The time around the birth of a baby should be full of hope and happiness. However, if a complicated delivery resulted in a birth injury, it could be among the saddest and most stressful times a family ever experiences.
If you believe medical error or negligence caused your newborn to suffer severe or permanent complications, consult a Danbury birth injury lawyer. With the help of a seasoned attorney, you could be able to pursue the payments you need to care for your child.
Obstetrical doctors, nurses, midwives, and others involved in providing care during pregnancy and childbirth have a responsibility to safeguard mothers and their babies during development and birth. Although not every condition that could lead to a birth injury is preventable, many are. An experienced obstetrical malpractice lawyer in Danbury could assess a specific case and decide whether carelessness or incompetence led to a birth injury.
For example, a birth injury might occur if a healthcare provider did not discover or monitor any pre-existing conditions in the mother that could affect their pregnancy or ability to deliver a child safely. A failure to diagnose maternal diabetes or preeclampsia could also lead to birth injuries.
Mistakes during delivery can lead to injuries during birth. Failure to recognize fetal distress, delay in proceeding with a caesarian section, and clumsy surgical techniques during a caesarian could harm the baby. A baby could also suffer injuries during vaginal delivery if the healthcare provider chose the wrong assistive birth device or did not utilize proper techniques.
Many birth injuries are primarily cosmetic, such as bruises or cuts from forceps or vacuum extractors. Others, such as bone fractures, could resolve in time without permanent consequences. Some birth injuries could shorten the child’s expected lifespan, leave them unable to fully participate in life, or in a condition that will prevent them from ever living independently without supportive care.
One of the more common significant consequences of preventable birth injuries is a condition called Erb’s Palsy, which causes damage to the nerves in the neck, shoulder, arm, and hand. Children might experience a temporary or permanent loss of sensation or paralysis in the affected limb.
Cerebral palsy (CP) can also result from birth injuries. There is wide variation in the severity of CP, but most individuals experience some degree of motor impairment. A child with severe CP could have developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, significant motor impairment, and other devastating, life-limiting symptoms. A skilled Danbury birth injury attorney can help families seek compensation for a child’s medical treatment, long-term care, and other costs through a birth injury negligence claim.
After the challenges of pregnancy and the ordeal of a difficult birth, most families want time to regroup and begin adapting their expectations for life with a birth-injured child. A consultation with a birth injury lawyer in Danbury should be part of that process.
If a family knows or suspects a birth injury occurred, it is worth seeking more information about whether medical malpractice might have been a factor. It is essential to meet with an attorney as soon as possible after a suspected negligent injury, as the state has certain legal deadlines for filing. An experienced legal professional could send the child’s records to a medical expert for review, and the expert might find cause for concern about the medical treatment that a family might not have discovered on their own.
Birth injuries are devastating events, and no sum of money could reverse the suffering you and your child might experience due to a medical professional’s negligence. However, receiving compensation that will allow you to provide your child all the treatment and support their condition requires might relieve some of your anxiety about the future.
A Danbury birth injury lawyer combines compassion for your family with a relentless drive to see that you get justice. Reach out today to schedule a free case consultation with a member of the Berkowitz Hanna legal team.
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