Developmental Delays

After a child is born, it is commonly expected that the child will meet certain milestones such as crawling, talking, and walking as he or she gets older. When a birth injury takes place, it can cause more than temporary harm to a newborn. Many types of birth injuries can have long-lasting effects, including serious developmental delays. If you believe that your child’s developmental delay was caused by a medical professional’s mistake or carelessness, it is important to be fully aware of your legal options. In such situations, our trusted Baltimore birth injury attorneys can meet with you to discuss your case in detail.

A development delay is more than just being a little behind where other kids typically are in their development. Rather, developmental delays highlight that a child is significantly behind in doing things other kids their age can do. Developmental delays caused by birth injuries can seriously impact many aspects of a child’s life. The child may experience delays in physical growth, emotional growth, or mental growth. These delays may be significant and impact a child’s motor skills, social skills, thinking, speech, and even vision. In some cases, these delays can turn into lifelong disabilities that require costly care.

Birth injuries come in a variety of forms. Oftentimes, developmental delays can be traced to birth injuries such as the doctor prescribing a pregnant mother the wrong kind of drug, which can seriously affect the unborn child. Other mistakes during the delivery and labor process that can lead to developmental delays include, but are not limited to: i) improper use of forceps to deliver the baby; ii) a delayed C-section; or iii) any condition that prevented oxygen from reaching the baby’s brain. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list.

When developmental delays are the result of a medical mistake, you may be able to recover compensation through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Medical malpractice takes place when a medical professional’s negligence causes harm to a patient. In order to win a malpractice case, the plaintiff must establish the following: i) the medical professional owed the plaintiff a duty of care (i.e., a duty to use the level of care that a reasonable healthcare provider in the same field would have used under the same or similar circumstances); ii) the medical professional breached the duty of care owed to the plaintiff; and iii) the medical professional’s breach was a direct cause of the birth injury and the child’s developmental delay. Each one of these elements must be established before the plaintiffs can recover any compensation. A knowledgeable birth injury lawyer can assess whether the facts of your case may meet these elements.

There is nothing more difficult for a parent to deal with than watching their child suffer because of something beyond their control. Depending on the severity of the developmental delay, it can be extremely difficult for the child to do his or her day-to-day tasks. Parents may need to take time off to look after the child or hire help to do so. In addition, the child may require special educational resources and assistive devices. For these reasons, victims of birth injuries in Maryland may be able to recover medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, rehabilitation costs, cost of future care, pain and suffering, and more.

Developmental delays can adversely impact a child’s entire life. If you believe that your child suffered a developmental delay due to a birth injury caused by a medical professional’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your harm. At Arfaa Law Group, our skilled Baltimore lawyers will meticulously analyze the facts of your case and provide you with a realistic assessment of your claim, whether it relates to maternal hypertension, a labor induction error, or other injury. We can help answer questions about the legal avenues available to you in the aftermath of a birth injury. For a free case evaluation, please do not hesitate to call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.