Finding out that your child has a birth injury is a harrowing experience. Once you get over the initial shock, you might find that you have to start thinking about providing for your child in the future. Raising a child who has special needs isn’t inexpensive. You might choose to seek compensation. If you do, think about these six expenses of raising a child who has a birth injury.
#1: The cost of current medical care
A birth injury will likely lead to your child spending time in the hospital right after birth. Some levels of care, such as time in the neonatal intensive care unit, is pretty expensive. Tests and treatments can also rack up charges, even if the child isn’t in a high care unit. You must consider the cost of the baby’s current hospitalization and medical care.
#2: The cost of future medical care
Birth injuries might require long-term or lifelong care. You must think about the cost of getting your child that care. This can include future doctor appointments, therapy appointments, medications and other similar costs. If you choose to seek compensation, you must include the cost of future care into the claim.
#3: The loss of income you will face
There is a chance that you must quit your job or take time off of work. In these cases, you must factor this into your claim. For more serious birth injuries, you may not be able to return to work because you will serve as your child’s primary caregiver.
#4: Modifications to your home or vehicle
A birth injury that leads to your child needing a wheelchair or medical walker might mean that you must retrofit your home and vehicle to accommodate those needs. The cost of these modifications is a factor in the damage amount you seek as part of your claim for compensation.
#5: Assistive devices for your child
Assistive devices and similar items aren’t cheap. You must determine the cost of what your child needs now and in the future so you can include this in your claim. This isn’t always something that is easy to determine, but trying to think about it now can help you to ensure that you aren’t bypassing any costs that might be prohibitive.
#6: Personal care assistance
Your child might need personal care, such as home health help. This is another factor that you must consider when you are getting a claim for compensation together. Personal care items, such as diapers past the normal diapering stage and similar items, also come into the picture.
If you believe you have a birth injury case, speak with the Covington medical malpractice attorneys at The Lawrence Firm, PSC right away.