Newborns can be injured in Iowa during the process of giving birth

Iowa City, IA – One specific type of medical injury that can be a serious problem for families is when a newborn child or the mother is injured during the process of giving birth. These situations are generally called birth injuries among legal professionals. Some firms focus their efforts on helping new parents with taking action against the individuals responsible for these injuries through lawsuits and other measures.

Reasons why birth injuries happen

When doctors and nurses are in the process of delivering a child, they use various tools to assist them, administer medications, and quickly make decisions that can have important consequences for both the mother and the baby. A minor mistake at this time can cause various problems ranging from minor physical injuries to permanent birth defects or disabilities to the mother. Some of the methods and technology used to help with the delivery process in the past has also been known to be problematic and likely to result in complications.

Verifying the merits of the lawsuit with an expert

Expert testimony from a medical professional or evaluation of the situation by someone with similar credentials to the doctor in charge of the procedure may be necessary. Birth injury cases are essentially a type of medical malpractice lawsuit, and there are requirements to ensure that the doctor in fact deviated from their relevant standard of care before they can be subjected to a lawsuit. These requirements can affect the initial filings and procedures that are required to begin the case. A doctor will have to sign off on a certificate of merit or other similar documentation when the case begins.

Damages available because of a birth injury

All civil lawsuits allow the victim to collect compensation, also called damages. These may be for economic losses such as the costs of medical treatment and time away from work, as well as emotional pain, trauma, and suffering that was caused by a serious injury. Damages are decided on a case by case basis. Economic losses must be proven through things like medical bills, invoices, and other documents that can be used to associate various costs with the defendant’s negligence. Non-economic losses related to pain and suffering give a plaintiff’s attorney more room to argue, but these losses generally become larger as the plaintiff can prove a reduced quality of life and other serious effects caused by the injury.

Learning more about birth injury lawsuits

Anyone who needs more information about the possibility of a civil case against the medical professional or hospital responsible for a birth injury can contact an experienced local lawyer. Eells and Tronvold Law Offices handle various kinds of lawsuits related to accidents and injuries throughout the state of Iowa.

Firm contact info:

Eells and Tronvold Law Offices

1921 51st Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-2400

319-393-1020