Ohio Birth Injury Lawyer
Birth injuries can have lifelong effects on children and their families. An Ohio birth injury lawyer provides you with dedicated legal assistance for these situations. The Birth Injury Center guides families through this complex process, ensuring justice and fair compensation for the child’s injuries.
- Last Updated Date: September 22, 2023
Birth injuries are some of the most heartbreaking and life-altering occurrences. The birth of a child is one of life’s most joyous events. When a medical error causes a preventable injury that can change the trajectory of your child’s life, that joy quickly turns to despair. These injuries have a profound and enduring impact on infants, affecting their physical abilities and causing significant changes to their emotional and cognitive functions. The consequences of these injuries are often far-reaching and can affect both the child and their family.
If your loved one has suffered a birth injury because of another person’s negligence or reckless actions, seek the help of the Birth Injury Center. You can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an Ohio birth injury attorney. We’re here to help you during these difficult times.
Contact a lawyer for a free case evaluation today!
How Our Birth Injury Attorneys Can Help You
Birth injuries can have a lasting impact on both victims and their families, altering the course of their lives. In the aftermath of these tragedies, individuals often find themselves uncertain about securing legal assistance and navigating the complex terrain of seeking justice. You need a dedicated team that puts your best interests first.
At the Birth Injury Center, we have experienced birth injury lawyers who can evaluate the specific circumstances of your case and assist with the complicated claims process. Our carefully selected attorneys are well-versed in how the actions of a medical team can lead to pregnancy complications, resulting in traumatic birth injuries to your child.
Here’s how an Ohio birth injury lawyer can assist you:
- Comprehensively investigate and evaluate your case to uncover the birth injury’s cause and identify the liable parties
- Guide you through the legal process, ensuring you fully comprehend your legal rights and options at every step
- Skillfully negotiate with insurance companies and other parties to seek fair compensation for your loved one’s injuries.
- Take your case to court to fight for your rights and maximize your compensation.
- We are here to assist families throughout the state and help answer some of their questions about these cases. If you need a Cleveland birth injury lawyer, a Canton birth injury lawyer, or a Columbus birth injury lawyer, we can help.
Here’s why you should choose Birth Injury Center for your legal needs:
- We provide compassionate guidance and personalized representation to ensure your case is handled with the utmost skill and care.
- Our team can hold negligent parties accountable and seek maximum compensation for medical expenses and emotional suffering.
- Families have trusted our attorneys to successfully handle the most complex cases, tailoring their legal strategy to meet the needs of each situation.
If you need an Ohio birth injury attorney in Cleveland, Canton, Columbus, or beyond, do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation and take the first step toward securing the justice and compensation you deserve.
How Much Is My Birth Injury Claim Worth?
Determining the value of a birth injury claim is vital for parents seeking compensation. Multiple factors are taken into account when evaluating the worth of a case, including:
- The cost of medical treatment, therapies, and ongoing care for the child’s injuries
- Anticipated medical expenses for the child’s lifelong care and rehabilitation
- The physical and emotional pain of the child and the family due to the birth injury.
- Lost income compensation for parents who must take time off work to care for their injured child
- Emotional distress and the psychological impact of the birth injury on the family
Types of Birth Injuries
Birth injuries come with unique challenges and long-term consequences. The following are the most common types of birth injuries:
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy encompasses various neurological conditions that occur during fetal development or shortly after birth. It can result in significant difficulties in movement, balance, and posture. Additionally, cerebral palsy can severely impact a person’s ability to control their muscles, leading to ongoing medical care, physical and occupational therapy, and assistive devices to enhance mobility and independence.
Erb's Palsy
Erb’s Palsy is a severe type of brachial plexus injury that can cause paralysis or weakness in the arm, shoulder, and hand due to nerve damage during childbirth. While early intervention, physical therapy, and surgical procedures can improve arm function, permanent disability may still occur.
Intrauterine Fetal Demise
Intrauterine fetal demise, also known as stillbirth, is a devastating event resulting in a baby’s death before delivery. Inadequate medical care or poor treatment methods often causes pregnancy complications, leading to a stillborn birth.
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a serious condition when a baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen and blood flow during birth. This deprivation can cause long-term neurological problems and brain damage. Children affected may experience seizures, cognitive impairments, motor deficits, and developmental delays of varying degrees of severity.
Delivery Complications
Health care providers must carefully consider medical interventions’ potential risks and benefits during labor, including vacuum delivery and Cytotec induction medication. These treatments have been linked to serious delivery complications, such as head injuries, uterine rupture, and intracranial hemorrhage.
Ohio Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations imposes a strict deadline for filing a lawsuit. In Ohio, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases is generally one year from the date you discovered or should have discovered the injury. However, you have no more than four years from the date of the injury to file suit.
The law does give children longer to file suits. The one-year statute of limitations is tolled, or paused, until their 18th birthday. This means that they have until their 19th birthday to file suit.
However, parents or guardians should take prompt legal action on behalf of their child within this limited time frame. An experienced and skilled attorney can ensure you file your case before the applicable deadline. Acting sooner can also ensure you preserve necessary evidence that may be critical to your claim’s success.
What Types of Compensation Can I Recover?
The damages that can be recovered fall into three categories: economic, non-economic, and punitive.
- Economic damages are the measurable financial losses caused by the incident, including medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost income.
- Non-economic damages are more subjective and compensate the injured party for harder-to-quantify impacts on their life, such as pain and suffering.
- Unlike economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages punish the at-fault party for egregious misconduct and deter similar behavior in the future.
Parents' Rights - Ohio Medical Malpractice Laws
Parents have the right to file a medical malpractice claim on behalf of their child. However, there are a few points to consider. For example, parents must prove that the medical professional did not provide the expected standard of care. As a result, that can be a basis for medical malpractice claims.
The parents also need substantial proof, such as medical records, demonstrating that the professional’s negligence directly caused an injury. With all those legal standards to meet, parents should consult with a skilled birth injury attorney who can guide them on the next steps for the case.
Discuss Your Birth Injury Case With Our Experienced Attorneys
Whether you live in Cleveland or Canton, our legal professionals are here to help with these devastating cases. If your child has suffered a birth injury, seeking legal representation is critical to ensuring justice and securing the compensation your family needs.
At the Birth Injury Center, we advocate for families affected by birth injuries in Ohio. Let our experienced team take the first step toward obtaining the justice your child deserves. Contact the team at BIC to not miss out on potential compensation for your child’s injuries.
Written by:
Birth Injury Center Team
The Birth Injury Center aims to create informational web content and guides to help women and their families seeking support and guidance for birth injuries caused by medical negligence. All of the content published across The Birth Injury Center website has been thoroughly investigated and approved by medical expert Natalie Speer, RNC-OB, Attorney Ryan Mahoney, and Attorney Rick Meadows.
