Long Island Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) Lawyers

Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

If your baby was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), you’re likely searching for answers and legal guidance. Sullivan & Sullivan is here to help. HIE is a brain injury, and it occurs when a baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen before, during, or after labor and delivery. The severity can depend on multiple factors, which is why you need a Long Island hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) lawyer to find out what happened, who’s responsible, and how much compensation you’re entitled to.

Understanding Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Not every case of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is caused by medical malpractice. In some cases, babies may lose oxygen despite adequate medical care. In other cases, however, a doctor misses fetal distress signals, waits too long, or starts treatment too late. When that happens, the brain injury may have been preventable. A Long Island HIE lawyer’s job is to determine whether it was avoidable or not.

Standard care for moderate to severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is placing the newborn in a cooling blanket for therapeutic hypothermia. But timing is significant here. Damage from oxygen deprivation can occur in waves, so cooling must begin within six hours of birth in most cases. If a hospital recognizes the need for HIE treatment but misses the treatment window, the delay can impact the child’s health and the family’s future.

HIE and Medical Malpractice

Proving a birth injury case in Long Island can be challenging because your lawyer must show that a medical provider failed to give the care that a competent provider would have. They must also demonstrate that the failure caused the baby’s injury. To show medical malpractice in an HIE case, lawyers must carefully review medical records to uncover evidence supporting your claim.

Supporting evidence can include fetal heart monitor strips, cord blood gas results, NICU notes, brain MRI scans, and Apgar scores. However, New York law requires a certificate of merit, meaning an expert must confirm a substantial basis for a claim before you can file a lawsuit. Contact Sullivan & Sullivan’s Long Island HIE lawyers to learn more.

Compensation You Deserve

A child diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy in Long Island may be entitled to significant compensation, often for the rest of their life. Lifelong care is costly, and settlements should cover what your child will realistically need, including:

Medical treatments
Surgeries
Inpatient and outpatient therapies
Home modifications
Special education services
Mobility equipment
Medications

New York law does not cap damages because the lifetime cost of HIE care can be enormous. The state also gives families of injured children more time than in most cases because hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy injuries are not always apparent immediately after birth.

Deadlines to file a lawsuit can depend on multiple factors, including whether a municipal or public hospital was involved. Either way, there is risk, and medical records can become difficult to find over time. The sooner you contact a Long Island HIE lawyer, the better.

What Happens Next

First, we listen to your story and evaluate your case. Our lawyers can answer your questions without pressure or legal runaround and gather your child’s records for expert review. This information can show whether the care fell short or something else was at play. You pay nothing unless we take your case and secure compensation for you.

Our firm provides legal support so you can focus on your child. Don’t guess with your rights and don’t let the window of opportunity close on your child’s future. Schedule a confidential consultation with Sullivan & Sullivan today.

Contact Info

Main Office:
200 Garden City Plaza, Suite 201 Garden City, NY 11530
NYC Office:
120 Broadway 27th Floor New York, NY 10271
Main Office:
(516) 746-6446
NYC Office
(212) 206-0708
Business Hours:
M-F: 7 AM - 7 PM
Sat: 10 AM - 5 PM
Sun: 12 PM - 4 PM

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