Brachial Plexus Injury Lawyers in Illinois: Advocating For Your Newborn
During delivery, doctors sometimes apply too much force when pulling the baby out of the birth canal. In some cases, this can result in a newborn sustaining a brachial plexus injury. These injuries can be incredibly painful for infants. And, in some cases, they can leave significant, long-term damage.
Our Bellevue birth injury lawyers at Keefe, Keefe & Unsell, P.C., want to make sure you can hold the doctor responsible for your child’s brachial plexus injury accountable and seek any compensation you need to cover additional medical care and treatment.
What Is A Brachial Plexus Injury?
Brachial plexus injuries can occur when the network of nerves controlling the shoulder, arm and hand suffers damage during birth. These types of injuries can result in:
- Weakness
- Loss of sensation
- Paralysis in the affected limb
Treating a brachial plexus injury can be particularly expensive. Surgical costs to address the issues they cause can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Our job is to help you understand your options for securing the compensation you need to cover the cost of treating these injuries.
What Can Cause Brachial Plexus Injuries?
These injuries can often occur due to medical errors, such as:
- Excessive pulling of the head by a doctor during delivery
- Improper use of delivery tools
- Excessive pressure during a breech delivery
As your Bellevue birth injury lawyers, our role is to help you understand the legal implications and explore your options for holding those responsible accountable.
Proving Negligence In Brachial Plexus Cases
If you decide to pursue a legal claim for your newborn’s brachial plexus injury, your ability to prove negligence at the hands of a health care professional can have a significant impact on your case. We can work hard to prove negligence by:
- Establishing a duty of care by your doctor
- Demonstrating how your doctor violated that duty of care
- Show how the doctor’s actions are directly responsible for the injury
- Demonstrate how your child suffered serious harm as a result of their negligence
If you have additional questions about what our team of attorneys at Keefe, Keefe & Unsell, P.C., can do for you, give us a call at 618-403-7152.
How Long Do You Have To File A Claim?
In Illinois, the statute of limitations for a brachial plexus birth injury is typically eight years from the date of the injury. You typically need to file a lawsuit before your child’s 22nd birthday in order to have a valid claim. This timeframe is longer than that of standard medical malpractice cases in Illinois, which usually have a two-year statute of limitations.
Bellevue Birth Injury Lawyers Ready To Fight For You At Every Step
We understand how severe and life-altering a brachial plexus injury can be for you and your child. With our ability to tailor our strategy to the specifics of your case and clearly identify responsible parties, you can feel confident in our ability to pursue the compensation and justice you deserve.
Schedule a free consultation with us today by calling our Belleville office at 618-403-7152 or using our contact form.