make careless mistakes during the birthing process. These mistakes can lead to birth injuries and lifelong complications that require ongoing medical treatment.
The estimated lifetime cost to care for a child diagnosed with cerebral palsy is around $1 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Instances that may be considered medical negligence during childbirth include:
- Failure to perform a timely C-section (cesarean section)
- Failure to treat or detect fetal distress
- Failure to treat or detect oxygen deprivation (hypoxia)
- Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
- Use of force and pulling on a child’s arms, head, neck, or shoulders while the child is exiting the birth canal
If you suspect your child’s injury was caused by medical negligence, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the health care providers that delivered your child. Working with a New York birth injury lawyer can help your family file a lawsuit and win compensation.
Types of Cases New York Birth Injury Attorneys Handle
New York birth injury lawyers help families file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the individuals who delivered their child. These common birth injuries can vary in severity and type.
New York birth injury lawyers can handle cases involving:
- Brain damage
- C-section injuries
- Caput succedaneum
- Cervical dystonia
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy and other brachial plexus injuries
- Forceps delivery complications
- Hydrocephalus
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Intrauterine fetal demise
- Intraventricular hemorrhage
- Kernicterus
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Maternal infections
- Meconium aspiration syndrome
- Meningitis
- Newborn cephalohematoma
- Periventricular leukomalacia
- Shoulder dystocia
- Infant torticollis (twisted neck)
- Vacuum extraction complications
- Other birth injuries
You may be eligible for financial compensation if your child suffered from a preventable birth injury. Get a free case review to learn if you can file a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Notable Birth Injury Settlements in New York
Most birth injury medical malpractice cases are resolved either through a settlement or a trial verdict.
Settlements involve paying out a lump sum of money to the family to pay for the child’s medical expenses. A settlement will conclude the lawsuit process.
If a settlement cannot be agreed upon, the case will go to trial where a judge or jury will decide if the doctors and/or hospital is at fault for the child’s injury. Most birth injury cases will settle out of court since trials can be time-consuming and risky. A family may get no compensation if they lose a trial.
Settlement amounts can vary based on the facts of your specific case, including the type of injury, the severity of the injury, estimated lifetime treatment costs, the state in which the injury occurred, and more.
Notable New York settlements and verdicts include:
- $48 million verdict for a brain injury, cerebral palsy, and eye injury case
- $18 million verdict for an Erb’s palsy case
- $8.7 million settlement for a cerebral palsy case
- $6 million settlement for a brain injury resulting in quadriplegia
- $4.7 million settlement for a cerebral palsy case
- $1.75 million settlement for a brain injury case
When to File Your Lawsuit in New York
If you want to file a birth injury lawsuit, contact a lawyer as soon as possible to make sure your case is filed in time. The statute of limitations places a time limit on how long you have to file your birth injury lawsuit.
Most states require you to file a personal injury lawsuit within a few years of the child’s birth, but cases involving minors can vary.
NY Statute of Limitations for Birth Injuries | NY Statute of Limitations for Infant Wrongful Death |
---|---|
2.5 years | 2 years |
It is vital to file your lawsuit within your state’s statute of limitations, or you will lose your right to sue and collect financial compensation forever.
New York birth injury attorneys keep track of the statutes in the state and can make sure your case is filed before time runs out. Contact a legal team for a free consultation even if you think the deadline has passed, as exceptions may apply in your case.
Get Help From a New York Birth Injury Attorney Today
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals are trained to safely deliver babies and handle emergency birthing situations properly. If they fail to keep your child safe, it may be considered medical negligence.
Medical negligence can result in permanent birth injuries, resulting in years of treatment and suffering. You should not have to pay for medical bills if your child’s birth injury could have been prevented.
If you live in New York and believe medical negligence caused your child’s birth injury, see if you can take legal action. New York birth injury lawyers can help your family win life-changing financial compensation.
Get a free case review today to see if you can work with a New York birth injury attorney.
New York Birth Injury Lawyer FAQs
How much do New York birth injury lawyers cost?
The best New York birth injury lawyers should come at no cost to you. Top birth injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they do not collect any upfront costs and only collect fees if you win your lawsuit.
How do I know if my child’s birth injury was caused by medical negligence?
The best and only way to know if your child’s injury was caused by medical negligence is to contact a New York birth injury attorney. A lawyer will have the resources, experience, and expertise to prove your child’s injury was preventable.
Get a free case review today to learn if your child’s injury was caused by medical negligence.