Birth Injury Lawyers Serving Seattle
Common Causes of Birth Injuries
Birth injuries have numerous causes and contributing factors. Some of the most common include:
- Difficult or Prolonged Labor: Also known as labor dystocia, a difficult or obstructed delivery may contribute to injuries during birth.
- Oxygen Deprivation: A lack of oxygen during delivery contributes to various kinds of birth injuries, particularly brain-related birth injuries.
- Infections and Other Adverse Reactions: Viral and bacterial infections and adverse reactions to medications can lead to various injuries during childbirth.
- Improper Use of Medical Devices: Using forceps or vacuum extraction during childbirth increases the risks of physical injury and trauma to a newborn.
Birth Injuries vs. Birth Defects:
Understanding the Difference
Birth injuries are not the same thing as birth defects. Birth injuries occur during the birthing process. Birth defects, in contrast, develop while a baby is in utero, often during the first three months of pregnancy.
Remember that negligent actions by a doctor during prenatal care may contribute to birth defects or complications during childbirth.
The Long-Term Effects of a Birth Injury
A birth injury can affect your child's growth, development, and quality of life in numerous ways.
Physical Disability
Birth injuries could result in physical impairment, requiring the use of assistive devices for mobility and daily tasks.
Developmental Issues
Birth injuries that affect the brain could lead to impairment in reaching developmental milestones. This may require occupational therapy and special education.
Ongoing Medical Care
Birth injuries could lead to lingering medical problems that require ongoing physical therapy and professional attention.
Why You Need to Speak With a Birth Injury Lawyer
Familiarity With Medical Negligence Laws
Using their familiarity with state and federal liability laws, birth injury lawyers can help demonstrate that a medical professional was negligent and their negligence contributed to the birth injury.
Proven Negotiation and Litigation Skills
Birth injury lawyers can use their skills to help you recover economic and non-economic damages. They will not be intimidated by insurance companies and high-priced legal defense teams in the Seattle area.
Peace of Mind and Time with Your Family
You and your child need time to address the realities of a birth injury. While your birth injury attorney works on the case, you can spend time where it matters most: at home with your child and loved ones.
How Long Do I Have to
File a Birth Injury Claim?
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In Washington State, you have three years to file a birth injury lawsuit. Not all birth injuries are immediately apparent, however. That is why Washington permits parents to file a medical malpractice claim within one year of discovering a birth-related injury after childbirth.
Start the Legal Process Now Set Up a Free Consultation at Our Law Firm
If your child was injured in a delivery room in the Seattle area, you need to speak with a birth injury lawyer as soon as possible. Conditions such as cerebral palsy can be expensive and have lasting repercussions on your child's life.
A medical malpractice claim will allow you to seek compensation for a doctor's preventable mistakes or lapses in judgement. Our personal injury law firm can help you file a medical negligence lawsuit within the statute of limitations and start the legal process.
To request a no-obligation legal consultation with our birth injury attorneys, contact Quick Law Group, PLLC. You can also reach our personal injury office in Bellevue, WA, by phone.
Our attorneys are ready to fight for Puget Sound families in King County, Pierce County, and surrounding communities.
Call Our Injury Lawyers Today
(425) 576-8150
Our Lawyers Are on Your Side We Are Proud to Help Families in the Seattle Area
"Liz Quick is a brilliant trial attorney. I was the plaintiff in my case and I remember sitting in that courtroom thinking, 'She is incredible!' She operated with such ease and such confidence in what she was doing that I just couldn’t be anything less than in total awe of her. She also was amazingly pleasant to just be around. When you are feeling as vulnerable as I felt during the trial, having someone on your side like Liz meant so much." Deanna Z.
Multi-Million Dollar
Birth Injury Settlement
Attorney Elizabeth Quick and associated counsel secured a $16 million settlement in a birth injury case. The child suffered an anoxic brain injury due to oxygen deprivation as a result of a delayed C-section.
Evidence in the case established that the baby could not have been delivered through the mother's narrow pelvis.
The birth injury case was settled before it went to trial. The multi-million dollar legal settlement will help cover the family's current and future medical needs as well as provide financial compensation as the child grows up.
Infant Wrongful Death
Pre-Trial Settlement
In 2020, attorney Elizabeth Quick secured a $2.75 million settlement for the parents of a baby who died because of a delayed Cesarean delivery. The tragedy happened at Providence Hospital in Everett, WA.
Despite multiple symptoms of fetal distress during delivery, doctors did not perform a C-section in a timely manner. As a result, the baby suffered a severe anoxic brain injury that proved fatal.
Three different Seattle medical malpractice firms worked on the defense for this case, with extensive litigation continuing over the course of three years. Shortly before the trial, the hospital and the doctors' insurance company settled out of court to prevent the King County jury from seeing evidence of medical errors and negligence.
Our Birth Injury Attorneys Are Ready to Help Request a Free Case Evaluation With Our Team of Lawyers
Quick Law Group, PLLC has a record you can count on, and a network of medical experts who can help build a successful medical malpractice case. You can rely on the team at our personal injury law firm for support throughout your birth injury lawsuit, even if it takes years to resolve. We're committed to people in the Seattle area who need legal help.
If your child suffered an injury during delivery, contact our law office in Bellevue. You can also reach our birth injury lawyer by phone:
(425) 576-8150
Former Clients Share Their Experiences Looking Out for Families in Seattle and the Entire Puget Sound
Mama Berg
Bellevue, WA
2021
Matt & Liz Quick are a brilliant team. Their staff is also very friendly, professional, and prompt. I called the Quick Law Group on the suggestion of a friend after I couldn't get anywhere with the insurance company of the man that rear-ended me. I was still suffering years after the accident - I wouldn't settle and out of desperation decided to find an attorney. I am so glad I chose Quick Law Group. Matt and Liz walked me through everything. Answered all of my questions, and I felt such confidence in them after just the consultation. I would recommend them to anyone needing great representation in your pursuit of a fair bodily injury settlement.
View on GoogleDeanna Z.
Bellevue, WA
2021
Liz Quick is a brilliant trial attorney. I was the plaintiff in my case and I remember sitting in that courtroom thinking “She is incredible!” She operated with such ease and such confidence in what she was doing that I just couldn’t be anything less than in total awe of her. She also was amazingly pleasant to just be around. When you are feeling as vulnerable as I felt during during the trial, having someone on your side like Liz meant so much.
View on GoogleTypes of Birth Injuries
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to various disorders that affect motor skills, mobility, posture, and balance. People with CP often experience poor coordination, uncontrolled movements, and muscle stiffness. Cerebral palsy is often caused by abnormal brain development before, during, or after childbirth.
Brachial Plexus Injuries
The brachial plexus refers to a network of nerves located in the shoulder. An injury to the brachial plexus can affect a person's ability to use their arm or hand, resulting in Erb's palsy or Klumpke’s palsy. This birth injury is often caused by shoulder dystocia or trauma to the neck during childbirth.
Jaundice
Jaundice is an excessive accumulation of bilirubin in the blood. Many newborns experience jaundice that clears up without treatment. Severe jaundice could contribute to acute bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus, the latter of which can lead to brain damage, cerebral palsy, and hearing loss.
Face and Skull Injuries
The use of forceps or vacuum suction devices to assist in childbirth could inadvertently lead to injury. This could include facial paralysis or disfigurement caused by nerve and soft tissue damage. A skull fracture or other skull injury to a newborn could lead to a dangerous intracranial hemorrhage.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Excessive rotation or hyperextension of a baby's neck as the infant passes through the birth canal could lead to a spinal cord injury. Since the cervical spine is most affected by these injuries, there is a risk of catastrophic injury. This could mean decreased movement, impaired breathing, and even death.
Honesty, Professionalism, and Moral Support Our Attorneys Assist Families Throughout the Seattle Area
"Matt and Liz have great experience and provide exceptional service dealing with the personal injury cases. Not only do they give you an honest assessment of your case, deal with the insurance companies on your behalf, guide and support you though the process, they also share their experience with what kind of medical advice to seek to help you get better. I have already recommended Matt and Liz to some friends and will happily do this again." Svetlana Rowell
