The birth of a child should be one of the happiest days in a parent’s life. However, when something goes wrong and the mother or the child is injured, it is heartbreaking, especially when the injuries could have been avoided. As a Florida personal injury attorney, I am committed to helping Florida residents throughout the state receive just and fair compensation to help them cope with the injuries they have sustained due to someone else’s negligence.
In the past, childbirth was extremely dangerous for mother and child. Due to dramatic improvements in healthcare, hygiene, and nutrition, injury or death during delivery is now a rare occurrence. That is why it is so shocking and heartbreaking when birth injuries do occur.
Causes of birth injuries
Medical malpractice can occur in any medical situation. But additional mistakes or negligence, unique to pregnancy and childbirth, may also occur. Some of these may include:
- Failure during pregnancy to properly diagnose medical issues with the mother, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, edema, or low blood pressure
- Failure to diagnose fetal distress during pregnancy, such as slow growth, lack of weight gain, or less movement, or the failure to take into account the mother’s strong sense that something is wrong (mothers know things!)
- Not following standard delivery procedures
- Untimely or improper use of an epidural injection, episiotomy, or C-section
- Untimely or improper use of vacuum extraction or forceps
- Tugging on the infant’s body during delivery in a manner that could cause harm
- Administration of medications during pregnancy or delivery that harm the mother or the child
Types of birth injuries
Many types of injuries can occur to either mother or child. If you have experienced any complications or injuries due to childbirth, please contact a personal injury lawyer with expertise in birth injuries to begin collecting information about your case right away. This will ensure that no valuable information is overlooked or forgotten.
Birth injuries to the mother may include:
- High blood pressure or asphyxia that leads to organ damage, stroke, or death
- Excessive bleeding that leads to a variety of complications, including hysterectomy, organ failure, or death
- Unnecessary C-section or excessive episiotomy that damages the muscles in the region, leading to a variety of issues such as incontinence, frequent UTIs, and weakened pelvic floor
- Hernia, burst blood vessels in the eye, or other injuries from excessive pushing
- Emotional trauma associated with her or her baby’s injuries
Birth injuries to the baby may include:
- A wide variety of conditions due to asphyxia during labor or delivery, such as cerebral palsy, brain damage, learning disabilities, delayed development, brain bleeds
- Dislocated or damaged limbs due to improper delivery procedures
- Skull fracture, distorted head shape, cephalohematoma, or injury to eyes or ears
- Spinal cord injuries, neck injuries
While the courts recognize that medicine is not an exact science and that injuries can occur even with the most careful medical care, it is in the best interest of everyone for those who have been negligent to be held accountable for their poor medical treatment.
Whether your or your child’s injury is permanent or is expected to improve with time, your pain and suffering and the harm it has done to your family deserve to be compensated. Every case I take on becomes personal to me, as if one of my friends or loved ones has been injured. I work vigorously to uncover every possible expense or complication for my clients to help them get the maximum settlement for their injuries. I’m not afraid to go to court if necessary and I have a track record of winning significant awards. Contact me today, 24/7, at (954) 448-7288, to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.