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Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Lawyer in New Jersey

HIE Birth Injury Lawsuits

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) around 2 out of every 1,000 children born at full term in the United States are affected by Infant Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).

HIE is brain damage that occurs when a fetus’ brain fails to receive an adequate amount of oxygenated blood:

  • Hypoxia means inadequate oxygen supply.
  • Ischemia means insufficient blood flow.
  • Encephalopathy means it affects the brain.

HIE is a type of acquired brain injury, which means it is not congenital or hereditary. Instead, it may result from the negligence of physicians, nurses, or other health care providers who fail to meet the standard of care when treating mothers during pregnancy or childbirth.

If your child was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and you have concerns that it may have been caused by medical negligence, call Levinson Axelrod, P.A. Our award-winning New Jersey HIE attorneys can evaluate your case and whether you may have the ability to bring legal action.

Contact us for a free and confidential case review.

How Do I Know if Negligence Caused My Child’s HIE?

The most effective way to determine if medical malpractice played a role in causing your child’s injuries is to have your case evaluated by an experienced attorney.

At Levinson Axelrod, P.A. our birth injury team helps families evaluate whether a provider breached their legal duty when treating mothers and facilitating labor and delivery, and how that may have caused their injuries.

Although every case is unique, all health care providers have legal obligations to treat their patients in accordance with accepted standards of their profession. Proper evaluations, monitoring, and care can prevent HIE, but deviations from the standard of care can greatly increase risks of brain damage.

Medical negligence may cause HIE in various ways. Examples include:

  • During Pregnancy. Medical negligence during pregnancy can contribute to issues that can result in HIE. This includes failing to diagnose complications or timely detect and treat issues such as maternal infection, placental abruption, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, among others.
  • During Labor & Delivery. Meeting the standard of care is essential for positive outcomes in labor and delivery. Examples of negligence that may lead to oxygen deprivation and HIE brain damage include failures to monitor fetal heart rate, failure to detect and timely respond to fetal distress, improper induction or use of labor-inducing drugs, failure to perform a C-section, and failure to respond to abnormal fetal or umbilical cord position.
  • After the Delivery. Because oxygen deprivation can have devastating consequences, the standard of care may require that providers timely intervene to reduce risks of serious injury. This includes the use of therapeutic head cooling (hypothermia), which is an accepted treatment for babies born with HIE. Providers should also take steps to address other neonatal concerns, such as dangerously low blood pressure, mechanical head trauma, and infections.

Medical care has advanced to the point where early intervention can provide life-saving treatment. If providers fail to timely detect complications and intervene, however, they can greatly increase the risks of lasting cognitive issues, developmental delays, motor skill delays, seizures / epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. The most severe cases of HIE can result in wrongful death.

Call for a FREE Case Evaluation: (732) 440-3089

If your doctor’s negligence or wrongdoing let to your child suffering the devastating effects of HIE, you have the right to file a lawsuit to seek the compensation you deserve.

At Levinson Axelrod, P.A. we leverage the insight of an attorney who has over 20 years of experience as a physician, Certified Civil trial Specialists, and medical experts to investigate birth injury cases and help families fight for justice. Since our founding, we have won over $1 billion for our clients, and more than $350 million in the past 5 years along.

To discuss a potential HIE lawsuit and how our New Jersey attorneys can help, contact us for a free consultation. We proudly serve families throughout the state.

Only the Best Possible Result

Helping Clients Get the Compensation They Need
  • Medical Malpractice Settlement $12,500,000
  • Tractor-Trailer Jury Verdict $8,000,000

    A 35-year-old laborer who resides in Kearny was seriously injured while working on the median of a highway when a passing tractor-trailer lost a wheel that struck him. Evidence at trial established that after a recent tire change, the lug nuts were not properly secured by both the owner and the independent contractor who had installed the tire. Our client suffered severe head and orthopedic injuries and is now totally disabled as a result of the accident.

  • Premises Liability Jury Verdict $7,000,000

    A woman was putting her 3-year-old son on a carnival amusement ride while holding onto a portable fence when she received an electrical shock. Our client was hospitalized and later developed Traumatic Dystonia, a condition that caused tremors in the hand and makes the fingers curl.

  • Personal Injury Settlement $7,000,000

    A Middlesex County man was severely injured and burned as a result of a collision with a truck. The truck driver had lost control of his vehicle and had come through a median barrier which had failed to redirect the truck away from oncoming traffic. Expert testimony established that the median barrier was defective and therefore failed to protect motorist from this type of accident.

  • Personal Injury Jury Verdict $6,000,000

    A female drunk driver crashed into plaintiff’s vehicle causing multiple fractures to the right ankle and foot. Plaintiff’s doctor testified that plaintiff would be under pain management protocol for the rest of his life due to this condition.

  • Tractor-Trailer Settlement $3,700,000

    A Morristown woman was injured when her vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer that lost control on black ice on Interstate 287. The defendant's truck had jack-knifed as it was changing lanes in order to avoid an earlier accident. The accident resulted in our client suffering severe head injuries.

  • Product Liability Jury Verdict $3,500,000

    Worker injured by product defect on his commercial truck.

  • Personal Injury Verdict $3,200,000

    Levinson Axelrod, P.A. Partner Kim Gozsa recently obtained a $3.2 million dollar verdict on behalf of a client who was injured in a slip and fall accident at an outlet shopping plaza in Jackson, New Jersey. The substantial jury award stems from a case in which Kim’s client slipped and fell on ice on a sidewalk at the Jackson Premium Outlets, an outlet shopping center in Jackson Township, New Jersey.

  • Personal Injury Settlement $3,000,000

    A 31-year old iron worker was injured in a construction site accident when he was struck in the head by a cinder block. Despite the facts that he was wearing a hard hat at the time, the plaintiff still received a serious closed head injury resulting in both memory loss and total disability. The case was handled by both Richard Levinson and James Dunn and settled at the time of trial.

  • Wrongful Death Jury Verdict $3,000,000

    A worker developed asbestosis and lung cancer due to Asbestos exposure. Evidence at trial proved asbestos to be a defective product, which causes harm to workers who use it. Jury awarded the victim's widow damages for wrongful death.

  • Premises Liability Jury Verdict $3,000,000

    An Edison delivery man slipped on a wet floor while delivering a package. He broke his knee in the fall and suffered an injury to his spine, which in turn aggravated pre-existing conditions of incontinence and impotence which had been caused by previous injuries.

  • Premises Liability Jury Verdict $3,000,000

    Our client, a North Plainfield man, was injured when he slipped and fell on snowy steps while exiting his building. He suffered a lumbar disc injury, requiring surgery. The jury found his landlord 100% liable for the accident for failing to clear the steps to the building.

  • Inadequate Security Jury Verdict $2,700,000

    A mother of nine was shot and killed while working at a convenience store. Evidence at trial proved a lack of adequate security, including a panic button and outgoing phone line, had placed this worker at risk. Expert testimony also established that there was an increased risk of criminal activity in convenience stores which had inadequate surveillance equipment. The matter was upheld on Appeal, and settled prior to being reviewed by the New Jersey Supreme Court.

  • Third-Party Work Injury Settlement $2,650,000

    The plaintiff sustained a traumatic amputation of one leg, and a crush injury to the opposite foot, in a construction site accident. The claim was brought against the Department of Transportation, as it had a duty to monitor safety on the work site and its failure to do so contributed to the happening of this accident.

  • Auto Accident Settlement $2,500,000

    Levinson Axelrod Partner, Mark V. Kuminski represented a local Franklin Township woman who was involved in a three-car motor vehicle accident. The incident occurred when one of the drivers, later named as the defendant in the personal injury lawsuit filed by Mark and our firm, rear-ended a vehicle that had been stopped. Mark’s ability to express the full scope of damages incurred by our client, proved successful in compelling the jury to rule in our client’s favor.

  • Motorcycle Collision Settlement $2,500,000

    A young man was seriously injured while riding his motorcycle to work when another driver made a left hand turn in front of him, leaving our client had no memory of the accident. He suffered a number of serious fractures and underwent multiple surgeries, leaving him with disabilities. The case settled on the second day of trial.

  • Premises Liability Settlement $2,500,000

    Our client was injured while delivering a 3,000 pound piece of equipment to defendant's premises. The defendant's employees were assisting our client in unloading the product when one of them prematurely activated the lift gate, causing the piece of equipment to fall and strike his legs. He suffered serious injuries to both legs, requiring multiple surgeries.

  • Personal Injury Settlement $2,500,000

    Our client suffered a traumatic head injury after falling due to an unsecure railing.

  • Personal Injury Settlement $2,500,000

    A $2.5 million settlement secured by Levinson Axelrod, P.A. Partner Brett Greiner.

  • Personal Injury Jury Verdict $2,250,000

    The plaintiff injured her ankle when she stepped into a cement cut out in a commercial sidewalk where a tree had been planted. The plaintiff had been walking on the sidewalk on her way to a down town holiday festival. Her attention had been distracted by a negligently placed chestnut grilling stand, thereby diverting her attention away from the cut out. The plaintiff brought claims against both the property owner and the operator of the chestnut stand.

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Levinson Axelrod, P.A. is committed to helping good people through difficult times. We build real relationships and make communication a priority to provide the best possible service and results.

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  • “Fran, Just want to say thanks for all that you guys did for me. I really appreciate it. Thank you!”

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  • “Because of everything they did for my family, I will be able to rest a little easier knowing I have a cushion to fall back on.”

    - Anonymous
  • “I would also recommend you to those who like to work with a professional and WIN! You are Levinson Axelrod’s shining star!”

    - G.A.

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