Infant brain injuries during birth can be devastating. Parents may feel overwhelmed and uncertain about what went wrong.
When medical negligence causes this life-altering harm, it is critical to have skilled legal guidance. A dedicated Houston infant brain damage lawyer can uncover the facts, hold the negligent parties accountable, and fight for the compensation your baby needs.
Who Is Stephen Goldenzweig, and Why Trust Him with Your Baby’s Case?
Stephen Goldenzweig is a Houston infant brain damage attorney who is devoted to helping families navigate complex birth injury claims. He has focused on medical malpractice and birth injury cases for years, gaining insight into the standards that doctors, nurses, and hospitals must follow during labor and delivery. His office is based in Bellaire, Texas, close to the West Loop and easily accessible from throughout Greater Houston.
Many families appreciate how Mr. Goldenzweig personally guides them through every step. He understands that parents need both legal clarity and compassionate support after learning that their child’s injuries may have been preventable. Whether the birth occurred at a large hospital in the Texas Medical Center or a smaller facility elsewhere in the region, Stephen Goldenzweig works with medical experts to pinpoint when and how the standard of care was breached.
Bellaire-based birth injury lawyer Stephen Goldenzweig offers a free consultation, so families can learn more about their legal options without financial risk. His goal is to help you pursue justice and the resources that can enable a better future for your child.
What Types of Infant Brain Injuries Can Result from Medical Negligence?
Brain damage in newborns can arise from various medical errors or oversights. Some injuries are more common than others, but each can bring lifelong challenges for the child and family. Understanding these conditions can help you recognize warning signs:
- Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE): This occurs when a baby’s brain is deprived of oxygen (hypoxia) and blood flow (ischemia) around the time of birth. It often results from delayed emergency C-sections or mismanaged fetal distress. HIE is a leading cause of cerebral palsy and long-term neurological problems.
- Cerebral Palsy: A disorder affecting muscle tone, movement, and motor skills that can stem from oxygen deprivation or trauma during delivery. Children with cerebral palsy may require extensive therapies and assistive devices.
- Brain Hemorrhage or Bleeding: Improper use of instruments, severe distress, or a rough delivery can cause intracranial hemorrhages. A newborn’s skull and blood vessels are delicate, so any excess force can lead to bleeding and pressure on fragile brain tissue.
- Skull Fractures and Birth Trauma: Sometimes, forceps or vacuum extractors are used incorrectly, fracturing a newborn’s skull or causing deeper brain injuries. Even a brief moment of excessive pressure can result in permanent damage.
- Diffuse Brain Injury: In rare scenarios, a baby may suffer widespread brain injury from prolonged oxygen loss or other traumatic events. This can impair multiple brain functions and lead to severe developmental delays.
When these injuries are tied to preventable errors—like failing to monitor fetal vitals or postponing an urgent procedure—parents have the right to demand accountability. The Houston infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig Law Group understand how each type of injury can alter a child’s life and will work tirelessly to uncover the truth.
Can Less Obvious Issues Also Cause Infant Brain Damage?
Not all newborn brain injuries are immediately attributed to oxygen deprivation or obvious delivery mistakes. Uncommon problems can also inflict serious harm:
- Untreated Jaundice (Kernicterus): If high bilirubin levels go unchecked, a newborn can develop kernicterus. This condition damages brain tissue, yet it is often preventable with standard testing and treatment. Failing to address severe jaundice quickly may indicate medical negligence.
- Infections or Meningitis: Babies exposed to certain infections, such as Group B strep, can develop life-threatening brain complications when medical providers fail to administer proper screening or antibiotics. Even brief delays can be critical.
- Excessive Delivery Trauma: Vacuum extractors or forceps can injure delicate infant skulls if misused. A forceful pull or repeated attempts with these tools can cause a brain bleed, especially if the physician does not switch to a timely C-section when needed.
- Delayed Resuscitation: Some newborns need immediate oxygen support after birth. If a team waits too long to intubate, provide ventilation, or clear airways, even a few extra minutes may cause severe, preventable brain damage.
- Medication Errors: Incorrect dosages of labor-inducing drugs or anesthesia can lower the baby’s heart rate or blood pressure. This can quickly rob the infant’s brain of oxygen. In other cases, a mix-up in medication might directly affect a newborn’s ability to breathe.
The Houston birth injury attorneys at Goldenzweig Law Group know that any failure to meet the accepted medical standard of care can lead to catastrophic outcomes. They investigate every angle—both the typical and the less apparent—to protect families who have been harmed.
How Can I Tell if My Newborn Suffered a Brain Injury?
Many parents do not realize right away that their baby’s health problem may stem from a brain injury. It sometimes takes time to see symptoms and connect them to improper care. There are a few warning signs:
- Immediately after birth: Low Apgar scores (especially if below 5 at five minutes), blue or limp appearance, seizures, or emergency NICU admission may point to oxygen deprivation or birth trauma.
- In the first days: Seizures, difficulty feeding, stiffness or floppiness in the limbs, and unusual crying can all indicate possible neurological damage. These signs often prompt additional testing or imaging by hospital staff.
- As your child grows: Missing developmental milestones—like lifting the head, rolling over, or sitting—can signal an earlier brain injury. Abnormal muscle tone, ongoing seizures, or delays in speech and motor skills are also red flags.
Never hesitate to seek medical advice if you notice anything concerning. If you suspect medical negligence contributed to your child’s condition, a Houston infant brain damage lawyer can review the timeline and medical records to determine if there was a preventable cause.
Who Can Be Held Liable for an Infant’s Brain Injury in Texas?
Multiple parties may share responsibility for a newborn’s brain injury. Determining liability is essential for pursuing adequate compensation. Potential defendants include:
- Obstetricians or Delivering Physicians: When an OB/GYN fails to respond to fetal distress, delays a needed C-section, or improperly uses delivery instruments, that doctor’s negligence may lead to permanent injury.
- Nurses and Ancillary Staff: Nurses who do not follow hospital protocols or promptly relay urgent issues to doctors can also be accountable. Their mistakes or omissions can be just as damaging.
- Hospitals or Birthing Centers: Facilities may be liable if their policies, staffing, or lack of proper training caused or worsened an injury. They are often responsible for the errors of employees under the legal doctrine of vicarious liability.
- Midwives or Other Birth Professionals: A midwife who neglected critical signs of complications, failed to transfer a laboring mother to the hospital, or overlooked important tests can face liability.
- Product Manufacturers: Although less common, defective medical equipment (like a malfunctioning vacuum extractor) can play a role in certain cases.
A thorough legal investigation by a Bellaire-based infant brain damage attorney often reveals whether one or more parties breached the standard of care. Identifying everyone at fault ensures you have the best chance of securing fair compensation.
How Will Stephen Goldenzweig Investigate My Baby’s Injury?
Experienced Bellaire-based birth injury lawyer Stephen Goldenzweig follows a systematic approach when evaluating infant brain damage cases:
- Free Initial Consultation: He starts by listening to your account of the pregnancy, delivery, and post-birth events. He also reviews any relevant medical records you have and explains how these cases generally unfold.
- Comprehensive Medical Records Review: Once you decide to move forward, Mr. Goldenzweig orders the hospital’s records, fetal monitoring logs, and other documents. These allow him to identify where procedures or protocols might have gone wrong.
- Partnering with Medical Experts: The Houston infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig enlist neonatologists, OB/GYN specialists, and neurologists to assess whether your baby’s injuries were likely caused by negligence. These experts clarify the proper standard of care and how it was breached.
- Building the Claim: Stephen Goldenzweig compiles evidence, including testimonies from witnesses and medical experts. He calculates the full extent of the harm—both immediate and future needs—to ensure your child’s case reflects accurate damages.
- Negotiation or Trial Preparation: Once the claim is thoroughly developed, the firm enters negotiations with the insurance providers or defense lawyers. If a fair settlement is not possible, the Goldenzweig Law Group is fully prepared to take the case to trial.
This methodical process ensures each family has the best chance to secure the resources needed to support a child with long-term medical or developmental needs.
What Compensation Can We Recover for a Birth Injury Lawsuit?
Financial compensation cannot reverse an infant’s injury, but it can help parents provide the ongoing treatments, therapies, and accommodations that a child needs. The Houston infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig Law Group often seek:
- Medical Expenses: All costs related to your child’s birth injury, including hospitalizations, surgeries, medications, assistive devices, and future care needs.
- Rehabilitation and Therapy: Many babies with neurological damage need physical, speech, or occupational therapy. The goal is to ensure these vital services are fully covered.
- Long-Term Care/Educational Support: Severe injuries may require specialized education programs or in-home nursing care. A comprehensive settlement or verdict accounts for these lifelong demands.
- Lost Earning Capacity: A newborn who suffers a profound brain injury may never earn the same living as a healthy adult. Texas law allows recovery for that loss of future earning potential.
- Pain and Suffering: This covers the child’s diminished quality of life. Although non-economic damages are capped in Texas medical malpractice lawsuits—often at $250,000 per defendant—families can still obtain substantial financial support through the economic damages side.
- Emotional Distress: In certain circumstances, families may also seek compensation for the mental anguish suffered due to the trauma of seeing their child harmed by preventable errors.
A compassionate attorney like Stephen Goldenzweig works with life-care planners to project the lifetime cost of an injury. This thorough approach is crucial in demanding the proper level of financial relief for a child’s future.
How Long Do We Have to File a Claim in Texas?
Texas law generally gives injured individuals two years to bring a medical malpractice suit. However, when the patient is a minor, the clock does not always run in the same way it does for adults. Parents often expect to have until the child turns 18, but strict provisions in Texas law can shorten this timeframe.
The statute of repose in Texas medical malpractice cases typically places an absolute limit of ten years from the date of the negligent act. Because these laws can be intricate, it is vital to contact a Houston infant brain damage lawyer as soon as you suspect malpractice. Prompt action allows your attorney to preserve evidence, consult with experts, and file on time. Waiting too long can result in losing your right to pursue any compensation at all.
What Challenges Might We Face in an Infant Brain Injury Lawsuit?
Infant brain injury claims involve unique legal and medical hurdles. The local Houston infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig address several common defenses and complexities:
- Proving Causation: Hospitals often argue that a child’s outcome was an inevitable complication, not caused by negligence. By relying on credible experts and detailed medical evidence, your attorney can prove how errors directly led to the baby’s injuries.
- Texas Damage Caps: Although non-economic damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit can be capped at $250,000 per healthcare provider, families can still pursue uncapped economic damages for medical bills and future care. Multiple liable parties may also increase total recovery.
- Emotional Toll: Many parents struggle to relive the birth trauma. Attorney Stephen Goldenzweig strives to handle as much of the legal legwork as possible, so you can focus on caring for your child. His firm schedules meetings at times and places convenient for your family, including phone or Zoom consultations if needed.
Candid discussion of these challenges helps families prepare for every step. With proper strategy, the right legal team can overcome the typical defenses and protect your child’s best interests.
Why Choose a Houston Lawyer (and Why Goldenzweig) for Your Case?
Local knowledge is essential when you are facing a birth injury crisis. Houston infant brain damage attorney Stephen Goldenzweig is well-versed in Texas law and the regional healthcare system. He has seen how different hospitals operate and knows which experts can effectively testify about local standards of care.
The Bellaire-based birth injury attorneys at Goldenzweig Law Group also prioritize personalized attention. Unlike larger firms, where clients may get lost in the shuffle, Mr. Goldenzweig maintains consistent communication and treats every family with empathy and respect. He believes in explaining complex medical and legal concepts in plain language, so you always understand the next step.
Families also benefit from Goldenzweig Law Group’s proven track record. Over the years, the firm has helped clients obtain meaningful outcomes that pay for therapies, special education programs, and even home modifications. Thanks to a contingency fee arrangement, you pay nothing upfront or out of pocket—attorney fees only apply when there is a successful recovery for your baby’s injury.
“You can definitely trust the good people here with your case. What started as a horrible car accident, ended with me receiving a great settlement.” – Brayan
Where Can Families Find Support in Houston After a Birth Injury?
Legal action is part of the solution, but day-to-day support can also matter enormously. The local Houston infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig often direct families to:
- Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Programs: Texas offers public support for children with developmental delays from birth to age three.
- Therapy Centers: Houston’s Texas Medical Center includes specialized pediatric rehab programs, while smaller centers around Bellaire or Sugar Land may also provide therapies.
- Local Support Groups: Several Houston-area networks help families coping with cerebral palsy or other special needs. Meeting other parents can offer emotional relief and guidance about resources.
These services help parents address challenges beyond the lawsuit. If you have trouble locating specific resources, ask your attorney’s team for referrals to specialized care providers, social workers, or advocates.
Ready to Seek Justice for Your Child’s Injury?
If you suspect your baby’s brain damage occurred because medical professionals did not follow the standard of care, do not wait to ask questions. Houston infant brain damage lawyer Stephen Goldenzweig is ready to listen and offer honest feedback on your legal options.
Call (713) 561-5003 for a free consultation, or visit our office at 6575 West Loop South, Suite 420, Bellaire, TX 77401. We proudly serve families throughout Bellaire, Houston, and the surrounding communities. Whether your child’s injury happened in a large hospital or a small birth center, our firm will investigate thoroughly.
The time to file can pass quickly, so reach out today. With the guidance of the Bellaire-based infant brain damage attorneys at Goldenzweig Law Group, you can fight for the compensation and answers your family deserves. Let us handle the legal burdens while you focus on your child’s well-being.