Life Care Planning for Birth Injuries

When a newborn suffers harm caused by a birth injury, the results can be devastating. If your child suffered a birth injury due to the negligence of a medical professional, you need to consult a Baltimore birth injury lawyer without delay. At Arfaa Law Group, we will work carefully and tenaciously to protect your rights and pursue the maximum compensation possible in your case. While no amount of money can undo the harm that your child has suffered and may potentially suffer in the future from a condition such as cerebral palsy or another birth injury, compensation can help cover the costs associated with expenses such as life care planning for birth injuries.

Sadly, in many instances, birth injuries can be attributed to medical malpractice. If your child has suffered a preventable birth injury due to a medical professional’s negligence, you may be able to recover compensation through a medical malpractice claim. Granted, not every instance in which a doctor makes an error is considered medical malpractice. Medical malpractice in the area of childbirth is defined as occurring when a medical professional causes a birth injury by failing to use the degree of care that other medical professionals in the same specialty, such as gynecology or obstetrics, would have used in the same situation. In order to prevail in a medical malpractice claim, your attorney will need to be able to demonstrate certain elements. A doctor-patient relationship must have existed, and the doctor must have violated the standard of care toward the patient under the circumstances. Also, the doctor’s conduct must have been a proximate cause of the child’s birth injury, and the injuries that the child suffered must have been reasonably foreseeable.

Children with birth injuries may develop lifelong disabilities. These disabilities can range from physical limitations to mental impairments. When a child suffers permanent injuries, a Life Care Plan can help outline the financial costs associated with caring for that child. Certain types of injuries may necessitate such a plan, such as paralysis, a traumatic brain injury, the loss of a limb, or any other birth defect that leads to a long-term condition, such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or developmental delays.

A Life Care Plan is a legal document drafted by a number of different medical experts and specialists who are trained to develop and help execute these plans. The idea behind a Life Care Plan is to make sure that the at-fault party pays for the long-term damages associated with the child’s birth injuries. Typically, life care planning for birth injuries will help account for the financial costs associated with virtually every aspect of the child’s care, including but not limited to:

• A list of medical treatments that are expected;
• A list of surgeries that the child is expected to require;
• A list of medications that the child is expected to require;
• The child’s educational needs;
• The child’s need for occupational or physical therapy;
• A list of testing that the child will require (such as x-rays and blood tests);
• Transportation costs (such as handicapped-accessible vans);
• A list of assistive devices that the child will need (such as wheelchairs); and
• Any modifications needed for the home (such as ramps or handrails).

Birth injuries can be devastating to a child’s life. If your child has suffered a birth injury during pregnancy or the delivery process, you need the help of a knowledgeable legal advocate. At Arfaa Law Group, our attorneys are committed to holding negligent medical professionals in Baltimore and throughout the State of Maryland accountable for their actions. Whether it is through a settlement or at trial, you can rest assured that we will make every effort to get you the full and fair compensation that you deserve for life care planning for birth injuries. For a free consultation regarding your claim, call 410-889-1850 or contact us online.