Few things in life are as stressful to a parent as a birth injury. If you or your child was hurt in the delivery process, during prenatal care, or suffers from a serious injury due to a doctor’s negligence, there are critical steps you should take to ensure the best future and quality of life possible in the years to come. If you’re considering filing a medical malpractice claim, read on for things you should do immediately to improve your odds of a favorable verdict to help pay for your child’s birth injury.
Contact an experienced birth injury attorney.
The most important first step you can take when it comes to your legal options after a birth injury is to contact an experienced birth injury lawyer. If you live in Chicago, for example, you’ll want to find a birth injury attorney in Chicago who has years of experience in the most common birth injuries and has successfully litigated medical malpractice suits. An experienced birth injury attorney will be able to help you through your birth injury claim from start to finish, including the ability to come up with financial compensation for your future.
Many parents make the mistake of assuming future medical expenses will be covered by their health insurance company. In the U.S., some companies have caps on how much coverage they’ll offer throughout a child’s life. For this reason alone, and because no one can really foresee the future, it’s important to meet with an attorney for a free consultation to ensure your future peace of mind and quality of life.
Save records of medical expenses and insurance company communications.
Your medical malpractice suit will mean a lot of paperwork. While your attorney will know what they need to represent you successfully, it’s important that you save records from medical procedures, insurance companies, and even travel expenses related to the birth injury. If you’re fortunate enough to be insured through a business with comprehensive medical management services, consider giving them a call to help you organize and maintain records and claims as they come. The more organized you are, the better chance your attorney will be successful in your birth injury litigation.
Explore your legal options.
Meeting with a birth injury lawyer doesn’t mean you have to file a medical malpractice claim. In fact, you can meet with an attorney for free legal advice one time or choose to work with that attorney every step of the way. Many people find they do best when shopping around for an attorney they feel most comfortable with. If you’re not sure about filing a claim or of your legal choices, this is one way to get a better idea about the compensation you and your child might be entitled to. Don’t hesitate to set up a few appointments and weigh the pros and cons of hiring each attorney you talk to.
Build a support team and medical care team you trust.
Obviously, there’s more to a birth injury than the legal case you may wind up filing. Filing a claim can be almost as stressful as parenting a child with a serious injury. For this reason, you’ll want to surround yourself with friends, family, and a new health care team you trust. Have honest conversations with these people about what you need to get through the challenging road ahead. You’ll thank yourself for it later on. Consider connecting to parent support groups, social media, and helpful websites for parents of children with disabilities, too.
In summary, while not even the most experienced birth injury lawyer can promise a favorable birth injury verdict, you’ll be doing yourself and your child a favor if you find out about your legal options and get a free consultation as soon as you can after delivery. In collecting detailed medical records for your personal injury attorney, enlisting help from supportive family, friends, and medical staff, and keeping an open mind about the future, you’ll feel less alone and increase your chance of a better future, in spite of a serious injury.
