Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) occurs when babies receive insufficient oxygen to their brains before, during, or after birth. HIE represents a kind of birth injury, often leading to lasting damage to the brain.
HIE often occurs due to medical negligence, improper actions by doctors, or pregnancy complications. A New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney could help your family if your child sustained a birth injury. Find out more by reaching out to the Birth Injury Lawyers Group for assistance.
For a free legal consultation, call 1-800-222-9529
How Do New Hampshire HIE Lawyers Help Your Family?
Your family may have the chance to secure compensation after a birth injury related to HIE in New Hampshire. Many families file medical malpractice lawsuits to address their financial losses in this situation.
However, handling all the aspects of building a legal claim can become complicated if you attempt it on your own. A New Hampshire HIE attorney can step in to address your legal needs, allowing you to focus on emotionally supporting your family.
Our team can:
Discuss Your Situation
We believe in providing individualized care for each client we accept. Therefore, we offer a free consultation so we can listen to your situation and concerns. Then, depending upon the facts of your case, we can advise you about whether to move forward legally or not.
Assess All the Facts
If we believe you have a hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy claim, we’ll move forward with gathering information from your medical records. We also work with medical records and then provide you with details about the strength of your claim.
Handle Communication for You
Building a medical malpractice claim in New Hampshire may require contact with hospitals, insurance companies, and medical professionals. We step in to handle this communication for you, protecting your claim and allowing you to focus on your family.
Build a Claim
We understand the financial strain you can feel following a birth injury. So we focus on all your losses and discuss options to secure compensation, like settling with insurance companies or taking your claim to court.
Birth Injury Lawyer Near Me 1-800-222-9529
Can You Settle New Hampshire HIE Cases?
Many parents settle with insurance companies after their child experiences an HIE birth injury. Depending on your situation, you may settle with insurance companies representing the hospital or the medical professional at fault for the injury.
Insurance companies generally offer an initial settlement offer to begin the process. However, we recommend allowing a New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney to assess any offer before accepting it.
Once you accept, you receive compensation and generally cannot seek additional funding to cover your losses. Lawyers may negotiate settlements on your behalf, ensuring you secure damages to address all your financial hardship.
Why Do Insurance Companies Consider Settlements in HIE Cases?
Many parents wonder why insurance companies would choose to settle an HIE claim instead of going to court. Insurance agents often settle because they worry about a jury potentially awarding you more compensation.
However, settlements can work in your favor, as well. Accepting the settlement offer helps you avoid the costs and stress of a trial or the potential for a jury to side with the doctor or hospital.
Speak to a lawyer about the best way to resolve your HIE claim in New Hampshire.
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How Much Compensation Can You Receive for an HIE Settlement?
Your family may secure compensation to cover the expenses associated with medical care, therapy, and special education after an HIE birth injury. We understand the tremendous expenses you can face in this situation.
Your New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy lawyer can focus on helping you secure damages to cover:
- Current and future healthcare expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship
- Lost earning capacity or wages
In some cases, the settlement may cover a lifetime’s worth of expenses related to caring for your child. However, the total can vary significantly based on the severity of your child’s condition. For example, some children with an HIE birth injury partially recover, while others require 24/7 care.
Our team assesses your unique situation and the losses faced by your family. Then, we can provide you with information about a possible settlement. We also review all offers made by insurance agents to ensure they’re fair for you.
Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Permanent?
Doctors do not currently have a cure to address all the physical results of HIE. However, fast action after delivery can minimize the severity of the condition. Your child may also receive therapy and treatment throughout their life to help with the condition.
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Does Medical Malpractice Cause HIE Injuries in New Hampshire?
Families cannot secure compensation for their losses in all situations involving HIE birth injuries. You only have the opportunity to seek compensation if someone else’s actions led to your child’s injuries.
In some cases, normal birth complications restrict oxygen to a baby’s brain before, during, or after delivery. However, in other situations, healthcare professionals engage in medical malpractice and cause the injury.
Our team focus on assessing the actions of all medical professionals involved in the birth, including:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Midwives
Note that most healthcare professionals do not freely admit to making a mistake. Therefore, many families turn to law firms for help investigating the decisions made by medical professionals during the delivery process.
A New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney can assess the specific facts of your case, working with experts to determine if medical malpractice occurred.
What Medical Mistakes Lead to HIE in New Hampshire?
All medical professionals have a duty to uphold a certain standard of care. We expect healthcare workers to behave reasonably and to offer appropriate treatments. Unfortunately, some medical workers fail to uphold these standards, leading to medical malpractice and mistakes.
Several common mistakes can result in an HIE diagnosis. New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorneys can help if a medical professional failed to:
- Monitor the mother during delivery
- Monitor the child during delivery
- Perform proper evaluations during or after birth
- Delivery in an acceptable amount of time
- Make a diagnosis in a timely manner
- Prescribe proper medication
In many cases, medical professionals fail to diagnose and provide proper care because they miss signs of a problem with your child’s head. HIE symptoms may appear during your pregnancy or labor. They even show up after birth.
Doctors have a responsibility to respond appropriately during pregnancy or delivery if they notice:
- Limited movement by the child
- An abnormal heart rate from your child
- Other signs of fetal distress
Doctors monitor the mother for cramping, back pain, and abnormal contraction. Improper amniotic fluid levels and high maternal blood pressure may also represent warning signs for HIE. Medical professionals also check on your child after delivery, looking for:
- Difficulty breathing or feeding
- Meconium staining
- An abnormal heart rate
- Seizures
- Abnormal reflexes or reactions to light
- Muscle tone abnormalities
- Lethargy or hyperalertness
It’s essential for doctors to monitor the condition of your child quickly in the time immediately after birth because some treatments may reduce the severity of HIE. However, these treatments only work if doctors start them quickly after birth, ideally within the first six hours.
How Do New Hampshire HIE Lawyers Prove Medical Malpractice Occurred?
Insurance companies, hospitals, and medical professionals generally try to avoid admitting to medical malpractice. Fortunately, a New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney can step in to show that healthcare workers failed to provide proper care.
Our team works with medical experts who can review all documentation, testimony, and records associated with the treatment your child received during and after childbirth.
We assess each action taken by medical professionals involved with the delivery, working to determine if they acted in a reasonable way. Then, we use this information to build cases for clients like you.
Is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy a Traumatic Brain Injury?
HIE birth injuries can leave your child with lifelong medical challenges. However, HIE generally does not qualify as a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which tends to involve violent actions that cause damage to the brain.
On the other hand, HIE comes from a decreased oxygen supply to the child’s brain. Even a tiny fluctuation in oxygen levels can have severe impacts on your child’s health. A few minutes of oxygen restrictions can lead to lifelong disabilities.
Reach Out to Us for Help Handling New Hampshire HIE Cases
Are you looking for help after your child experiences a birth injury? You can reach out to a New Hampshire hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy attorney for assistance today. Our team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group can address all your needs.
Complete our online contact form or call us to get started.
Call or text 1-800-222-9529
or complete a Free Case Evaluation form