Michigan Bell’s Palsy Lawyer

If your newborn has suffered a nerve problem due to a medical professional’s careless actions or negligent inaction, you have legal options and might benefit from reaching out to a Michigan Bell’s palsy lawyer for help. When doctors do not properly assist laboring women for their changing signs and symptoms, both the mother and newborn can get hurt.

If so, a medical professional might be held civilly liable to provide compensation for the injuries, conditions, and other losses a family has incurred. By working with a qualified attorney at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C, you could have a legal professional assist you with every turn of a civil lawsuit.

What Causes Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s palsy, also referred to as facial palsy or facial paralysis, is a weakness or total paralysis of the facial muscles on one side only. Essentially, the affected individual is not able to control their facial muscles on the affected side of the face and, while some cases are mild, others are severe.

This is because, while it is usually a temporary condition, it could also lead to other serious and long-term complications. Due to the nerve damage, the affected side could droop, which could impact the individual’s sense of taste, as well as their production of tears and saliva. This could arise from any number of circumstances which could be explained and investigated by a Michigan Bell’s palsy lawyer, including:

• Improper use of forceps at delivery
• Head trauma causing a skull fracture
• Long labor
• Large newborn
• Diabetic mother
• Improper use of the epidural and anesthesia during the delivery process;
• History of birth trauma to the mother
• A viral infection such as herpes

Proving Fault for Facial Paralysis in Infants

While some causative factors of Bell’s palsy could not be placed on a medical professional, doctors should be trained to understand the standard of care they have agreed to and how to best handle patients who show the potential for these conditions. Indeed, every doctor has a legal and ethical duty to treat all patients with the same standard of care that another reasonably prudent doctor would use. If the doctor violates this duty and a newborn is afflicted with a condition, the doctor might be held legally liable.

Simply put, when a doctor assumes care for a patient, they are liable for their medical care. However, in a malpractice lawsuit, a claimant and their Michigan lawyer must be able to show that a doctor was negligent in diagnosing or treating the mother or baby for Bell’s palsy. Furthermore, it must then be proven that the plaintiff—or their infant—suffered injuries and damages that are directly linked to the defendant’s negligence.

What is the Statute of Limitations?

As detailed in Michigan Compiled Laws § 600.5851, for any child under the age of 8 who was harmed during birth, a claim should be filed within two years or before the child turns 10—whichever timeframe is longer. This determination will depend on which time period is longer. Because of this, a hardworking lawyer who is familiar with how Bell’s palsy mistreatment cases are handled in Michigan could be vital to filing a timely claim.

Call a Michigan Bell’s Palsy Attorney

Bell’s palsy could have a serious impact on the life of a newborn, leading to disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and even difficulties eating. If your newborn’s condition was caused by a physician or doctor’s neglect, you might wish to seek the legal advice of a Michigan Bell’s palsy lawyer.

Along with requesting compensation for their newborn’s suffering, a parent could also demand recovery for the cost of medical bills and other associated losses that might help to give them a sense of justice and ease their financial strain. Call a legal professional at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C. today to get started on a case.