If your child suffered serious injuries during labor and delivery or shortly after birth, an Alexandria birth injury lawyer from Regan Zambri Long can help you navigate the personal injury lawsuit process. Nothing is more important to a parent than their child’s health. Along with the excitement and joy that come with a new pregnancy and birth, there can also be anxiety and fear. While you are excited to welcome a new member of your family, you are worried about the risks associated with childbirth and know that sometimes things can go wrong. Unfortunately, for many parents, this fear is realized in the form of life-altering birth injuries.
This is where an Alexandria personal injury lawyer can be instrumental. At Regan Zambri Long, our Northern Virginia birth injury lawyers help families seek compensation for catastrophic injuries sustained during the labor and delivery process. Call today to take legal action for your loved one.
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A birth injury is any injury or damage that occurs to the baby during pregnancy or labor and delivery. The damage can be external injuries or internal defects, usually as a result of trauma.
It’s important to distinguish between a birth injury and a birth defect. The baby inherits a birth defect through genetics. Birth injuries are not inherited. They are often the result of negligence by a healthcare provider either during the mother’s pregnancy or labor and delivery.
If a medical professional acted negligently and caused you or your child to suffer a birth injury in Alexandria, you may be able to file a medical malpractice claim for compensation. At Regan Zambri Long, our dedicated team of birth injury lawyers is committed to thoroughly investigating every case so our clients can collect the maximum compensation available for their claims. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with a trusted Alexandria medical malpractice lawyer today.
Unfortunately, according to the CDC, birth injuries are more common than one would think. Approximately 1 in every 33 babies (or 3% of all babies) suffers from a birth injury or birth defect. Birth injuries and birth defects are the leading cause of infant death and account for 20% of all infant mortality.
If your child suffered a birth injury or died as a result of medical negligence, a lawyer specializing in birth injury and wrongful death in Alexandria can help you with a legal claim.
Although not every birth injury is a result of medical malpractice, there are many cases where negligence on the part of a medical professional was the direct cause. There are four things you will need to prove in a medical malpractice case:
The Alexandria, Virginia, medical malpractice attorneys at Regan Zambri Long are experts in the law regarding birth injuries in Virginia. If you believe you have a claim due to a birth injury, please get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in Alexandria, Virginia, from Regan Zambri Long.
The common types of birth injuries include brachial plexus injuries that affect nerve function in the shoulders and arms, skull fractures from difficult extractions, temporary swelling like caput succedaneum, more serious bleeding between the skull and periosteum known as cephalohematoma, facial paralysis from pressure on facial nerves, and oxygen deprivation injuries that may lead to conditions such as cerebral palsy.
One common form of birth injury is cerebral palsy, impacting 10,000 babies born yearly. Cerebral palsy occurs when there is a lack of oxygen to the child’s brain, typically when the baby is not delivered quickly enough, forceps or a vacuum is used during delivery, or there is a prolapsed cord. Cerebral palsy may also occur due to maternal infections, premature birth, c-section delays, and head trauma.
When a newborn is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it means the baby’s brain is incapable of adequately controlling the body’s muscles. As a result, the injured child will be limited in their movement and speech. Given the medical needs of the child, it can result in costly medical bills and require permanent assistance to thrive.
Erby’s palsy is a condition caused by damage to the nerves at the base of a baby’s neck that occurs during delivery. This can result in paralysis of the baby’s arm.
This type of nerve damage injury can be caused at birth. If the infant’s head and neck are pulled to the side as the shoulders pass through the birth canal, it can cause tearing to the brachial plexus nerve.
Infant brain injuries are often severe and are likely caused by trauma during pregnancy or labor and delivery. These types of serious injuries can lead to lifelong disabilities for the child and a future of extensive medical bills for the child’s parents. Some forms of infant brain damage include:
Many forms of delivery complications can result in injury to the infant. Common delivery birth injury causes include:
If you believe your baby suffered an injury due to the negligence of your medical team, call the compassionate attorneys at Regan Zambri Long. We will tirelessly fight for justice and seek the compensation you and your family deserve.
Birth injuries affect more than just the child who suffers from them. The fact is that having a newborn suffer a birth injury can take an emotional and physical toll on a family. Different costs you will have to think about after your child suffers a birth injury are:
The cost of the medical care administered to a child and parent during a life-or-death medical emergency caused by a birth injury can be extreme. Life-saving measures to assist the parent and the child can add up quickly. Bills can include:
To worsen a horrible situation, the victim’s insurance company may not cover all the expenses. If the parent doesn’t have insurance, the child’s care can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Therapy may be a part of everyday life for children who suffer brain injuries. The cost of occupational therapy for a child with cerebral palsy can be as expensive as $400 per hour. When you partner with a personal injury law firm, we will ensure your damages will cover the cost of therapy for your child.
Some children who suffer a birth injury will also need specialized equipment and devices. These can include ventilators, oxygen machines, walkers, speech machines, and wheelchairs with various levels of automation. A wheelchair can cost thousands of dollars alone, not including the maintenance fees.
All medical equipment eventually breaks down and needs to be replaced, costing the family thousands of dollars annually.
It is estimated that the cost of lifetime care for a child with cerebral palsy is $1.6 million.
Your insurance company’s claim may not cover these significant costs. We have the knowledge and experience to recover these costs for you and your family. Our compassionate lawyers are passionate about getting you money.
Often left out of the conversation is the pain and suffering caused by a birth injury. The mental stress, along with the physical toll of having a child with a birth injury, can cause anxiety and depression in parents. At Regan Zambri Long, we understand no dollar figure can be placed on a parent having to deal with knowing their child may never walk. But we can do everything to ensure you don’t have to worry about your finances.
Call a Northern Virginia birth injury lawyer from Regan Zambri Long to learn how we can help your family.
There are several ways medical professionals can cause injuries during pregnancy or to a newborn. They include, but are not limited to:
In Virginia, you have two years from the injury date to sue for a birth injury. And, if the birth injury was fatal, you have two years from the death date to file a wrongful death claim.
No two birth injuries are the same, so it can be difficult to give an average settlement amount. However, many families who seek compensation for a birth injury recover a million dollars or more in damages.
To schedule a no-obligation consultation with Regan Zambri Long, a family member of the child, typically the parent or guardian will need to call or connect with us online.
Be prepared to discuss medical records, any complications that occurred, etc. From there we will work with you to calculate your economic losses and seek the best course of action.
At Regan Zambri Long, we take the legal process very seriously and fiercely fight for our clients’ rights. In our 30+ years of serving the communities in Northern Virginia, we have recovered millions for our clients in personal injury claims. We are confident we can build a case around your Alexandria birth injury claim that will help secure your financial future.
Our testimonials speak for themselves. Our clients know we have their best intentions at heart. We deeply understand what a scary, stressful, and even sad time our clients are going through. That’s why we work around the clock to secure a favorable settlement quickly. Many of the attorneys at Regan Zambri Long are parents ourselves. We know how scary things can be when it comes to the health of your child. Let us take control of the claims process while you focus on your family’s health. Our clients deserve justice and compensation, and we work diligently to secure both.