The birth of a child is one of life’s most joyous moments, but when your baby has been seriously injured by medical negligence, that joy can quickly turn to sorrow. If your child suffered birth injuries, you may be entitled to substantial compensation that can pay for the medical care and other needs you child has and will have as a result of the injury. Our Columbia birth injury attorneys are here to help so that you can secure the best possible future for your child and your family.
Birth Injuries
Examples of birth injuries that are often caused by medical negligence include:
- Brain injuries, including cerebral palsy
- Skull fractures
- Bleeding beneath the scalp
- Bruising from forceps
- Bleeding in the brain
- Brachial plexus injuries, including Erb’s palsy
- Spinal cord injury
- Clavicle fracture
- Cranial nerve injury
- Soft tissue injury
- Paralysis
- Spasticity
- Untreated jaundice
- Meconium aspiration (inhaling first feces)
- Umbilical cord strangulation
- Stillbirth
Medical Negligence Leading to Birth Injuries
Some birth injuries are unavoidable, but many are the result of medical negligence including failing to detect and respond to conditions and risk factors in the mother or fetus and taking improper actions. Common causes of birth injuries include:
- Miscalculation of due date
- Miscalculation of the size of the fetus
- Administration of inappropriate medications to the mother
- Rh incompatibility
- Diabetes in the mother
- Infection or fever in the mother or fetus
- Preeclampsia
- Abnormal position of fetus
- Failure to monitor fetus and respond to fetal distress
- Inappropriate use of Pitocin to induce or speed up labor
- Prolonged labor
- Failure to perform a timely C-section
- Excessive force during delivery
- Improper use of delivery instruments
- Dropped baby
- Failure to administer oxygen to newborn when needed
- Failure to respond to jaundice or another health problem in the newborn
To learn more about your rights and how we can help, please call the Columbia birth injury attorneys of Yonke Law, L.L.C. at (816) 221-6400 or contact us online today.
