When you place your child’s health in a pediatrician’s hands, you believe they will be protected, and when that trust is broken, Regan Zambri Long’s Washington, DC pediatric malpractice lawyers can help families seek answers, accountability, and justice. Pediatric malpractice cases are uniquely difficult because the injuries often affect a child’s future, development, and quality of life in ways that extend far beyond the moment care went wrong.
Rated as one of the Best Law Firms in America, our award-winning team brings almost 200 years of combined experience to cases involving children and infants. One of our partners is a former obstetrical and neonatal nurse, and every attorney at our firm is rated among Best Lawyers’ top medical malpractice plaintiff attorneys in Washington. That experience has led to over $1 billion in recoveries, including pediatric malpractice outcomes of $4.2 million, $3.65 million, $3 million, $2.5 million, and $2.4 million.
Has your child been harmed by pediatric medical malpractice? Contact Regan Zambri Long today, and one of our attorneys will reach out to you personally. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we front all case costs, so there’s no fee unless we win your case.
Complete this form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible
When a pediatrician makes a mistake that harms a child, it can qualify as medical malpractice. But not every mistake is considered malpractice. For a malpractice suit to be valid, the pediatrician must have failed to meet the “standard of care.” This means they didn’t act with the same skill, care, and diligence that other pediatricians in similar situations would.
Malpractice occurs when a pediatrician does something—or fails to do something—that another competent pediatrician would have done differently, and this action or inaction results in injury, making it a possible malpractice case.
If you suspect your child suffered harm due to medical negligence, call a DC medical malpractice attorney from Regan Zambri Long.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Pediatrics is the specialty of medical science concerned with the physical, mental, and social health of children from birth to young adulthood…care encompasses a broad spectrum of health services ranging from preventive health care to the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases.”
Most medical providers say pediatric care begins in gestation and ends in young adulthood. The age ranges associated with pediatric care include:
An older age may be permitted under pediatric care when a child has special healthcare needs.
If your child was harmed during pediatric care, you may have legal rights. A DC pediatric medical malpractice lawyer from Regan Zambri Long can guide you through the legal process.
Pediatric malpractice can take a wide range of forms, and each case is unique. In Washington, DC, here are some of the most common types of medical negligence we see in pediatric care:
Not all medical mistakes constitute malpractice, but when negligence is involved, you need a legal team you can trust. Call a DC pediatric medical malpractice attorney from Regan Zambri Long for a no-obligation, free consultation to learn if you have a legal claim.
If your child has been harmed due to a pediatrician’s negligence, you might wonder if you can sue. The answer is yes, but certain factors must be present for a viable claim for medical malpractice lawsuits to move forward in the District of Columbia.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that one in five pediatricians is sued for malpractice at least once over the course of a career. At the same time, pediatricians face claims less frequently than many other specialists, with 3.1% facing a malpractice claim in a given year compared to 19.1% of neurosurgeons. However, when pediatric malpractice claims do result in payments, the average indemnity amount is higher, with pediatric cases averaging $521,000 compared to $344,000 for neurosurgeons.
Additionally, medical malpractice laws in DC have specific requirements. These differ from standard injury claim procedures. DC Code §16-2802 mandates a 90-day notice period. Patients must inform healthcare providers before filing a lawsuit. This notice should include details of the alleged harm and legal basis.
Cases involving children have special considerations. The usual three-year filing deadline may not apply. The DC Code allows for deadline extensions until the child’s 18th birthday. Our DC pediatric malpractice attorneys can clarify these rules. They can explain how these laws affect individual cases.
While this process may seem complicated, working with an experienced DC pediatric malpractice lawyer will help you. Our Washington, DC, medical liability lawyers can evaluate your case, gather evidence, and help you understand your legal options.
Proving that your child’s injury was the result of a healthcare professional’s malpractice is not always easy. It often requires expert testimony from other medical professionals who can explain what the standard of care should have been and how the pediatrician failed to meet it. Additionally, evidence such as medical records, witness statements, and documentation of the child’s injury will be critical in building a strong medical malpractice claim.
Your lawyer will work with medical experts to review all the details of the medical malpractice claim and establish the link between the pediatrician’s negligence and your child’s injury. This legal process can be time-consuming and complex, but it’s essential for getting the compensation your child deserves.
Unless you’re a medical provider, you may find it challenging to distinguish when medical malpractice occurs. However, there are certain elements you should be mindful of in your child’s care, which can be signs of pediatric malpractice.
Pediatric malpractice claims are challenging. If you suspect negligence in your child’s care, consult with a trusted DC pediatric medical malpractice attorney from Regan Zambri Long.
If your child was harmed due to pediatric malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation to help cover the costs associated with their injury. This can include:
Every case is different, and the amount of compensation will depend on the severity of the injury and its impact on your child’s life. To secure maximum compensation, call a pediatric medical malpractice lawyer today.
Caring for a child compared to an adult is different by every means. Health issues may present differently in a five-year-old compared to a 35-year-old or even a 95-year-old. Because the primary focus for pediatricians is to account for a child’s emotional and physical well-being while being aware of their overall growth and development, the standard of care is different compared to a general practitioner who cares for adults.
Knowing this, how pediatric versus adult malpractice suits are handled is also different. A child may not have the communication skills to articulate when something is wrong, so it is up to the parents/caregivers and, in some cases, a team of medical providers to address the issues. When a pediatrician or other child healthcare provider fails to do so and a child becomes sicker, there may be a case of negligent care.
When it comes to your child’s health, you want to ensure no stone is left unturned when they are unwell. However, when the medical provider you expected to help your child ends up harming them, you have rights. Some medical diagnoses are more commonly linked to medical malpractice than others. They include:
HIE, in particular, is associated with severe outcomes. Studies have shown that 40–60% of affected full-term infants either die by age two or are left with significant, long-term disabilities. Research examining the timing of these injuries has also found that 49.6% of HIE cases were believed to have developed during labor and were considered potentially avoidable, with preventive measures identified as warranted in 22.3% of cases. This helps explain why labor and delivery care is often closely examined in pediatric malpractice claims involving HIE.
Birth injuries are a rare but devastating reality in the healthcare system. While some are unavoidable, others result from negligent care by your medical team. Be it during the prenatal process, labor, or post-delivery, birth is a traumatic experience even when everything goes right. But when it doesn’t, you and your newborn deserve justice.
If you are concerned that your child’s health is in jeopardy because of inadequate medical care, you may have a pediatric malpractice claim. If you suspect malpractice, there are steps you should take to preserve your case:
Our children deserve the best medical care possible. But when negligent healthcare providers fail to act within the standard of care, your family deserves justice.
For over three decades, the personal injury attorneys of Regan Zambri Long have fought for the rights of children and their families harmed in the medical system due to negligence. With a track record of securing multimillion-dollar settlements, verdicts, and connections to the best medical experts in the DC Metropolitan area, let us fight for you.
Our record of results include numerous high-value outcomes involving children and infants who suffered serious injuries due to medical negligence:
This depth of experience reflects the strength of our medical malpractice team as a whole. Regarded as Washington’s top nurse attorney, partner Jacqueline Colclough brings a rare combination of clinical training and legal practice to pediatric and birth injury cases, informed by her background in obstetrical and neonatal nursing and three decades of medical malpractice litigation. Jackie is joined by seven other Regan Zambri Long attorneys named among Best Lawyers’ Top 30 Medical Malpractice Plaintiff Attorneys in Washington, DC, and she and four colleagues are also recognized as Washington, DC Medical Malpractice Super Lawyers.
Together, our attorneys collaborate with leading medical experts to evaluate pediatric injuries, identify failures in care, and pursue accountability for families.
For a no-obligation, free consultation, call the DC pediatric malpractice lawyers of Regan Zambri Long.
Have you or your loved one sustained injuries in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia? Regan Zambri Long PLLC has the best lawyers in the country to analyze your case and answer the questions you may have.