Birth injuries are traumatic events. They may permanently impair your child. If your child suffered a birth injury, you need to contact an Atlanta birth injury lawyer.
The Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers at Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers know that you’re struggling to understand what happened to your baby. You might even be blaming yourself. Don’t worry. We’ll figure out what happened. Then, we’ll help you and your child win justice. Our prior victories and our 5-star client reviews validate that promise.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta birth injury lawyer. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got the answers.
What Is A Birth Injury?
Babies suffer birth injuries when they’re physically harmed during the birthing process. Many birth injuries occur when the baby moves through the birth canal. Most birth injuries are relatively minor injuries. However, some newborns suffer serious birth injuries, such as nerve damage, oxygen loss, or broken bones.
Your child may have a birth injury if they:
- Cannot move one of their limbs
- Have hearing or vision issues
- Have weak or stiff muscles
- Miss common development milestones (i.e. not rolling over, smiling, standing, speaking)
- They prefer one arm or hand over the other
Many birth injuries go unnoticed for months or years. Sometimes birth injuries are misdiagnosed as other medical conditions, such as spinal cord injuries or neurologic disorders. If you’re unsure whether your baby suffered a birth injury, you should call an Atlanta birth injury lawyer.
Common Birth Injuries
The most common birth injuries include:
Fetal distress, oxygen loss, brain bleeds, and neo-natal infections may cause cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. Many CP victims also suffer related conditions such as intellectual disabilities; seizures; vision, hearing, and speech problems; spinal injuries; or, joint problems.
Erb’s palsy injuries often occur during childbirth after the baby’s shoulder gets stuck in the birth canal. When the baby’s shoulder is stuck, the medical provider must carefully adjust the baby’s position so that the brachial plexus nerves aren’t damaged. If the obstetrician or nurse-midwife pulls too hard on the baby’s neck, shoulder, or arm, they may damage the brachial plexus nerves and cause Erb’s palsy.
Birth asphyxia occurs when a baby’s brain and other organs don’t get enough oxygen and nutrients before, during or right after birth. Oxygen loss damages the baby’s internal organs. Also, it causes intellectual and physical disabilities.
This condition occurs when there is trauma to the shoulder, neck, or head. The muscles of the neck contract involuntarily and cause pain when the head and neck move.
If your child inhales amniotic fluid or meconium (feces) they can develop breathing problems.
Our Atlanta birth injury lawyers will evaluate whether your baby’s medical providers violated the standard of care. Next, we’ll determine whether those violations harmed your baby. If so, we’ll sue your baby’s medical providers and recover damages.
What Causes Birth Injuries?
Most birth injuries are preventible. Unfortunately, many medical providers make harmful errors during the birth process. For instance, some medical providers improperly use vacuum extractors or forceps. Those mistakes can break a baby’s bones and cause nerve damage. Other medical providers misdiagnose, or overlook, serious medical conditions. Some medical providers fail to timely perform a C-section delivery when a dangerous incident arises. Also, some medical providers don’t properly respond to the fetal heart monitor strips that show your baby’s oxygen levels. Those mistakes can cause cerebral palsy.
Birth Injury Case Evaluation
Birth injury cases are challenging. Therefore, they require careful analysis. Here’s how our Atlanta birth injury lawyers evaluate each potential case:
- First, we review the mother’s medical records and the baby’s delivery records. Those records help us understand how the injury occurred.
- Next, we discuss our findings with a medical expert. That expert also reviews the medical records. Then, they tell us whether the medical provider(s) violated the standard of care and whether that violation caused the baby’s injury.
- Finally, we evaluate the baby’s damages. We may recommend that your baby seeks treatment with a life care planner, neuropsychologist, or vocational rehab consultant.
Birth Injury Compensation
Birth trauma causes mild to severe injuries. Your baby might fully recover if the trauma is mild. However, if the trauma is severe, your baby might suffer life-long disabilities. Fortunately, you can recover damages for your baby’s injuries.
By filing a medical malpractice claim, you may pursue compensation for:
- Lost future earnings
- Past, present, and future medical costs
- Pain and suffering
- Impairments and disfigurements
Sometimes, careless medical providers also harm babies’ mothers. Mothers may also recover damages for all of their losses.
Our Atlanta Birth Injury Lawyers Can Help You
If your child suffered a fatal or serious birth injury, you should contact our Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers. We understand your heartache and grief. We’ll help you recover compensation to relieve your family’s financial burdens so that your child can reach their full potential.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta birth injury lawyer.
