Gainesville Birth Injury Lawyer
Did your child suffer an injury before, during, or shortly after they were born in Gainesville, Florida? Your child may be entitled to compensation for their injuries, trauma, and future damages. The experienced Gainesville birth injury lawyers at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can help your family seek maximum compensation.
Since 2007, our law firm has been a tireless advocate for injured children and their families in Gainesville and throughout North Central Florida. We give our clients the resources and strength they need to stand up to negligent healthcare providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and other tough defendants and help them achieve meaningful results in the process.
We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of deserving clients like you. Now it’s your turn to benefit from 100+ years of combined experience and a team that’s passionate about helping you make things right. Contact our Gainesville, FL law office to arrange a free consultation today to learn more at (877) 255-3652.
How Allen Law Firm, P.A. Can Help If Your Child Has Suffered a Birth Injury in Gainesville, FL
How can you prove that your child’s birth injury was caused by a medical mistake? Who can be held legally and financially accountable for your child’s pain and suffering? What happens if the irresponsible doctor or hospital tries to push back and deny responsibility?
Don’t try to tackle these critical issues on your own. Instead, turn to our trusted Gainesville personal injury lawyers for help. We’ll take on the hospital and insurance company, giving you the opportunity to spend time with your family as your child recovers.
As we navigate your birth injury claim, our top-rated legal team will:
- Launch a thorough investigation into the mother and child’s medical care to determine how the birth injury occurred
- Gather evidence – including the mother’s medical records, treatment plans, witness statements, photographs, and other information – that can be used to build and strengthen a legal claim for damages
- Enlist the assistance of qualified medical experts to help us more fully understand the technical aspects of your birth injury case
- Prepare and submit legal claims, affidavits, and documents necessary to move your claim forward in a court of law
- Negotiate with the hospital, healthcare provider, insurance company, and other parties on your behalf
- Prepare to bring your case to a jury in Alachua County if your family isn’t offered a substantial settlement
We know that a birth injury can be costly. Medical bills can add up quickly. If your child’s birth injury causes a permanent disability or impairment, lifelong expenses can put a financial strain on your family.
It’s critical that you hire a birth injury attorney near you in Gainesville to increase the odds of a meaningful victory. We work on a contingency fee basis so that the cost of a lawyer doesn’t stand between you and the legal assistance you deserve.
You only pay if we win your birth injury case – end of story.
Contact our Gainesville law office to arrange a free consultation to learn more. Our team is always available to take your call – 24/7/365.
Are Birth Injuries Common?
Research suggests that there are about 1.9 birth injuries for every 1,000 live births in the United States. Given the birth rate across the country, about seven children are born with a birth injury every day.
In 2020, there were 209,671 live births reported in the state of Florida, 2,551 of which were in Alachua County.
Based on national birth injury statistics, roughly 400 children in Florida likely suffered a birth injury in 2020. It’s likely that five children in Gainesville and Alachua County sustained an avoidable birth injury that year.
We Handle All Types of Birth Injury Cases
Medically speaking, a birth injury is defined as “an impairment of the neonate’s body function or structure due to an adverse event that occurred at birth.” In other words, it’s an avoidable injury a baby suffers due to trauma in the uterus, during labor and delivery, or shortly after birth.
At Allen Law Firm, P.A., we represent families whose children have sustained birth injuries that include:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Caput succedaneum
- Cephalohematoma
- Hemorrhage
- Cranial nerve injury
- Brachial plexus injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Skull fracture
- Broken bones
- Ocular injury
- Petechiae
- Lacerations
- Spina bifida
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
- Facial paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Perinatal asphyxia
- Soft tissue injury
- Wrongful death
Do not hesitate to contact our compassionate legal team if your child has sustained an injury at birth. We will help you understand your rights and can initiate legal action to hold the negligent medical provider accountable for the devastation they’ve caused.
What Causes Birth Injuries in Gainesville Hospitals?
Birth injuries are largely avoidable events. They tend to happen when doctors and other healthcare providers make mistakes or are negligent.
Commonly reported causes of birth injuries include:
- Difficult labor or childbirth (dystocia)
- Oxygen deprivation
- Improper use of delivery instruments, including forceps and vacuums
- Failure to diagnose a mother’s medical condition during pregnancy or labor
- Failure to monitor
- Improper use of medications
- Failure to identify a high-risk pregnancy or birth (e.g., high blood pressure, breech positioning, umbilical cord problems)
- Failure to recognize fetal distress
- Failure to perform a timely C-Section
These mistakes can happen when a medical professional is inexperienced, unqualified, fatigued, overworked, or when medical teams are short-staffed.
A thorough investigation into the mother and child’s medical care will be necessary to identify how a birth injury occurred and who allowed it to happen.
Who Can Be Liable For My Child’s Birth Injury?
Under Florida state law, anyone who contributes to a birth injury – directly or indirectly – can be on the hook for resulting damages and trauma.
Our birth injury lawyers in Gainesville will conduct a thorough analysis of your case and may determine that one or more of these parties are liable:
- Obstetrician and gynecologist (OBGYN)
- General practitioner
- Surgeon
- Nurse
- Nurse practitioner (NP)
- Medical staff
- Anesthesiologist
- Pharmacist
- Hospital administration
- Medical device or equipment manufacturers
We will aggressively seek damages from anyone who put your child in harm’s way and allowed them to suffer injuries.
How Much Is My Gainesville Birth Injury Case Worth?
According to the CDC, if a birth injury causes a developmental disability, a victim can expect to incur about $1 million in related costs over the course of their life. These are just the monetary costs of birth trauma – it doesn’t factor in things like mental anguish, embarrassment, or pain and suffering.
Of course, every case is different. Every child is unique, and the injuries they sustain will affect their lives in different ways.
Ultimately, the value of your child’s birth injury case will depend on many factors, including:
- The type of birth injury they’ve sustained
- Whether their birth injury will cause permanent impairment or disability
- How their injury will affect their day-to-day life
- Out-of-pocket costs and expenses they’re likely to incur as they get older
The best way to know how much money your child may be able to get is by speaking with an experienced personal injury attorney near you in Gainesville, FL. Contact Allen Law Firm, P.A. to arrange a free case evaluation now.
What Damages Are Available To Birth Injury Victims in Florida?
Children who sustain avoidable injuries at birth can receive damages for financial costs, as well as money for the emotional trauma related to their injury.
In Florida, these are referred to as economic damages and non-economic damages, respectively.
Our nationally-recognized Florida trial attorneys will actively pursue compensatory damages for your child’s:
- Present and future medical bills
- Medical devices and equipment
- Reduced earning capacity
- Reduced quality of life
- Disfigurement
- Scarring
- Modifications to the home or vehicles that may be necessary to accommodate a disability
- Chronic physical pain
- Depression and anxiety
If there’s evidence that a healthcare provider acted intentionally or displayed a conscious disregard for your child’s safety, an Alachua County jury might decide that punitive damages should be awarded to your family, as well.
What’s the Statute of Limitations For Child Birth Injury Lawsuits in Florida?
Like other medical malpractice cases, birth injury lawsuits are subject to a two-year statute of limitations in Florida.
However, since many birth injuries aren’t obvious right away, Florida law gives parents until a child’s 8th birthday to file a claim for damages on their behalf.
Once the statute of limitations expires, so does the opportunity to file a legal claim and seek compensation from a negligent healthcare provider.
Arrange a Free Case Evaluation With an Experienced Gainesville Birth Injury Lawyer
Has your child recently suffered a birth injury in Gainesville, Florida? Contact Allen Law Firm, P.A. Our Gainesville birth injury attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience and have won hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of devastated families like yours.
We’re a small, passionate law firm that will make sure your case gets the time, focus, and attention it deserves. At the same time, we have the resources and experience to rival your most powerful adversaries – including well-funded hospitals and insurance companies.
Contact our legal team in Gainesville to learn more. Your first consultation is free, so give us a call or connect with our lawyers online to start today.
