The birth of a child should be one of the happiest experiences of a parent’s life, yet for some families it is fraught with tragedy. When a mistake is made during birth, the consequences can affect the child for the rest of his or her life. These types of mistakes are often the result of negligence by a doctor, nurse or another health care professional. You need to take action.
If your child suffered a birth injury in Chicago, Illinois, you may have the right to pursue compensation through a medical malpractice claim. The Chicago birth injury lawyers at Gill Ports Hoste LLC represent families whose children have been harmed by negligent medical care. We can help you seek accountability and a financial award that accounts for your child’s injuries and your family’s emotional distress.
Our firm has decades of experience handling complex malpractice cases and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injured clients across Illinois. Our Chicago injury lawyers have the resources and experience necessary to hold negligent healthcare providers fully accountable. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation and learn more about your rights.
Why Families in Chicago Choose Gill Ports Hoste LLC for Birth Injury Claims
Gill Ports Hoste LLC has built a reputation as one of Illinois’s go-to birth injury law firms. Clients choose us because:
- We’ve recovered hundreds of millions in Chicago medical malpractice cases
- Our attorneys are recognized leaders in the field of birth injury claims
- We have decades of experience handling cases against the largest healthcare providers in Illinois
- We prioritize a financial recovery that fully accounts for your child’s needs, now and into the future
- We provide personalized client service that makes you feel seen and heard during this difficult time
Call us today to schedule a free case review with a Chicago birth injury attorney. We represent medical malpractice clients on a contingency fee basis; you owe no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.
How a Chicago Birth Injury Attorney Can Help Your Case
Proving a birth injury claim requires a detailed review of the medical care provided throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Healthcare providers are expected to follow established medical standards. If they failed to provide proper care or respond to complications, they may be liable for your child’s injuries.
An experienced Chicago birth injury lawyer can investigate whether negligent medical care contributed to your child’s condition. An attorney can assist your family by:
- Reviewing prenatal care records, labor and delivery documentation, and other important documentary evidence
- Consulting with leading medical experts to identify the proper standards of care and evaluate how your child’s providers deviated from them
- Identify errors in responding to complications during labor
- Locating all doctors, nurses, hospitals, or healthcare facilities responsible for the incident
- Fully assessing your child’s current and long-term medical needs so they can live the best life possible
- Calculating the full financial impact of the injury on your family
- Demanding full compensation in negotiations and/or in court
Having an attorney significantly improves your odds of a favorable outcome. Contact our law firm today to learn more about how an experienced attorney can strengthen your birth injury claim.
Overview of Birth Injuries and How They Occur
A birth injury refers to physical harm suffered by a baby during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Many birth complications result from preventable medical mistakes.
When doctors fail to recognize warning signs or respond appropriately to complications, they may be liable for the resulting harm to the baby or mother.
Common birth injuries involved in medical malpractice claims include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Brachial plexus injuries such as Erb’s palsy
- Brain injuries caused by oxygen deprivation
- Fractures or nerve damage during delivery
- Spinal cord injuries
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Facial nerve injuries
- Complications from Jaundice
While some children recover with medical treatment and therapy, others may face lifelong disabilities requiring extensive care.
What Causes Birth Injuries in Illinois?
Some birth injuries are unavoidable and stem from genetic conditions or other factors outside a medical provider’s control. However, many occur due to a doctor or medical professional’s failure to adhere to proper medical standards during prenatal or birth care.
These injuries often occur due to:
- Failures to monitor fetal distress
- Delays in performing a necessary cesarean section
- Misuse of delivery tools such as forceps or vacuum extractors
- Failures to properly manage complications during labor
Importantly, liability for a birth injury may extend beyond the delivering physician. Common defendants in birth injury cases include obstetricians, nurses, hospitals, medical clinics, and other healthcare providers associated with prenatal care or delivery.
Risk Factors For A Birth Injury
Any serious trauma that affects a mother or infant can increase the chance that a newborn will suffer from a birth injury. Risk factors for birth injuries may include:
- Late or variable decelerations on electronic fetal monitoring
- Breech birth (during which a newborn is born feet first, rather than head first)
- Fetal infections
- Maternal infections
- Premature birth (born before 37 weeks)
- Low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs.)
- Prolapsed umbilical cord
- Nuchal cord
Our dedicated attorneys conduct thorough investigations into birth injuries, consulting with respected experts in the medical field to build persuasive cases that can stand the test of trial.
What Types of Compensation Are Available in Chicago Birth Injury Cases?
When a child suffers a birth injury due to negligent medical care, families may be entitled to pursue compensation through a medical malpractice claim. These claims award economic and non-economic damages to cover the costs of your family’s financial and personal losses related to the birth injury.
A successful claim may provide compensation for your:
- Medical expenses related to the birth injury
- Future medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation
- Specialized equipment or assistive devices
- Home modifications and long-term care needs
- Lost future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering experienced by the child
- Emotional distress suffered by the family
- Reduced quality of life
- Wrongful death damages
Birth injuries often require lifelong medical treatment and specialized care. A medical malpractice claim can help reduce the financial burdens that might come with such care and place monetary responsibility on those who caused the injury, rather than the family left managing their child’s condition.
An experienced attorney can help you understand what your claim may be worth. They can also consult with experts to assess your family’s complex damages related to your child’s future care.
Contact a Chicago Birth Injury Lawyer for Help Seeking Compensation
A birth injury can permanently alter the course of a child’s life and place significant emotional and financial strain on families. If this describes your situation, you deserve answers and accountability from the medical providers who caused the injury.
Gill Ports Hoste LLC has decades of experience representing victims of medical malpractice throughout Illinois. We realize we can’t turn back the clock and prevent injury from happening, but we can help you secure the compensation you need to provide the best possible life for your child.
Contact us today to speak with a Chicago birth injury lawyer to learn more about your legal options. There is no cost for your consultation, and we work on a contingency fee basis, making the financial risk of seeking legal help minimal.
To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced birth injuries lawyer, contact Gill Ports Hoste LLC, at (312) 372-8893 or by email.
Based in Chicago, we represent clients throughout Illinois.