Collingswood Birth Injury Lawyer
If your child has been left with a permanent disability due to a birth injury, a Collingswood birth injury lawyer can help. Although birth injuries occur in less than one percent of births, when they do, the results are devastating and life-changing.
You may be dealing with medical expenses causing your family financial hardship. Maybe you had to quit your job to care for your injured child. If that is the case, you may be eligible to receive compensation. Serving clients across New Jersey, the Collingswood birth injury attorneys at Wapner Newman have the experience you need to guide you in the next steps.
Why Hire Wapner Newman Attorneys at Law?
Collingswood Birth Injury Attorneys Dedicated to Results
When an expectant mother goes into labor, she envisions a beautiful, healthy baby being placed in her arms after giving birth. Unfortunately, this is not always the reality. Sometimes, complications during childbirth can result in serious injuries to the baby.
If your child has been injured during childbirth, you may be feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of what to do next. One of the best things you can do for your case is to hire the right attorney. We invite you to consult with the Wapner Newman birth injury lawyers in Collingswood, NJ. Here are three reasons why:
1) We Get Results
At Wapner Newman, we are proud to have a long history of success in fighting for the rights of our clients. We have been representing concerned parents whose children have been injured due to the negligence of others since 1978. Our Collingswood birth injury lawyers have earned a reputation for excellence in the legal community and have received many distinguished awards.
We are committed to getting results for our clients, and we have a proven track record of success in achieving fair and just compensation for our clients, including a $227 million personal injury settlement, a $45 million verdict for abuse, and over $60 million in combined birth injury settlements. We successfully take on the toughest cases and fight tirelessly to get the compensation and justice that you and your child deserve.
2) We Care About Our Clients
We understand that every legal case is unique, and we believe that you deserve an individualized approach to your situation. We provide personalized attention to every one of our clients, and when you retain Wapner Newman, we will assign your case to one of our experienced principal partners. This partner will then assemble a team of legal professionals who are dedicated to supporting your case.
We understand that a strong relationship is essential when parents are coping with the challenges of their child’s birth injury. We are committed to providing updates on your case, returning your calls, and answering your questions before, during, and after you hire us, because we know that you need a firm on which you can rely. And while we are proud of the successes of our Collingswood birth injury lawyers, we are even more proud of the relationships we have built with our clients and the difference we have been able to make in their lives.
3) Knowledge Matters
Traumatic birth injuries are extremely complex cases to litigate, and they require sophisticated knowledge to properly adjudicate and see the case properly through to the end. Since these types of cases are highly specialized, not every personal injury or medical malpractice attorney is qualified to successfully represent families who are going through the traumatic experience of a child with a birth injury.
The Collingswood birth injury attorneys at Wapner Newman are seasoned litigators with extensive experience in traumatic birth injury cases. We have won major victories for clients, including several of the largest settlements in Pennsylvania.
Our team of Collingswood birth injury lawyers, led by attorney Marc Brecher, has the resources and expertise to handle the most difficult child injury cases. We have a proven track record of success in these types of cases, and we will fight for the compensation you and your family needs and deserves. When you choose Wapner Newman, you can be confident that you are receiving expert representation from attorneys who are dedicated to achieving the best possible outcome in your case.
You and your child may have rights that you are not aware of. Sadly, insurance companies are incentivized to pay injured children less than they deserve. Children with birth injuries need the most monetary compensation available; to obtain it, your lawyer will need to have the highest legal standards to aggressively pursue justice for your injured little one.
Contact a birth injury lawyer in Collingswood to get started on seeking justice for your family. Call (215) 569-0900 today.
What is a Birth injury?
Birth injuries are physical injuries that are caused during the birthing process. They can affect the health of the mother, her baby, or both. Common examples of birth injuries include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Brachial plexus injury
- Hypoxia (oxygen deprivation)
- Spina bifida
- Umbilical cord injuries
- Spastic quadriplegia
- Preeclampsia
- Vacuum or forceps extraction injuries
Perinatal asphyxia is caused by low oxygen levels. When a baby is deprived of oxygen for too long during labor, it can lead to permanent brain damage, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, or even death. When a fetus shows signs of distress during labor, it is up to healthcare providers to react and intervene. A delay in delivering a distressed fetus can have grave consequences. If your child suffers from the effects of perinatal asphyxia, contact a birth injury lawyer in Collingswood, New Jersey, today.
What Are Some Signs of a Birth Injury?
Contact a Top Collingswood Birth Injury Lawyer Today for Help
Several different signs can indicate a birth injury. For example, the baby may be born with a head or neck deformity, or there may be bruising or swelling around the head or face. In some cases, the baby may also have difficulty breathing and may need to be placed on a ventilator.
Additionally, the baby may exhibit neurological problems such as seizures, paralysis, spasms, or sensitivity to light. Birth injuries can have a wide range of causes, including medical negligence and malpractice, so it is important to seek the counsel of an experienced birth injury lawyer in Collingswood to develop a legal plan to help get compensation for your child’s birth injuries.
The following are some of the injuries a child might have at birth:
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Spina Bifida
- Hypoxia (oxygen deprivation)
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
- Umbilical cord injuries
- Spastic quadriplegia
- Brachial plexus injury
- Cephalohematoma (bleeding in the skull)
- Laryngeal nerve palsy
- Brain damage
- Skull fracture
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Nerve damage
- Collarbone fracture
- Shoulder dystocia
- Infections
- Facial nerve palsy
- Preeclampsia
- Vacuum extraction injuries
- Horner Syndrome
- Genetic abnormalities misdiagnosed in utero
- Spinal cord injuries
- Long-term disabilities
- Chorioamnionitis
- Perinatal stroke
- Wrongful death
- Stillbirth
- Intrauterine Growth Restriction
- Placental abruption.
How Can a Collingswood Birth Injury Attorney Help?
Birth injuries are often the result of medical negligence. Doctors and other medical professionals have a duty of care to their patients, and negligence fails to meet that expectation of care. Our Collingswood birth injury attorney’s team will find the answers you need regarding your child’s condition. If it resulted from a birth injury caused by negligence, we can help you recover the compensation you are owed.
Types of Compensation in Birth Injury Cases
- Economic damages reimburse a child and their family for financial losses related to a birth injury. Those could include medical bills, diagnostic tests, medication, surgery, therapy, and costs associated with future care needs. Damages related to loss of income or ability to work and lost wages may also be awarded.
- Non-economic damages compensate parents and injured children for the intangible losses associated with birth injuries. This includes pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Punitive damages are sometimes awarded for holding doctors or medical providers financially accountable for negligence.
Birth Injuries FAQs
Common Questions for Our Birth Injury Attorneys in Collingswood
What are some symptoms of a birth injury?
Within hours or a few days after childbirth, babies with traumatic birth injuries may show the following symptoms:
- Low Apgar scores (skin color, pulse rate, reflexes, muscle tone, respiratory effort)
- Inability to nurse or take a bottle (latch reflex)
- Labored breathing
- Inability to move arms or legs
- Seizures
- Inability to swallow
- Vomiting
- Light sensitivity
- Spasms.
What are some birth injury symptoms for toddlers?
Between the ages of two weeks and two years, babies and young toddlers with birth injuries may show the following symptoms:
- Speech difficulties
- Sleep problems
- Unable to gain weight
- Feeding problems
- Cognitive delays
- Lack of coordination.
Trauma from a birth injury can have a significant impact on a child’s development and well-being. If your child is displaying any of these symptoms, it is important to seek the guidance of a birth injury attorney in Collingswood right away.
What are the types of recovery for birth injury claims?
People seeking compensation for birth injuries can typically receive two types of damages: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages (or special damages) are intended to reimburse for quantifiable financial losses related to the birth injury. This can include medical bills, diagnostic testing, surgery, and therapy. Moreover, some children may need rehabilitative therapy lasting for many years and requiring compensation for the cost of future care.
Non-economic damages (or general damages) are meant to compensate the baby and their families for intangible losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. After giving birth to a child who has suffered birth injuries, some mothers suffer psychological birth trauma (PBT) due to the extreme emotional distress of having a baby with a birth injury. PBT can cause a mother to reject her baby, have a shorter lactation period, or develop a fear of future childbirth.
In some cases, punitive damages may also be awarded to punish the doctor or hospital for their negligence. Birth injury claims are incredibly involved, so it is important to work with an experienced birth injury attorney in Collingswood, PA, who can help you recover the full compensation you and your child deserve.
Are my child’s injuries the result of negligence?
Negligence occurs when a doctor’s conduct falls below the standard of care to avoid an injury. The test is, how would a doctor have acted and what precautions would a doctor have taken when faced with the same or analogous situation? Doctors have a duty to exercise great care when delivering babies. If a doctor, nurse, or a member of the hospital medical staff fails to uphold their duty of care and causes a birth injury, then the injury is due to their negligence.
The following are some examples of negligence related to birth injuries:
- Improper training
- Inexperience
- Poor communication
- Failure to perform prepartum tests
- Failure to properly interpret the heart monitor.
When these types of traumatic birth injuries are caused by the negligence of a doctor or another healthcare provider, the family may be able to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for the resulting damages.
Birth injury cases can be extraordinarily complex, and it may be difficult to understand the impact of several types of injuries your baby may have sustained. Our team of Collingswood birth injury attorneys at Wapner Newman can answer any other questions you may have. We can discuss what legal options you have and what compensation we might pursue in your case.
Get Help from Our Birth Injury Attorneys in Collingswood
If your child has suffered a birth injury, you may have many concerns about your legal rights and options. The experienced attorneys at Wapner Newman can provide you with guidance and advise you of your rights. Birth injury cases can be very involved, and it is important to have knowledgeable legal counsel on your side. Our Collingswood birth injury lawyers have successfully represented many clients in birth injury cases, and we can help you understand the potential for a positive outcome in your case.
Contact us today by calling 215-569-0900 or using our contact form to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced birth injury lawyers in Collingswood.