Giving birth can be wonderful, but a serious injury can spoil this time for you and your loved ones. If you’ve suffered at the hands of your doctors, call our firm to be put in touch with a Seattle birth injury attorney who can help with your pursuit of compensation.

While childbirth should be a happy time for the mother and family, tragedy may strike. Worse, your doctor, the person you’ve entrusted to help you through a difficult procedure, might have caused the problem.

If you or your baby suffered because of your doctor’s negligence, you deserve the chance to recover from your losses and receive justice. A Seattle birth injury lawyer associated with our firm is here to help.

A birth injury can be traumatic, and it can leave a lasting impact on your child, so don’t hesitate to call us. At Craig Swapp & Associates, we’re ready to get you help with your case today.

Types of Birth Injuries

In a serious medical situation, such as during a birth, things can go wrong quickly and lead to lasting problems or, in extreme cases, death. Both the mother and baby are in precarious situations, and if your doctor doesn’t take care during this time, the mother or baby can suffer for it.

The number of potential problems is serious. The list below is only a sample of the serious harms common in Seattle birth injury cases:

  • Cerebral Palsy – While not commonly caused by negligence, this condition can develop when the baby’s brain can’t receive oxygen during birth. Cerebral palsy can inhibit your child’s physical capabilities, among many other thing, for life.
  • Physical Injuries and Bruising – Medical tools like forceps are meant to prevent damage to the child during birth, but these tools can be dangerous. Improperly used forceps, for example, can cause cephalohematoma, a dangerous bleeding between the skull and the membrane below the skin.
  • Wrongful Death – Sadly, the mother and newborn are at a serious risk during birth, and either or both could die when a doctor or other healthcare professional makes a careless or reckless move.

Medical Malpractice Laws in Washington State

When you’ve suffered because of a doctor’s negligence, you’ll need to consider the laws surrounding your case—not just the injuries in question. Misunderstanding or ignoring the laws governing Seattle birth injury cases can mean that your case will be dismissed, which leaves you to deal with the aftermath alone. Understanding the law first will make a difference.

For example, you need to first consider the statute of limitations, which is three years for medical malpractice in Washington. If your birth injury case happened more than three years ago, then you may be unable to seek compensation. Consider speaking to a birth injury attorney in Seattle about your case before you ever file, as violations of the statute of limitations can get your case dismissed.

Fortunately, Washington is unique in its personal injury damages caps. Many states have damage caps for medical malpractice, meaning that your recovery is limited to protect doctors from massive penalties. Washington, however, doesn’t cap these expenses.

Washington courts primarily award non-economic damages based on your life expectancy and income, rather than whether the defendant is a medical professional. This gives you more opportunity to recover maximum compensation. With the right birth injury attorney in Seattle on your side, you can maximize the compensation your family receives.

Talk to a Seattle Birth Injury Attorney

After a birth injury, you and your family have likely suffered enough. You’ve seen yourself, the mother of the child, or the child suffer terrible injuries—harms that could be chronic or even deadly. You’ve seen what can go wrong when a doctor doesn’t take care with his or her work and your family’s health.

Fortunately, your suffering doesn’t have to go without compensation. A qualified lawyer associated with our firm can walk you through your case, from filing the claim to hearing the verdict, and guide you through the complexities of the law during this trying time. Birth injury damages can be overwhelming, but with the right legal help, you can get the justice your family deserves.  

At Craig Swapp & Associates, we’re committed to finding the right birth injury attorney to fight for you. Going head to head with medical professionals, hospital groups, and insurance companies can be overwhelming, but you’re not alone. With our help, you can get the results you need to recover after a traumatic time.

If you’re interested in working with us to get your settlement, contact a Seattle birth injury lawyer through our firm. We’ll be happy to refer you to our leading medical malpractice law firm partners. For more information, call us at 1-800-404-9000 or fill out our online contact form below.