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Pediatrician Malpractice

Medical Negligence Lawyers Representing People Throughout the Baltimore Area

There is nothing more worrying to parents than a sick or injured child. We trust pediatricians and other doctors who specialize in caring for children with treating our children competently. Unfortunately, each year, thousands of infants, children, and adolescents suffer serious injuries due to a pediatrician's error or incompetence. If you suspect that your child's injuries were a result of pediatric malpractice, you need to reach out to an attorney who can help you investigate what happened. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore pediatric malpractice lawyers will try to negotiate a favorable settlement, but we are always ready to take a case to trial if needed. We have won some of the most substantial medical malpractice settlements and verdicts against hospitals and other health care providers in Maryland history.

Pursuing a Pediatric Malpractice Claim

A pediatrician is a physician who specializes in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of babies, children, and teenagers. They are trained to identify a number of problems, ranging from minor health issues to serious diseases. They also routinely administer vaccinations, perform general health visits, and deal with mental or behavioral health. Pediatricians are responsible for making referrals to specialists when it may be appropriate. While these doctors are less likely to get sued than people in certain other specialties, pediatricians sometimes do make mistakes that can form the basis of a medical malpractice claim. Some examples of pediatric errors include:

  • Failure to diagnose a medical condition;
  • Misdiagnosis of a medical condition;
  • Surgical errors;
  • Prescription or medication errors;
  • Failure to make a referral; or
  • Failure to treat a medical condition.

Doctors are supposed to be diligent when diagnosing and treating children. If your child has been injured because a pediatrician failed to do his or her job properly, a pediatric malpractice attorney in the Baltimore area may be able to recover compensation through a medical negligence claim. This applies when a pediatrician causes harm or death to a child by failing to use the level of care that another prudent pediatrician would have used in the same or similar circumstances. In order to establish malpractice, you must show by a preponderance of the evidence that the pediatrician owed your child a duty of care, the pediatrician breached the duty of care, and the pediatrician's breach was a direct and proximate cause of your child's injury.

It is important to note that each of the above elements must be shown before any damages can be recovered. Proximate cause is a legal term that, in the context of medical malpractice, asks whether the injury would have occurred "but for" the pediatrician's negligence. Thus, your Baltimore pediatric malpractice attorney may need to defeat an argument that the injury still would have taken place, regardless of the alleged act of malpractice.

Any serious injury to a child can result in life-long expenses. In fact, many children who are victims of pediatric malpractice require extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation therapy, and ongoing professional care, sometimes for a lifetime. In some cases, a child may require assistive devices, such as a hearing aid or a wheelchair. Calculating damages is a complex task in these cases, but we can help you determine the damages to which you may be entitled and then help you pursue them. Common examples of damages in a medical malpractice case include medical costs, loss of income, pain and suffering, the costs of any future care, and any other losses stemming from the accident.

Get Assistance from a Pediatric Malpractice Lawyer in the Baltimore Area

Pediatric negligence can have serious, life-changing consequences for a child and his or her family. If you believe that your child has suffered harm caused by a pediatrician's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for their injuries. At Arfaa Law Group, our attorneys understand that this is not simply a legal matter but also a deeply personal concern. We handle our medical malpractice and birth injury cases with the utmost compassion. Call us at 410-889-1850 or contact us online for a free appointment.