Birth Injuries
Houston Birth Injury Attorney
Birth injuries are typically the result of a physician, nurse, midwife, anesthesiologist, obstetrician, or other healthcare personnel failing to provide appropriate care during labor or delivery of a baby.
Types of Birth Injuries
- Cerebral Palsy: A type brain injury that is commonly diagnosed in babies after a birth injury. It affects body movement, muscle coordination, development. Children with cerebral palsy often have difficulty walking, talking, and eating. As many as 10,000 babies are born each year that develop cerebral palsy as a result of a preventable birth injury.
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: “HIE” is a type of brain and spinal cord injury caused by inadequate oxygen supply causes damage to the cells of the brain and spinal cord. This condition affects roughly three in every 1,000 births. Unfortunately, HIE often causes serious and permanent brain damage, or even death. The condition frequently causes cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy, and learning disabilities.
- Brachial Plexus Palsy or Erb’s Palsy: This condition affects the nerves between the spinal cord and the baby’s shoulders, arms, and hands. Brachial plexus palsy occurs in roughly 4 out of every 1,000 births.
What Are The Effects Of Birth Injuries?
The complexities of childbirth injuries from medical mistakes can be overwhelming to parents and families immediately following the incident. The following list underscores some potential effects victims and families may be dealing with:
- Multiple subsequent surgeries to attempt correcting mistake
- Lifetime of attendant care
- Recurring medical conditions
- Limited expectations
- Hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars worth of unexpected medical bills
- Psychological and mental pressures or trauma
- Repeated adapted therapy sessions
Failure to Follow the Standard of Care
Professionals in the healthcare industry are held to a high standard of care when taking care of patients, especially babies and mothers at birth. Medical negligence resulting in birth injuries often results from:
- Failure to diagnose a condition
- Wrong or incorrect response in a medical situation
- Lack of attention to detail
- Fatigue by doctor or team member
- Delaying a needed C-section
- Inadequate supply of oxygen or trauma to brain of baby
- Misreading sonograms
Other Birth Injuries
Other birth injuries include:
- Bone Fractures
- Pinched Nerves
- Brain Damage or Head Trauma
- Paralysis
- Bruising or forceps marks
- Internal Bleeding
What To Do If Birth Injury May Have Occurred?
Often, parents cannot rely on health care providers or hospital personnel to tell them that a medical mistake may have caused their child’s injury. In addition, these types of incidents can be complicated and require special knowledge to determine if medical negligence caused the particular injury. When a child has suffered from a birth injury, the most important thing is getting the child the best available medical care. It is also important to consult with an experienced birth injury attorney. A thorough evaluation will establish whether or not a valid claim exists.
Helping Victims of Birth Injuries and Medical Negligence
At the Neese Law Firm, we are committed to helping birth injury victims and their families. Contact the Neese Law Firm to speak with a board certified personal injury attorney about your case. There is no charge for a consultation, and we make home and hospital visits for your convenience.
