Chicago Brachial Plexus Birth Injury Lawyer

If your child endured a brachial plexus injury due to the medical negligence of a healthcare worker, you may be able to pursue a birthing injury claim and secure compensation for the harm and losses your child and family suffered.

Even better, you will not have to go after this financial recovery by yourself. When you work with an experienced Chicago brachial plexus lawyer, like those from the Zayed Law Offices, our attorneys can represent you and your family in this medical malpractice claim and help you go after the just compensation you need.

About Our Law Firm

At the Zayed Law Offices, our motivation is not based on profit or making money but rather on helping our clients get the results they want and the legal help they need. Our firm is known for putting our clients first, ensuring they get the legal services they require during this challenging time, and helping them get into the position they were in before the accident.

More importantly, as a result of this fight, hard work, and dedication to our clients, we have not only helped countless individuals over the years get the results they need but also secured millions of dollars on their behalf through settlements and trial verdicts.

For these reasons, if you believe you have a valid birth injury legal claim and want to discuss your case with an experienced Chicago brachial plexus injury lawyer, reach out to our firm today for a free consultation. We can do this consultation online, over Zoom, or in a meeting with you at one of our conveniently located offices, including our Chicago location off North Clark Street, down the street from the Chicago River.

About Brachial Plexus Injuries

The brachial plexus is a nerve network consisting of five nerves that branch off the spinal cord at the neck and send movement and sensory signals from the spinal cord to the shoulders, arms, and hands. There is a brachial plexus on each side of the body.

If this group of nerves is stretched too far, such as when the arm is forcefully pulled or stretched, it can result in devastating and debilitating injuries. Yet, while these injuries can be caused by falls, car accidents, gunshot wounds, or motorcycle accidents, they most frequently occur during childbirth.

For instance, when a baby's shoulder becomes stuck behind the mother's pubic bone and requires the doctor to maneuver it through the birth canal, it can result in shoulder dystocia and contribute to brachial plexus injuries in newborns.

Common Causes of Brachial Plexus Injuries

As previously mentioned, while brachial plexus injuries can occur for a number of reasons, it is important to understand the cause of these injuries to have a better idea of whether you have a viable lawsuit you can pursue.

As a result, when it comes to brachial plexus injuries in newborns, some of the more common causes of this trauma tend to include when a medical professional is doing the following:

• Not recommending a C-section
• Performing a C-section incorrectly
• Misusing the forceps or the vacuum during the delivery of the baby
• Pulling excessively on the baby's shoulders, head, or neck during labor and delivery
• Mismanaging shoulder dystocia
• Other types of medical malpractice

Fortunately, you will not have to figure out which of these causes contributed to your child's injuries by yourself. Instead, when you work with an experienced brachial plexus injury attorney, like those from the Zayed Law Offices, these lawyers can use their knowledge and resources to determine what happened, what caused your child's harm, and then figure out what legal actions you could take next.

Symptoms of a Brachial Plexus Injury

In general, symptoms of brachial plexus injuries depend on where the injury occurred and the severity of it. For instance, injuries to brachial plexus nerves that are higher on the spinal cord will affect the shoulders, while trauma to the lower brachial plexus nerves will often affect the wrist, arm, and hand.

Yet, while this may mean that symptoms can vary, some of the more common ailments that result from brachial plexus injuries include:

• A limp hanging arm
• Loss of feeling or numbness to the hand or arm
• An inability to move or control the arm, wrist, hand, or shoulder
• Severe and sudden pain in the arm or shoulder
• Burning and stinging sensation in the arm or shoulder
• Impaired development of the circulatory, muscular and nervous system
• A decreased grip strength in the affected hand or arm
• A partial or total paralysis of the arm

In addition, these injuries can also result in pain that can range from mild to severe and become chronic, depending on the circumstances that led to this injury. This can also mean that the medical treatments resulting from this injury will be extensive, leading to substantial bills.

For these reasons, when a brachial plexus injury occurs, it's recommended that you reach out to a knowledgeable medical malpractice lawyer as soon as you can. These lawyers can help determine the extent of your losses and damages and devise a plan to pursue the maximum compensation you need to cover your child's medical expenses, including treatments now and in the future.

Bringing a Birth Injury Legal Case in Chicago

A birth injury lawsuit is aimed to help families recover financially for preventable birth injuries, including cerebral palsy, brachial plexus, and other medical conditions. This means that proving a birth injury case in Chicago is similar to other types of medical malpractice claims, and the same elements will need to be met.

As a result, the first step in proving that a medical professional was responsible for your child's injuries and damages is to establish the proper standard of care and use this standard to measure the healthcare worker's actions against it. To prove this step, a medical expert will usually have to check what the attending physician did during the labor and delivery process and compare it to what a similarly skilled doctor or healthcare professional would have done under similar circumstances.

Next, it will need to be determined whether the health care professional deviated from this proper standard of care, ultimately leading to the child's brachial plexus injuries. Unfortunately, due to the costs involved with a medical malpractice lawsuit, proving that the doctor's negligence resulted in the patient's injuries is not always enough. Rather, if you want to pursue a successful claim, you will also have to show that significant financial damages resulted from these injuries and losses.

Fortunately, when you work with one of our knowledgeable brachial plexus injury lawyers, you will not have to take on this legal action alone. Instead, these lawyers can take over your birth injury case for you, prepare strong legal arguments to validate your claim, and help you go after the financial damages your child and family deserve.

Local Issues That Can Affect Chicago Brachial Plexus Cases

Chicago is known to have some of the top hospitals and medical teams in the country. That is why it can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming to find out that your child suffered a brachial plexus injury due to the wrongful actions of a doctor or a medical care provider. Yet, these incidents happen and even occur at some of the best medical centers in the area, including Loyola University Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and the University of Chicago Medical Center.

For these reasons, if your child suffered a severe brachial plexus injury and you believe itis due to the medical negligence of the doctor or hospital, it is important to explore your legal options and determine what legal action you can pursue by reaching out to an experienced Chicago birth injury attorney for a case evaluation.

The Statute of Limitations Following a Brachial Plexus Injury

When considering bringing a birth injury claim, one thing to keep in mind is that you only have a certain amount of time to bring this lawsuit. If you do not, you can be barred from obtaining the compensation you may deserve.

For instance, in Chicago, individuals will only have two years to bring an injury claim following a medical malpractice incident. However, it should be pointed out that these regulations often have numerous exceptions that can alter this filing period, especially when it comes to a medical malpractice claim. As a result, to ensure you file your birth injury claim before time runs out, you should speak with a brachial plexus lawyer as soon as you can.

At the Zayed Law Offices, our attorneys are knowledgeable about brachial plexus injuries. They can figure out not only what timeline you have to worry about when it comes to your injury claim but, if necessary, they can make sure that all your required motions and files are prepared and submitted before the deadlines.

Financial Damages You Can Pursue After a Brachial Plexus Injury

Obtaining just compensation following a brachial plexus birth injury is a challenging undertaking, primarily since determining the extent of the losses and costs your family endured after this type of injury can be a tedious and lengthy process.

That is why it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the losses that may have resulted, such as:

• Medical expenses related to hospitalization, surgeries, medications, doctor visits, emergency care, and other types of medical treatments
• Future, ongoing medical treatments such as rehabilitative therapy, pain management, or assistive medical devices
• Loss of a normal life
• Loss of future earnings
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering
• Increased risk of harm because of disabilities

Consequently, to determine what type of damages you may be able to pursue following a brachial plexus injury, it may be best to discuss the case with a brachial plexus injury attorney from the Zayed Law Offices. Our lawyers have experience handling these complex birthing injuries and can figure out not only what types of damages you and your family can pursue but help ensure you secure the money you need so you are not left paying for the treatments and other costs associated with your child's injuries.

The Insurance Companies Do Not Want to Help You

If your child suffered a birthing injury due to a healthcare provider's wrongful actions, you likely will not be dealing with the at-fault party when it comes to obtaining compensation but rather their insurance company. However, this does not mean that this will make it easier for you to recover the money you need for the injuries your child suffered or the losses your family endured.

In fact, the insurance company will likely try to do everything possible to make obtaining this compensation as challenging as possible. Why? Because these insurance companies do not work for you or want to help you secure the maximum compensation you are entitled to.

Rather, like other for-profit companies, these insurers want to make money by minimizing costs and maximizing their revenue. This means that the less they pay you for your medical practice claim, the more money they make. That is why it is common for insurance companies to try to do everything they can to deny your claim or provide you with the least amount possible.

Consequently, before you speak with these insurance companies, it may be worth discussing your case with an experienced Chicago brachial plexus lawyer. These attorneys can handle all these communications and negotiations with the insurer on your behalf, ensuring you do not say or do something that can hurt your claim. Plus, if the insurance company denies your initial claim, these experienced brachial plexus injury lawyers can process your appeal and help you fight for the total compensation you deserve.

Actions to Consider Following a Brachial Plexus Birth Injury

If your child suffered a brachial plexus injury, the last thing you want to worry about is whether you have a viable legal case or what steps you need to take next to file a claim. However, taking action early can not only help ensure your child gets the necessary medical attention, but these steps can also help protect their legal rights.

For these reasons, following this type of birthing injury:

Get an Appropriate Evaluation and Further Medical Treatments

You want to ensure your child gets the appropriate medical treatment as soon as possible. Depending on the circumstances of the brachial plexus injury, the trauma may require further medical care as well as an ongoing assessment to ensure your child gets the proper help.

In addition, getting this further treatment can also help your attorney understand the extent of your child's injuries, the type of care they will need in the future, and the full extent of your child's losses, which can help their legal claim.

Obtain Medical Records

Obtain your child's medical records as soon as possible. This can help ensure that nobody tries to alter these documents and that they do not get misplaced or lost.

In addition, you will want to keep track of all the bills and expenses related to your child's injury, as well as paperwork related to their diagnoses, medical treatments, test results, and other financial statements, and give them to your attorney for review.

Reach out to an Experienced Chicago Brachial Plexus Lawyer

Once you obtain the necessary care your child requires, reach out to an experienced Chicago brachial plexus attorney as soon as possible. Zayed Law Offices can evaluate your claim, determine if your child has a valid case, obtain medical records and bills for you, and figure out the next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions Following a Brachial Plexus Injury

It is normal for parents and guardians to have numerous questions when their child suffers harm because of a medical professional's wrongful or negligent actions.

That is why, in the following FAQs, we will go over some of these concerns and provide the answers you need to better understand your legal options and how an experienced brachial plexus lawyer can help your situation.

At the Zayed Law Offices, our legal team has the resources, skills, and experience to take on these complicated birth injury claims and fight for the outcome your family both wants and needs.

Once hired, our attorneys can:

• Figure out whether you have a viable legal claim and the legal options you can pursue.
• Analyze the details of your case and secure the evidence needed to show fault and damages.
• Hire the medical experts needed to substantiate your claim.
• Take on the settlement negotiations and go after an offer that is fair to your child and family.
• Head to trial if these negotiations are going south, and fight tirelessly to secure the damages and justice your family needs.

To determine what can be done about your child's brachial plexus injury, contact the Zayed Law Offices today for a free, no-risk consultation, or call us at (312) 726-1616 and find out how our lawyers can fight for your child's rights.