Negligent Hospital and Birth Injuries
What event could be more joyous or more eagerly anticipated than the birth of a child? During your pregnancy, you faithfully get your checkups, follow the doctors’ and nurses’ instructions. Most births go as planned, or at least without trouble in the development and delivery of the baby. Patients have a reasonable expectation for good care, for both mother and baby, during this most fragile and vulnerable time of life, and most of the time they get it.
Unfortunately, there are times when a baby is born in duress because of pregnancy or birth issues that could have been prevented or may even be caused by the actions of a medical caregiver. Birth injuries can cause life-long disabilities and suffering, including infant death. While no compensation awarded for a tragedy involving your child could ever fully cover the agony of the baby, parents or the family, an experienced and compassionate attorney can walk a hurting family through a difficult legal process and possibly get some financial relief.
Birth Injuries
It’s true that sometimes trouble in a pregnancy can arise with natural complications prior to or during the birth process. Unfortunately, the National Healthcare Quality Report shows that close to 50% of birth injuries have been attributed to avoidable incidents brought on by the actions of medical professionals, often related to instrument-assisted vaginal births. Florida birth injuries often happen related to some preventable causes such as:
- Failure to use or improper application of delivery room protocols and techniques, monitoring of fetal heart rate and monitoring of patients in the delivery room
- Forcibly delaying birth
- Delayed C-sections
- Asphyxia – lack of sufficient oxygen to baby’s brain
- Medical Procedures – improperly performed or incorrectly chosen
- Use of forceps and other tools in delivery room
- Drugs – Incorrect drugs or improperly administered to the mother
The types of preventable injuries to the baby that can result from medical negligence and malpractice include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Brain damage
- Skull injuries
- Brachial Plexus injury, aka Erb’s Palsy
- Damage to spinal cord
- Paralysis – general or limb usage
- Wrongful death
These tragic situations usually begin with a healthy mother and baby. The process of delivery should be a time of safety. Patients have a reasonable expectation for hospitals and birthing centers to be set up and prepared for these eventualities and to detect, monitor and treat these types of conditions. The responsibility of the hospital is to protect and care for both of their patients: mother and baby. When injuries occur due to negligence of medical personnel, families deserve to be compensated to the full extent of the law.
Tison Law Group understands that your family is the most precious and valuable part of life. We know that no matter what accommodations are made on your behalf, there is no way to adequately make-up for a lifelong complication in your child’s life or for the loss of your child. While that is true, we will fight on your behalf to uncover every aspect of your injuries and damages. Your family should never have to go through this type of tragedy alone. If you are struggling with the fallout from a tragic delivery or birth situation where you suspect hospital negligence is involved, please contact Tison Law Group for a free consultation.
