Providence Pediatric Negligence Lawyers

Pediatric negligence occurs when a healthcare provider who is treating a minor fails to follow accepted medical standards, resulting in harm to the child. In children of all ages, even the smallest diagnostic error, medication mistake, or surgical misstep can have catastrophic and lifelong consequences.

Common examples of pediatric negligence include:

• Delayed diagnosis of meningitis, appendicitis, sepsis, and congenital heart defects
• Medication overdoses caused by weight-based miscalculations
• Birth-related oxygen deprivation
• Failure to recognize post-surgical infections

When your child is harmed by a negligent doctor, nurse, or medical employee, you may be entitled to seek compensation for all of the damages that follow. The experienced Providence pediatric malpractice lawyers at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell take time to review medical records, identify all possible causes of injury, and hold each party to full account for the harm they have caused.

Serious medical negligence can leave a child with permanent brain injury, cerebral palsy, spinal cord damage, blindness, or limb loss. These conditions may require lifelong therapy, adaptive equipment, round-the-clock care, special schooling, and more. The lifetime costs of these things can easily drift into millions and millions of dollars.

When your child’s injury was caused by pediatric malpractice, your family should not bear the burden of these expenses.

Tragically, around 4,500 children are killed through pediatric negligence every year. The families of these children will not face lifetime medical costs, but will face the emotionally devastating experience of losing a child. When pediatric negligence results in death, families are entitled to hold the responsible parties accountable and seek maximum compensation for end-of-life expenses, and pain and suffering.

The Providence pediatric malpractice attorneys at our firm have decades of experience holding negligent healthcare providers accountable. We are here to listen to your story and guide you to the solution that will help your family get justice.

In Rhode Island, any licensed medical professional whose conduct falls below the standard of care can be named as a defendant in a pediatric negligence case. This includes:

• Physicians
• Physician Assistants
• Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Surgeons
• Anesthesiologists
• Medical Staff

Anyone who works in a medical setting whose actions or inaction contribute to the harm of a child may be liable for pediatric negligence. From office staff and residents to family practitioners and medical specialists, no one has the right to injure a child.

When a child is harmed through medical negligence, it is important that all responsible parties are identified. This helps your pediatric negligence lawyer build the most effective case and can result in more significant compensation for your child and family.

At Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, we are thorough in our investigations. As a firm that focuses on medical malpractice, we have both in-house expertise and strong relationships with several outside medical specialists. By combing through your child’s records, interviewing witnesses, and investigating the events that led to injury, we can help to ensure everyone who played a role faces the consequences of their actions.

Rhode Island recognizes corporate negligence, meaning a hospital or clinic can be held directly liable for hiring unfit providers, failing to supervise staff, or lacking proper safety policies. Hospitals can also be held liable under vicarious liability for malpractice committed by their employees.

It is important to note that the path to seeking justice when your child was harmed at a community clinic or urgent care center may be different. Many of these centers receive federal funding and are deemed Public Health Service (PHS) entities. Medical malpractice claims against a PHS must proceed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, starting with an administrative notice to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Pediatric negligence claims against government entities can seem especially complex. However, at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, we aren’t intimidated by powerful opponents. We are here to stand by your side, protect your rights, and fight for every penny you are due.

Children who have been injured through pediatric negligence are entitled to seek both economic and non-economic compensation. Because the harm happened in childhood, they may even be able to seek compensation years after the injury occurred.

Economic damages cover things like medical care, assistive devices, therapeutic services, special education costs, parents’ lost income, and similar financial concerns. They are intended to cover the actual costs associated with the injury now and throughout the child’s life.

Non-economic damages include things like emotional distress, loss of enjoyment in life, and similar non-financial concerns. They are intended to compensate for the pain and suffering caused by pediatric malpractice, both to the child and the family.

Insurance companies may try to talk you into a quick settlement when your child is injured by a healthcare provider. You should speak with an attorney before you accept any offers. Most insurance offers are woefully inadequate for covering all of the damages brought about by medical malpractice, but once you accept an offer, you are barred from seeking future damages.

Talk to one of the Rhode Island pediatric negligence lawyers at our firm first to make sure you understand your rights and your options, and are pursuing the course most likely to result in sufficient compensation. 

No. Unlike many states, Rhode Island does not place a cap on either economic or non-economic damages in pediatric negligence cases. This means that a judge or jury can award whatever sum they believe will fairly compensate the child for a lifetime of intangible losses, such as diminished quality of life.

At Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, we build strong cases to seek maximum compensation for injured children. We have a long and proud history of securing large settlements and verdicts for victims of medical malpractice, and as proven trial attorneys, we have the experience needed to take your case as far as necessary in our pursuit of justice.

The Providence pediatric malpractice lawyers at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell work on a contingency-fee basis. You pay nothing out-of-pocket, and we advance the cost of expert reviews, court filings, and other expenses.

We don’t get paid until after we have secured a settlement or verdict for your family. If we don’t win your case, you owe us nothing for our legal services.

Yes. Civil verdicts and settlements can force hospitals and insurers to confront the true cost of unsafe care. In the past, actions against negligent healthcare providers have helped improve things as diverse as pediatric dosing guidelines, electronic alert systems, and staff training.

When systemic failures allow for harm to occur, legal action can bring about real change. At Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, our focus is getting justice for the children harmed through medical malpractice, but these actions can absolutely impact system-wide improvements in patient care as well.