It’s always devastating to see your child in pain. It is even more difficult when you feel that the person who caused their injury could have prevented it with just a little more care. If you are facing this situation, here are some tips on how to handle it.
Seek Legal Assistance
The very first thing you should do is to get yourself a good lawyer. Medical negligence is a very complicated field and you need to be able to prove that your child’s injury was due to such negligence. There are many good lawyers throughout the whole US, but you should find one that specifically handles cases like yours. If your child was injured during birth, consider contacting an Allentown birth injury lawyer or any other type of medical negligence lawyer in your town. Besides birth injuries, medical malpractice includes hospital errors, surgical errors, misdiagnosis, etc.
Once this is done, gather all of your evidence in order to show proof of medical negligence in question. This includes the medical file of your child, the medical reports, and the diagnosis done by different doctors or hospitals that you visited. Remember to keep copies for yourself as well since you may need them later on.
What Next?
Your next step should be to construct an argument about how your child’s injury was caused by the negligence of the doctor/hospital. For example, if your child’s doctor failed to diagnose a heart problem of your child, you have to provide proof that the doctor has the experience and knowledge in order to identify such medical problems. You will also need to prove that your doctor is not only aware of the existence of these common mistakes but also trained enough so as not to fall into them.
You should also provide proof that your child’s injury could have been easily prevented if the doctor was just more careful in his actions. For example, if your child got an infection because the doctor did not take any precautions, you have to provide proof that taking these precautions is common practice in this medical field. This would include making sure that all equipment is sterilized before use and wearing proper/safe clothing while performing surgeries.
Your lawyer will take all these arguments and fight for you in court. He/she will argue that the actions of your doctor/hospital were wrong, and they should be held responsible for any damages caused by their negligence.
If your child’s injury was due to birth injuries, the lawyer will argue that the actions of your doctor/hospital caused harm to your child and should be held responsible for any damages caused by their negligence.
Seek Emotional Help
Seeing your child in pain is not easy to deal with. You need emotional support during this time and should consider talking to someone that can help you cope with the situation. Reach out to your family, friends, or other people who can provide you encouragement at this difficult time. It is also advisable to seek professional help if you think that your emotional state may affect the case.
The most important thing is to remain calm and be patient. The process of medical negligence cases can take a long time, so don’t pressure yourself or give up hope if it takes months for things to settle down. Continue living your life as normally as possible and keep focusing on your child’s healing process.
If you think that your child is suffering because of the injury, reach out to get help for both you and your child. This includes therapy, counseling, medication, etc. Make sure to take care of both your physical and mental health in order to avoid any serious complications later on.
What Are Some Common Birth-Related Medical Malpractice Injuries?
Some common birth-related injuries due to medical negligence for infants include:
- Brain damage
- Cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or other neurological injuries
- Asphyxiation
- Heart problems/defects
- Bone deformities
Birth-related medical malpractice also includes injuries done to the mother such as:
- Failure to properly monitor/track heart rate
- Failure to properly monitor induction of labor
- Improper use of vacuum extractor
- Improper C-section procedure [forceps, etc.]
- Improperly used Cesarean section
Medical negligence can be a difficult topic to discuss. When adults are injured because of medical mistakes, they may have some degree of control over the situation and what happens next in their lives. However, infants and children cannot make these decisions for themselves – which means that when parents speak out about medical negligence, they need to make sure that their children are getting the best possible support – emotionally and physically.