Birth Injury from Improper Delivery
The actions of obstetrical caregivers during childbirth are critical to delivering a healthy baby. The wrong delivery technique, an error in medical judgment or failure to respond to fetal distress can result in severe and lifelong disabilities.
Becker & Mishkind Co., L.P.A. extends compassionate support and skilled representation if you believe your child's birth injury or death could have been prevented. Our veteran medical malpractice trial lawyers have secured notable results in delivery trauma litigation.
Call 1-800-826-2433 for a free case evaluation. With offices in Cleveland and Elyria, we represent parents throughout Ohio. We also work on cases in Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Holding Providers Accountable for Delivery Trauma
Mistakes in birthing can lead to oxygen deprivation or inflict physical damage, resulting in permanent birth injury: developmental disabilities (retardation), cerebral palsy (motor impairment), nerve damage, spinal cord damage, loss of vision or loss of hearing. Childbirth errors can also lead to fetal death or permanent injury to the mother, including inability to bear more children.
Our attorneys are adept at demonstrating the negligence of obstetricians, delivering physicians, midwives or nursing staff such as:
- Brain trauma from vacuum extractors (suction caps)
- Damage to the head, neck or limbs from forceps
- Erb's or Klumpke's Palsy from failure to safely resolve shoulder dystocia
- Asphyxia from prolapsed umbilical cord
- Brain injury from vaginal delivery of breach "preemie"
- Trauma to the baby or mother during C-section
- Delayed C-section (failure to recognize fetal distress)
- Errors in inducing labor (e.g., excess uterine stimulation secondary to overuse of Pitocin, Cervidil or Cytotec)
Contributing Negligence Prior to Birthing
Failure to recognize cephalopelvic disproportion, or CPD, (head or shoulders too large for vaginal delivery) is a common precursor to delivery complicated by trauma. When radiologists or ultrasound technicians fail to accurately gauge the baby's girth, the delivering physician may cause injury in forcing a vaginal birth. Also, forcing labor in a known small or abnormally shaped pelvis can lead to brain trauma.
Birth traumas may also be secondary to:
- Mismanagement of multiple births
- Vaginal birth after a previous C-section (VBAC)
- Mismanagement of shoulder dystocia
- Mismanagement of premature birth
- Mismanagement of a suspected large (macrosomic) fetus
In investigating a possible birth injury lawsuit, we consider all possible causes and identify the practitioners who should be held accountable. To find out whether you have a case for malpractice, contact us today at 1-800-826-2433. We offer a free initial consultation, and we can meet clients at their home or hospital.
