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Minneapolis Medical Malpractice Lawyers > Minneapolis NICU Injury Lawyer

Minneapolis NICU Injury Lawyers

A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is usually the best place for at-risk newborns to gain strength so they may join their families at home. NICU nurses, doctors, and other professional staffers have additional qualifications and experience. Furthermore, especially at large Minneapolis hospitals, NICUs have the most advanced possible equipment. Finally, most NICUS have family-friendly environments. The hospital tries to make the NICU as much like the regular nursery as possible.

These same features often cause injuries. Many medical professionals are overconfident in their own abilities. They do not believe the rules apply to them. NICU equipment could be an issue as well. BPD (Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia). Usually, NICU teams put premature babies and other infants with breathing issues on ventilators. Since these newborn lungs are underdeveloped, too much time on an advanced ventilator could cause a permanent lung injury.

Finally, infection is a high risk in most NICUS. Usually, these portions of hospitals do not have much space. They aren’t designed to accommodate more than a handful of infants. A sudden emergency that raises NICU admissions greatly increases the risk of infections. Since infants have basically no immune system, almost any bacterial or other infection could be imminently life-threatening.

The compassionate Minneapolis NICU injury lawyers at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman understand the sensitive nature of these cases. Many of the people on our professional team have undergone the same hardships. So, we take extra care to guide your family through the complex legal claims process. All the while, we never lose sight of the ultimate goal, which is maximum compensation for your serious injuries.

Liability Issues

This compensation is available if the victim/plaintiff proves negligence, or a lack of care, by a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely than not. There are four basic components of a medical negligence case, like a NICU injury claim:

  • Duty: Medical doctors have a fiduciary duty. That’s the highest level of legal responsibility in the United States. The doctor in charge is ultimately responsible for the negligence of everyone on the NICU healthcare team.
  • Breach: Basically, a breach is a violation of the duty of care. Common NICU errors include failure to properly monitor babies and failure to properly respond to emergencies. Since the burden of proof is so low in civil cases, it doesn’t take much evidence to establish a breach.
  • Cause: A Minneapolis NICU injury lawyer must establish both factual and legal cause. Factual cause is but-for causation, as in the injury wouldn’t have occurred but-for the lack of monitoring, lack of response, or whatever the beach was. Legal cause means foreseeability (possibility).
  • Damages: Usually, the victim must sustain a physical injury. The emotional trauma of a near-miss emergency might not be sufficient to establish this element of a negligence claim.

The compensation in a negligence claim usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are often available as well, in some extreme cases.

Connect with a Diligent Hennepin County Lawyer

Injury victims are usually entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced NICU injury lawyer in Minneapolis, contact Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman LLC by going online or calling 410-567-0800. We handle birth injury matters on a nationwide basis.

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