Medical Malpractice Lawyer Baltimore, MD
As soon as you identify the symptoms of a birth injury in your child, it is prudent you begin to take a number of important steps. The first step is to get your child the medical attention he or she needs. This may prevent further injuries from happening and also allow doctors to examine your child and make an official diagnosis.
Once your child has been diagnosed, you may need to make several more appointments with specialized clinicians who will confirm the diagnosis and/or provide therapy and care. Next, it is advisable to consult a medical malpractice lawyer who will begin to investigate your case and tell you what options may be available. This article discusses general information about what you should know about birth injury settlements.
Why You Should Seek a Settlement
Birth injuries can cost thousands of dollars every month. Stress, financial loss, pressure, and exhaustion are all too common in families coping with a birth injury. You might feel like you don’t have the time or energy to seek a settlement, but it can make your life and that of the child’s easier. A Baltimore, MD medical malpractice lawyer can take a great deal of the stress load off of your shoulders and build a claim that supports your families’ interests. You will have a role in reaching a settlement, but your lawyer will handle most of the hard work.
Birth injuries often involve lifelong medical issues, impairments, and disabilities. Medical treatment, surgery, medication, and therapy are just some needs your child may require and the costs of this care often exceeds the average families’ ability to pay for them. Birth injury settlements can help you and your family recover monetary compensation that allows the child to be taken care of. It also holds the liable party responsible for their actions.
Benefits of Accepting Birth Injury Settlements
A medical malpractice lawyer in Baltimore, MD should handle the small, intricate details of your case, but you may be asked to provide medical documents, check-ups, prescriptions, photos, and other things that could be used as evidence.
Most birth injury claims are settled before they go to trial. The benefit of accepting a settlement offer include:
- Reaching a settlement can save money and time
- You will not have to be cross-examined by the defendant’s lawyer (as would be in a lawsuit)
- When a case is settled, it is usually kept confidential; whereas, trials become public
- A trial case can last between one to three years
The Value of a Birth Injury Settlement
The worth of a birth injury case will be greatly dependent on many unique factors. In general, the worse the injury is, the more compensation will be available. Birth injury settlements and awards can average in the hundreds of thousands of dollars up to millions of dollars. Recoverable damages include:
- Past and future medical costs
- Rehabilitation, occupational, and physical therapy costs
- Special equipment costs
- Costs for home care
- Costs for special education
- Lost wages (when the parent or guardian is required to take time from work to care for the child)
Non-economic damages may also be available for:
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Other tangible losses
Depending on the state you are in, there could be caps as to the amount of non-economic damages you can recover. A medical malpractice lawyer can explain these laws to you so you know what to expect.
There is no way to tell you exactly when you will recover your money. Typically, claimants receive the amount within a few months, but it could vary.
If you would like a medical malpractice lawyer Baltimore, MD clients recommend to review your child’s birth injury case, please call the Greenberg Law Offices.