Tacoma Birth Injury Lawyers
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Connect With Our Experienced Birth Injury Attorneys
Connect With Our Experienced Birth Injury AttorneysBecause birth injuries can create long-term problems for your child, you need a skilled birth injury attorney in Tacoma to help you with your case.
You plan for a new baby, then wait months for his or her arrival. Finally, the day comes when you can welcome your baby to the world. You can only hope that your baby will be born without any problems. However, some babies are born with birth injuries caused by the doctor's treatment during pregnancy and the birthing process. If a doctor's negligence caused your baby's birth injuries, you might recover compensation from the doctor and the medical facility through birth injury litigation.
Jed Strong, the founder of Strong Law, worked for insurance companies before founding Strong Law in 2016. He knows how insurance companies work and the tricks they pull to deny a claim or to offer a pittance for a settlement. Jed realized that any time the insurance company won a case, that meant that an accident or injury victim did not get the compensation he or she deserved.
Since Jed would rather help people, he quit working for insurance companies to start his own firm. Instead of struggling with rising medical and therapy costs, you can use Jed's experience to help get the compensation you need if a doctor was negligent in your care prior to, during, or after the birth of your child.
With the firm's experience in settling and litigating birth injury cases, you can file a claim against the medical professional who harmed your baby.
To find out if you could recover compensation, contact Strong Law at 206-741-1053 for a free case evaluation.
FREE CONSULTATIONFiling a Birth Injury Lawsuit with Birth Injury Attorneys in Tacoma
A birth injury caused by a medical professional is a medical malpractice case. When a medical professional breaches the standard of care expected for his or her position, whether a doctor, nurse, or another provider, he or she could face a medical malpractice lawsuit. As with any personal injury case or medical malpractice case, the plaintiff – the person filing the lawsuit – has to prove that the medical professional’s actions or inactions were negligent and that those negligent actions or inactions cause injuries and/or damages.
Standard of Care for Medical Professionals
A medical professional has to meet a higher standard of care than people in most other professions. If a doctor is negligent, it could cause the life or permanent disability of his or her patient.
What are Some Damages Caused by Birth Injuries?
Birth injuries could cause several types of damages. Typical damages include learning disabilities and growth deficiencies. These are generally life-long issues that affect not only the child, but they also affect parents for life. Depending on the severity of a learning disability, the parents not only have to pay for treatment while the child is a minor, but could also have to care for the child, including providing medical care, once the child reaches the age of maturity.
This care could go on for the life of the child. If the disabilities are not life-threatening, the adult child could easily outlive the parents and would need to find additional care. If the parents meet the burden of proof to show that the medical professional was negligent, they could recover medical expenses and other compensation for a lifetime of inconvenience, pain and suffering, and the future care of the child.
Birth Injury Attorneys in Tacoma Discuss Causes of Birth Injuries
Improper Monitoring of Fetal Heart Rates
Doctors must monitor fetal heart rate during the birthing process. In many cases, when a problem is detected early, doctors can take the necessary steps to prevent problems during the birthing process. If the medical professionals do not immediately bring the baby’s heart rate under control, the baby could suffer a birth injury.
Insufficient Oxygen to Baby’s Brain
When doctors delay taking emergency actions, such as an emergency C-section, the baby could suffer from a lack of oxygen to the brain. If a mother is having trouble with the birthing process, the doctor should not wait to take emergency steps since the baby could suffer mental disabilities due to the lack of oxygen.
Improperly Monitoring Delivery Room Patients
In addition to monitoring a baby’s heart rate, medical professionals also need to monitor the mother’s vital signs. Vitals that go out of range can tell the doctors when something is wrong. Doctors then need to take the proper action to correct the problem causing out-of-range vitals, to prevent injuries or death of mother and/or child.
Wrong Dosage or Drug Provided to the Mother Prior to and During Birth
Anesthesiologists and doctors regularly provide medication – usually pain medication – to the mother during the birth of a child. If a doctor or other medical professional administers the wrong dosage or the wrong medication, the mother and/or the child could suffer from injuries or death.
Using Incorrect Delivery Room Techniques
While a mother is in the delivery room, medical professionals must provide proper care and treatment. If a medical professional does not follow delivery room protocols, it could cause that person or other medical professionals in the delivery room to make mistakes, including depriving a baby of oxygen and other mistakes that could cause birth injuries.
Delaying C-Sections and Other Poorly Performed Medical Procedures
If a delivery room doctor delays a C-section, the baby could suffer from a lack of oxygen or other injuries. Additionally, if a doctor does not correctly perform a C-section, the baby and mother could also suffer injuries or death.
Improper Use of Medical Equipment During Birth
In some cases, a medical professional might have to use certain tools to help deliver the baby. For example, if the medical professional needs to turn the baby, he might use forceps or other medical equipment to facilitate the birth. If the medical professional does not use these tools in the proper manner, he or she could cause severe damage to the baby.
Failing to Follow Delivery Room Policies and Procedures
Often, the father or another family member is allowed in the delivery room. If doctors and other medical professionals do not ensure that everyone in the delivery room, including medical staff, follows the rules and procedures, it could result in an unsafe condition for the baby and the mother.
Birth Injury FAQs
Our Tacoma Birth Injury Lawyers Answer Common Questions
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How much compensation can I recover in my child’s birth injury case?
You are entitled to recover past and future medical expenses, compensation for pain and suffering, inconvenience, loss of companionship and other damages if your child suffers injuries or death because of a doctor’s negligence. The amount you recover depends on the circumstances of the incident.
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How do I find the best birth injury lawyers in Tacoma?
Not all birth injury cases are the same, though many are similar. When looking for birth injury attorneys in Tacoma, make sure the attorney you choose has experience in both settling cases and litigating cases. You should also ensure that the attorney you choose has experience with the specific type of birth injury your child suffered.
If you lost a baby because of a birth injury, the attorney you choose should also have experience in settling and litigating wrongful death cases associated with birth injuries.
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How long does a birth injury case take?
A birth injury case could resolve within weeks or months if the medical professional’s insurance – or in some cases, the medical professional himself or herself – offers a fair and reasonable settlement. In other instances in which you need to litigate because of an unfair settlement offer or because the medical professional denies wrongdoing, it could take months or years for a case to come to fruition.
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Can I settle a birth injury case?
With the help of birth injury lawyers in Tacoma, you can settle a case if the insurance company and/or the medical professional agree that the medical professional was negligent in his or her actions and/r inactions, and the insurance company or medical professional offers a fair and reasonable settlement.
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What if my doctor recommended a dangerous activity during my pregnancy?
If a medical professional made dangerous recommendations during your pregnancy and you followed those recommendations because you trusted your medical professional, you can file a case against the medical professional if you can show that he or she was negligent in his or her actions.
Finding Experienced Birth Injury Lawyers in Tacoma
If you believe you have a birth injury case, research Tacoma birth injury lawyers before hiring one. Your research should not end until you have spoken with three or four birth injury attorneys.
Preliminary Research for Birth Injury Attorneys in Tacoma
Before you start looking for birth injury lawyers in Tacoma, make sure you understand your child’s medical condition. If you lost a baby during childbirth because of a doctor’s negligence, you should also understand what caused your baby’s death. This makes it easier to locate a birth injury attorney with experience in the type of case you have.
Most attorneys have a presence on the internet. Visit several birth injury attorney websites. If you like what you see at first glance, write that firm’s contact information and web address down. At the same time, make sure the attorney has handled cases like yours before. If you can’t tell by looking at the website, leave the attorney on the list if you like the website presentation. You can always ask the attorney about his or her experience during the initial case evaluation.
Find out if the attorney offers free case evaluations and will work on birth injury cases on contingency. Most birth injury lawyers work on a contingency basis.
Narrow your list down to three or four attorneys based on these qualifications. Then you are ready to schedule a free case evaluation. During the appointment, the attorney will review your case and let you know if he or she will take the case. At the same time, you need to finish evaluating the attorney.
During the Initial Case Evaluation
Before you meet with a birth injury attorney for the first time, you should have a list of questions. These can help you narrow your choices down to one or two. During your case evaluation, pay attention to your gut feelings. You do not want to pick an attorney if you have a personality conflict with him or her. The attorney might be the nicest person in the world, but if your personalities do not mesh, it will cause more anxiety about your case.
There are no right or wrong answers for most of the questions you should ask the attorney. However, the attorney’s answers should be satisfactory to you. Some questions you might ask include:
- How many cases like mine have you settled?
- How many cases like mine have you litigated?
- What are some of the dollar amounts you won in settlements or litigation for cases like mine?
- How do you communicate with your clients? (Email, text, phone, letter)
- How soon before you start working on my case?
- How many attorneys work in your office?
- How many cases does each attorney have?
- How long does a case like mine take if it settles?
- How long does a case like mine take if we have to litigate?
- Do I pay expenses, such as filing fees, investigation expenses, and other expenses as they arise, or do you cover them during the case?
- Do I have to pay those expenses if we lose the case?
- If so, how long do I have to pay those expenses?
- What are the average costs for investigations, expert witnesses, arbitration and other costs?
You can add questions to this list – or you can opt not to ask some. They are all important questions to ask and could make a difference in your final choice.
Attorney Jed Strong
Jed Strong is the founder of Strong Law. He knows that accident injuries can be devastating to individuals and families, so he does everything in his power to ensure his clients recover every bit of compensation they deserve. Prior to representing accident victims, Jed worked for GEICO insurance company as one of its in-house attorneys – representing the insurance companies. After learning the inner workings of insurance companies, he quit and began representing accident victims. [ Attorney Bio ]
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Client Review
“Excellent attorneys and staff!! My attorney, Peter, and his paralegal, Katrina, went ABOVE & BEYOND to get me a settlement that was even higher than my own personal bottom line. I highly recommend Strong Law for all your personal injury claims. I would not have been able to navigate this 3-year long journey without them! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!”
Anita Washington
Get Help Now from Our Birth Injury Lawyers in Tacoma
Dealing with the consequences of a birth injury or the death of a baby because of a negligent doctor or other medical professionals can be challenging at best. Instead of worrying about how to recover compensation for the loss, let our Tacoma birth injury lawyers do that. You only need to worry about your emotional recovery and the recovery from a difficult birth.
If your baby was born with a birth injury and you believe a doctor or another medical professional caused the injury contact Strong Law at 206-741-1053 for a free case evaluation.
