Infant Brain Damage

Baltimore Attorneys Skilled in Birth Injury Claims

Learning that your child has suffered an infant brain injury is something that no parent should have to deal with. Not only is this devastating news, it can change your entire family’s life forever. Unfortunately, in some cases, an infant brain injury is caused by the negligence of medical professionals. If your child has suffered from this type of harm in a Baltimore hospital, you should speak to a birth injury lawyer who can help you explore your options. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our team can handle each and every aspect of your case with diligence and care.

Holding Negligent Health Care Providers Accountable for Infant Brain Damage

Infant brain damage can have severe and long-term consequences for a child’s life. While there are a variety of ways an infant can sustain brain damage, lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain is one common example. This typically occurs during the birth process. There are a number of indicators that suggest that an injury may have been a result of improper medical care or trauma to the brain during birth. These indicators include the infant’s skin being blue at birth, poor Apgar scores, fetal monitoring strips that reflect that the infant was in fetal distress prior to being delivered, no family history that would raise the risk of congenital defects, or an uncomplicated pre-natal course, among others.

If you believe a medical error was the cause of your infant’s brain damage, you may want to file a malpractice lawsuit against the at-fault party. Medical malpractice occurs when a health care provider fails to exercise the level of care that another health care provider in good standing with the same training and in the same region would use in the same circumstances. Put another way, medical malpractice happens when a health care provider breaches the duty of care owed to a patient, and is careless and makes poor decisions. Moreover, the plaintiff must show that the defendant’s failure to meet the applicable standard of care was a cause of the victim’s injury. These elements generally must be established through the use of expert testimony.

Failing to file within the statute of limitations could mean losing your right to take legal action altogether. In Maryland, with regard to birth injury cases, there is one statute of limitation period for the parents’ claim, and one statute of limitation period for the injured infant’s claim. As a result, it is particularly important to understand the applicable time limits. We can help you understand the involved deadlines.

In the state of Maryland, the Health Care Malpractice Claims statute requires that before filing a lawsuit, an individual must first file with the Director of the Maryland Health Care Alternative Dispute Resolution Office. Within 90 days of filing a claim at this office, the individual must also file a certificate of merit from a qualified medical professional who certifies that, if the plaintiff’s claims are true, the negligent health care provider violated the accepted standard of care and caused the plaintiff’s harm.

Consult a Compassionate Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Baltimore

At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our experienced medical malpractice attorneys have nearly two decades of experience guiding individuals in the Baltimore area through these complex claims. We believe that health care professionals should be held accountable for their negligence. Our lawyers understand that this is a difficult time for you and your family, and you can expect us to give you the individualized and compassionate attention that you deserve. We proudly serve clients from throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. as well. To learn more, call us toll-free at (800) 654-1949 or locally at (410) 654-3600. You can also contact us online.