Norwalk Birth Injury Lawyer
A medical professional’s negligence during birth can turn your family’s life upside down, sometimes permanently. If medical malpractice is to blame for your child’s injury at birth, our Norwalk birth injury lawyers can help you seek compensation for your losses. Contact us online or call 203-865-8430 to start moving forward with a free consultation.
Table of Contents
- Your Norwalk Birth Injury Lawyers: Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge, P.C.
- What Is a Birth Injury?
- Recognizing Birth Injury Symptoms
- Understanding the Ongoing Consequences of Birth Injuries
- Who Can Be Held Liable for a Birth Injury?
- What Can Families Be Compensated for in a Birth Injury Case in Norwalk, CT?
- The Importance of Having a Birth Injury Attorney on Your Side
- KJSR Helping Norwalk, CT Families Pursue Justice for Birth Injuries
- FAQs
Key Takeaways
- A birth injury may be considered medical malpractice if it resulted from a preventable medical error.
- Various medical professionals, including a doctor, nurse, midwife, or hospital, may be liable for your child’s injury.
- If you have a valid claim, you may seek compensation for the economic and non-economic effects of your child’s birth injury, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Your Norwalk Birth Injury Lawyers: Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge, P.C.
Our firm is dedicated to helping individuals and families get the results they deserve after suffering harm due to someone else’s negligence. We’ve been advocating for the injured since 1988 and have recovered numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for our clients. These include the following:
- $17 million for hospital malpractice resulting in a stillborn child
- $12.5 million for a wrongful death case against Stamford Hospital
- $7.3 million for the death of a 69-year-old man with mesenteric ischemia
- $5 million for a brain injury caused by a neurosurgeon’s surgical error
We take a personal approach to every case we handle. When you turn to us, we’ll take the time to get to know your family and understand how your child’s birth injury has affected your lives. This connection enables our attorneys to advocate for your family more effectively and provide compassionate support every step of the way.
John Kennedy Jr.
Founding Partner
John J. Kennedy, Jr., is the founding partner of Kennedy, Johnson, Schwab & Roberge, P.C. In 1988, John formed Kennedy & Johnson, along with David Johnson. John is an accomplished trial attorney, spending most of his more than 42 years practicing in Connecticut, representing injured clients before juries.
What Is a Birth Injury?
A birth injury involves any harm to a baby that occurs due to an adverse event during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or shortly after birth. These injuries affect approximately six to eight per 1,000 births. They differ from birth defects, which typically result from congenital conditions or abnormal fetal development.
Injuries at birth are sometimes unavoidable, but many result from a medical professional’s negligence. If your health care provider could have reasonably prevented your child’s injury and failed to do so, it may constitute negligence. Such negligence is grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit, a type of personal injury claim over a medical professional’s failure to meet the accepted professional standard of care.
Many factors can increase the risk of birth injuries, including the following:
- Fetal weight greater than 4000 grams, or 8.8 pounds
- Preterm birth
- Breech presentation at birth
- Prolonged or difficult labor
- Use of vacuum or forceps during delivery
- Cesarean delivery
- Maternal diabetes or obesity
Failure to properly respond to these risk factors or monitor and treat complications can contribute to injuries at birth. In addition, negligent actions like administering too much medication or using excessive force during delivery can also lead to birth injuries. Our birth injury attorneys in Norwalk can review your family’s circumstances and determine if you have a valid case.
Recognizing Birth Injury Symptoms
While birth injury symptoms can be present in newborns, some children don’t show signs until toddlerhood or later. There are many different types of birth injuries affecting various parts and functions of the body, so that symptoms can vary greatly depending on the specific injury.
Early signs in newborns may include swelling, bruising, difficulty feeding, and breathing problems. Later symptoms may include the following:
- Seizures
- Stiff or loose muscles
- Poor reflexes
- Speech delays
- Delays in motor milestones, such as sitting up or walking
- Cognitive delays or learning disabilities
It can be challenging to determine if your child’s current symptoms resulted from a birth injury. We can help you put the pieces together. If you suspect your child was injured at birth, contact our team to discuss your concerns.
Understanding the Ongoing Consequences of Birth Injuries
The effects of birth injuries are often permanent and affect a baby’s quality of life long-term. They may require mobility aids, school accommodations, or self-care assistance through adulthood. The most common lasting effects include:
- Nerve damage
- Fetal brain damage
- Cerebral palsy
- Brachial palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Facial paralysis
- Spinal cord injury
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Birth Injury?
Anyone who contributed to your child’s injury through medical negligence may be liable. Our birth injury lawyers can investigate your case and find out who’s at fault, which may include:
- Obstetricians
- Midwives
- Nurses
- Anesthesiologists
- Hospitals
- Birthing centers
- Prenatal care providers
It’s crucial to act quickly if you believe someone else is liable for your child’s injury. Connecticut has a two-year statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims. The timer may begin on the date you discovered the injury, but you must file a claim within three years of the date the medical error occurred.
What Can Families Be Compensated for in a Birth Injury Case in Norwalk, CT?
After a birth injury, your child may require ongoing therapy, multiple surgeries, and other expensive special accommodations to live a comfortable life. As a parent, you may also need to take time off work to care for your child. A medical malpractice claim may compensate your family for these economic losses and non-economic damages, which cover the injury’s emotional and physical toll.
The exact damages you’re entitled to depend on your family’s particular circumstances. However, common types of compensation available in birth injury cases include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses for your child’s treatment
- Lost wages for the work you missed while caring for your child
- Lost earning capacity due to the injury’s effects on your child’s future employment opportunities
- Pain and suffering for the physical pain and emotional distress the injury has caused your child
- Loss of enjoyment of life due to the limitations your child may face due to the injury
The Importance of Having a Birth Injury Attorney on Your Side
Dealing with a birth injury can feel isolating, and insurance companies may try to take advantage of your vulnerability to get you to accept a lowball settlement. You don’t have to face the legal process alone.
Our Connecticut birth injury lawyers can protect you from insurers’ tactics and handle the legal details while you focus on your family. We’ll do the following and more when you hire our firm:
- Investigate your child’s birth to determine what caused the injury and who’s at fault
- Gather evidence demonstrating the health care provider’s negligence
- Calculate your family’s damages
- File a medical malpractice claim
- Negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf
- Take your case to trial if negotiations are unsuccessful
KJSR Helping Norwalk, CT Families Pursue Justice for Birth Injuries
We understand the grief, stress, and anger you might feel after discovering that your child has suffered an injury at birth. Our Norwalk birth injury lawyers are ready to help you turn those emotions into action and fight for the justice your family deserves.
Speaking with our team about your options costs nothing, so there’s no risk in reaching out. Complete our online contact form or call 203-865-8430 for a free consultation about your rights and next steps.
FAQs
We answer common questions from families affected by birth injuries below.
How Common Are Birth Injuries?
Birth injuries affect roughly six to eight out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States.
How Do I Know if I Have a Valid Birth Injury Claim?
You may have a birth injury claim if a medical error harmed your child during birth. We encourage you to contact us if you’re unsure whether you have a valid claim.
Is There a Statute of Limitations for Birth Injury Claims?
Yes, Connecticut’s medical malpractice statute of limitations applies to birth injury lawsuits. You have two or three years to file a claim, depending on your case’s specifics.
Who Is at Fault for a Birth Injury?
The health care provider who failed to meet the standard of care and caused your child’s injury may be liable. This may include a doctor, nurse, midwife, or hospital.
Free Case Evaluation
"*" indicates required fields
Office Locations
15 N. Main Street #100 Suite 217
West Hartford, CT 06107
Client Testimonials
Our Results
