If you or your newborn child suffered birth trauma because of a medical professional’s mistake, we want to help protect your family’s future. An experienced Lanham birth injury lawyer from GDH Law will be your advocate as you stand up to medical malpractice.
Parents, we are on your side. And if you’ve been hurt by a preventable medical error, so is the law.
A compassionate, knowledgeable, and fearless Prince George’s County birth injury attorney is ready to assist you now. All you need to do is contact our Maryland law office by phone or online. We’ll schedule a free, no-obligation consultation for you to learn your rights and options.
What Is Considered a Birth Injury?
A birth injury is a physical injury that happens during the labor and delivery process. It is an injury caused by some kind of trauma. This makes a birth injury different from a birth defect, which usually develops during the early stages of pregnancy due to a genetic or environmental factor.
Most birth defects are not preventable. But most birth injuries are.
Your team of compassionate Lanham birth injury attorneys will look closely at your case to see if the injury could have (and should have) been prevented. Our experience in the field of medical malpractice has prepared us for challenging birth trauma cases like yours.
We also partner with certified medical experts who can use their expertise to examine your case in detail. These experienced medical professionals assess what went wrong to cause the birth injury—and how the negligence of a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider could have been prevented.
What Are the Most Common Birth Injuries?
Two of the most common birth injuries are Erb’s palsy and cerebral palsy.
Erb’s palsy is damage to the brachial plexus—a group of nerves in the arm and hand. This type of nerve damage results in weakness in the arms and shoulders. Newborns who are handled roughly by a physician during labor can suffer stretched or torn nerves, leading to Erb’s palsy. This often happens when an obstetrician moves the baby’s head too far to one side when delivering the shoulders.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is another type of birth injury that can be caused by negligence. It is the most common motor impairment among U.S. children. A child with CP may display a variety of different symptoms, including lack of muscle coordination and intellectual disability. One of the most common causes of CP is blocked oxygen flow to the brain during birth, which is often the result of a health care provider’s error.
But these are not the only birth injuries that can happen in a Maryland hospital.
Other common birth injuries that may harm a parent or child are:
- Caput succedaneum
- Clavicle (collarbone) injuries
- Skull fracture
- Cephalohematoma
- Injuries caused by the misuse of birthing tools like vacuums and forceps
- Subgaleal hemorrhage
- Facial paralysis
- C-section injuries
- Brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation
- Spinal cord injuries
Was your child harmed at birth because of one of these or another act of physician negligence? We can help. Contact our team of Lanham birth injury lawyers for answers to your questions about what to do next.
What Are My Legal Options in Lanham, MD After a Birth Injury?
If a doctor’s medical error caused injuries to you or your child, you may be owed compensation.
A medical professional, if negligent, has a duty to take financial responsibility for your economic and noneconomic damages. This gives you the legal option to file a birth injury claim or lawsuit to recover compensation for losses like:
- Medical bills
- Cost of treating your child at a different hospital
- Future health care costs
- Loss of your child’s future ability to earn income
- Specialist fees
- Rehabilitation and therapy
- Mental health care
- Transportation costs
- Child-sitting costs
- Domestic services
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- And more
Depending on the type and severity of the birth injury, you may be owed money for these and other losses.
Many infant victims of birth injuries require costly care for their entire lives. Our birth injury attorneys will work hard to make sure your family can afford whatever your child needs to live the highest quality life.
Here in south-central Maryland and the greater Washington metro area, families who suffered birth injuries have a strong ally in GDH Law. We believe everyone should know their legal options. That’s why we’ll first meet to clearly explain your rights—for free—so you can make the best choice for you.
Parents and children who may have suffered injury at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center (LHDCMC), UM Bowie Health Center, Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center, or another medical facility in Prince George’s County are invited to get in touch with our personal injury law firm for a free case evaluation.
How Long Do I Have To File a Maryland Birth Injury Lawsuit?
Maryland law sets a statute of limitations on the amount of time you have to seek damages after a birth injury. You typically have three years from the child’s 18th birthday, if they were injured as a minor. You may only have three years to file a claim for parental injuries.
Keep in mind, Maryland statutes of limitations for medical malpractice cases are very complicated. There are many exceptions to the rules.
If you or your child experienced an injury you believe was caused by negligence during labor and delivery, contact a Lanham birth injury attorney on our legal team right away. We’ll evaluate your case and let you know exactly how long you have to take legal action.
We at GDH Law are ready to help you now. Call us or use our online form to get in touch.
