The birth of your child should be an exciting event, but it can quickly turn into a tragedy if your newborn suffers an injury during or shortly after birth. While it’s hopeful that your child will eventually recover from their birth injury, many birth injuries lead to long-term or even life-long impairments.
If the injury was the result of improper medical care, you may be entitled to pursue a lawsuit against the responsible parties to recover compensation for the harm your child has suffered. Supporting testimony from medical professionals can play a crucial role in the success of your birth injury lawsuit. In this article, we at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. discuss their role in the process.
What Is a Medical Expert?
A medical expert in a birth injury lawsuit is someone with the professional background and experience to understand and explain how medical negligence caused your child’s injury. Individuals whom your lawyer may hire to provide medical testimony in a birth injury case include the following:
- Neonatologists
- Obstetricians
- Pediatric neurologists
- Delivery room nurses
These medical experts can provide insight into what injuries your child suffered, how the medical professionals caring for your child caused those injuries, and how your child’s injuries may affect them in the future.
What Does a Medical Expert Do in a Birth Injury Case?
There are a few components to the role of a doctor in a birth injury claim. The doctor’s first job is to review all medical records and evidence relevant to the case and assess the actions of the doctors and nurses who delivered your child. Once this is complete, they will write an expert report detailing their findings, which your lawyer will then use during settlement negotiations.
If negotiations do not result in a settlement, your case will go to trial, and the medical expert may provide testimony before the court. In doing so, their goal is to explain the content of their report in an easy-to-understand way for the judge and jury.
Who Can Act as a Medical Expert?
Only someone with relevant medical experience and knowledge can be a birth injury expert witness in your case. Typically, this means medical experts who are currently practicing or recently retired doctors with years or decades of experience delivering and treating newborns.
However, if your child’s injuries will result in long-term disability, your lawyer may hire other medical experts to provide testimony on the impact of their injuries later in life. For example, a neurologist may be able to testify about the long-term implications of a brain injury suffered during birth.
Contact Our Medical Malpractice Attorneys for a Free Consultation
If your child suffered an injury during or shortly after birth, you may be able to recover compensation through a birth injury lawsuit — and we at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. can help.
Our law firm has recovered more than $2.5 billion for our clients, including the highest compensatory verdict award to an individual plaintiff in Illinois history and over 350 verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more. We have a diverse team of over 20 top litigators and more than 35 supporting staff members with the resources and skills to aggressively fight for your child’s rights.
Contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Illinois medical malpractice lawyer.
