Birth asphyxia can happen before, during, or after the birth of the child. This happens when the child doesn’t get enough oxygen for one reason or the other. If a doctor doesn’t properly monitor the mother, he or she could easily miss this potentially deadly condition. If your child suffered injuries, is permanently disabled, or died because of birth asphyxia, contact a Chicago birth asphyxia lawyer for a free case evaluation.
Why Choose Zayed Law Offices
Asphyxia could happen in the weeks before, during, and after birth. When a fetus does not have the proper gas exchange or blood flow—asphyxia—it could cause injuries that may or may not result in permanent disabilities or death. The lack of oxygen causes the muscles, heart, liver, and brain to shut down.
Zayed Law Offices in Chicago represents families who have suffered because of birth asphyxia, whether the fetus died or has injuries or disabilities. We understand that this is a difficult time for the parents, which is why we investigate the case and will ensure you recover the compensation you deserve while also ensuring the negligent medical professionals and their insurance companies do not violate your rights.
Birth asphyxia cases are complex cases that involve reviewing medical records and medical professionals’ actions and inactions prior to, during, and after the birthing process. We consult with expert witnesses—other doctors and medical professionals in this field—to determine whether your medical professionals were negligent.
Zayed Law Offices in Chicago offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. If you retain our firm to represent your rights and recover the compensation you deserve, you do not pay us unless we win your case.
Chicago Birth Asphyxia Guide
- Recovering Compensation
- Birth Asphyxia Injuries
- Fighting the Insurance Companies
- What to Do if Your Child Suffers Injuries or Dies Because of Birth Asphyxia
- Contact a Chicago Birth Asphyxia Attorney
Recovering Compensation for Birth Asphyxia
If your child suffered injuries, has long-term or permanent disabilities or died because a medical professional’s actions or inactions caused birth asphyxia, you can recover compensatory damages in the form of economic and/or non-economic damages. The court orders compensatory damages in an attempt to make you whole again.
While the money doesn’t erase your child’s injuries or disabilities and doesn’t bring a child back, it does help you with the financial stress you may have because of medical expenses.
Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as special damages, economic damages have a monetary value and include:
- Medical expenses.
- Loss of future earning capacity if the child has permanent disabilities.
- Death-related expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages do not have a monetary value and include:
- Pain and suffering, including emotional distress.
- Loss of quality of life.
- Loss of companionship.
Birth Asphyxia Injuries
If doctors properly monitor the mother and opt for cesarean birth, or during natural childbirth, make the call for an emergency cesarean sooner, they can reduce the number of birth asphyxia incidents.
When a medical professional does not take prompt action during birth or improperly monitors the mother prior to birth, he or she could be negligent.
Causes of birth asphyxia include:
- Not enough oxygen in the mother’s blood.
- The umbilical cord compresses.
- The umbilical cord leaves the cervix before the baby—umbilical cord prolapse.
- Premature births.
- The baby inhales a mixture of its first feces and amniotic fluid.
- Amniotic fluid embolism.
- The mother has an infection during labor.
- The muscular wall of the uterus tears.
- The placenta separates from the uterus.
- The labor is difficult or prolonged.
- The mother has high or low blood pressure during the pregnancy.
In some cases, the results of birth asphyxia are temporary, but in many cases, birth asphyxia causes long-term or permanent injuries or death.
Fighting the Insurance Companies
When you bring a medical malpractice case, you go up against the medical professional’s or hospital’s insurance companies. They hire pricey lawyers or have pricey lawyers working in-house.
Because insurance companies are in business to make money, their attorneys will fight tooth and nail to deny your claim. In cases where it is too obvious the medical professional is at fault for the baby’s asphyxia, the insurance company might offer a pittance in the hope that you will stop bothering them.
When you retain a Chicago birth asphyxia attorney at Zayed Law Offices, you retain an advocate who fights for your rights and isn’t afraid to go up against the big law firms that insurance companies retain.
We make initial contact and, once we review and investigate your case, send a demand letter to open settlement negotiations. Many of the cases we bring against medical professionals end up settling.
However, if the insurance company refuses a fair and reasonable settlement, we will not hesitate to take legal action through the courts. Our Chicago birth injury attorneys are adept at settling and litigating birth injury cases.
What to Do if Your Child Suffers Injuries or Dies Because of Birth Asphyxia
Your doctor may have already diagnosed and tried to treat the baby, but you can always seek a second opinion if your doctor states that the child will have long-term or permanent injuries. If you choose this route, do not wait, as the sooner a doctor treats your child, the better chance of having your child make a more complete recovery.
Always keep all appointments with doctors. Additionally, you should keep receipts and invoices for anything you pay out-of-pocket that is related to your child’s birth asphyxia. If the medical professional was negligent, he or she is responsible for paying for your child’s expenses, as well as other damages.
Once you retain a Chicago birth asphyxia lawyer at Zayed Law Offices, bring all medical records and receipts to the office. We will need them to help determine economic damages.
Contact a Chicago Birth Asphyxia Attorney
If you lost a child due to birth asphyxia or a child has injuries or might have permanent disabilities because of a medical professional’s actions or inactions that might have caused birth asphyxia, contact a Chicago birth injury attorney at Zayed Law Offices by calling (312) 883-6907 for a free case evaluation as soon as possible.
Client Testimonial
“My experience with Zayed law was phenomenal!!! They keep me in the loop with details throughout my entire case. They were there to answer all questions I may have had. Made sure all insurance parties did their part. I had no headaches or stress from dealing with anything. They literally handled it all. They pushed for me to receive every dime I deserved! It took about a year in a half for me to settle with my lawsuit! I can’t thank them enough!” -Shannon H. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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