A birth injury is any type of injury or trauma that happens during childbirth, according to our Bronx Birth Injury Lawyer team at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC. Most types of birth injury occur as a fetus is moving down the birth canal. It i common for a child to receive injuries during this phase of delivery but these injuries are usually minor and heal without the need for further medical treatment. Unfortunately, there are serious types of birth injury that a child can sustain, which can include permanent brain injury, skull injury, spinal injury, and brain damage.
Most of these types of birth injury are preventable with the right medical technology and an alert medical staff. Our experienced Bronx Birth Injury Lawyer team has found that many cases of birth injury can be traced back to an act of medical malpractice. In many cases, a fetus that is too large or a birth canal that is abnormally small will create dangerous complications during the delivery. However, a good obstetrician will recognize the dangers and will know how to deal with them in the safest possible manner. If your child sustained a serious birth injury that could have been caused by medical malpractice, contact our experienced Bronx Birth Injury Lawyer group to discuss your legal options.
While the majority of birth injury cases are relatively minor, there are too many cases where the effects are devastating to the child. Birth injury cases like cerebral palsy, Klumpke's Palsy, shoulder dystocia, Horner's Syndrome and Erb's Palsy are all types of birth injury that can result in life-long disabilities.
Due to the excessive pressures created by the birthing process, it is common for the baby to sustain minor injury during childbirth. These injuries generally will heal by themselves, but in severe cases, further medical treatment may be warranted. An injury like a skull injury, skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhage and subdural hematoma will often require constant medical observation and additional intervention. When a baby is too big or the birth canal is too small, it can lead to birth complications and birth injury. When this situation arises, the doctor might choose to use tools, such as vacuum extractors and/or forceps in order to facilitate the birth.
The improper use of these tools can lead to serious birth injury including a skull fracture, a skull injury and brain damage. If you believe that your child's birth injury was caused by improper use of one or more of these types of instruments, contact our Bronx Birth Injury Lawyer staff to discuss filing a medical malpractice claim. A child can also suffer from a nerve injury, such as a brachial plexus nerve injury. A brachial plexus injury occurs when a baby’s arm is pulled excessively. This nerve damage will usually heal in a few months, but in severe cases, it can lead to additional complications, such as decreased strength, osteoarthritis, limb length discrepancy, Glenohumeral Dysplasia, muscle atrophy and joint dysfunction.
A child can also suffer from cerebral palsy due to a difficult labor and delivery. This injury usually occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen during the birth process, and like most other types of birth injury, can usually be prevented with awareness and medical technology. This lack of oxygen can happen through the improper use of instruments like forceps and vacuum extractors or can be caused by certain drugs like Pitocin, which increase the rate at which a woman contracts and reduces the placenta's ability to supply the fetus with oxygen. Typical symptoms include: loss of mobility, plasticity, scissor walking, muscle spasm, low muscle tone, seizures, balance problems, speech impediment, hearing loss, blindness, learning disability and behavioral disorders. Cerebral palsy has no cure, and in severe cases, the victim will require 24-hour care and attention for the rest of their lives.
Traumatic birth injury will cause the victim and their families to face many challenges, in addition to mountains of medical expenses. Having our experienced Bronx Injury Lawyer staff on your side can be a vital first step to helping you cope with the rough road ahead. Our lawyers will employ every resource possible to determine liability and help you get the damages and compensation you will need to deal with the ramifications of a birth injury.
If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of a birth injury, contact our experienced New York Injury Lawyer at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC to discuss your legal options. Please call us at 800.696.9529, online or contact one of our New York City offices in Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, the Bronx or Brooklyn, our New York office in Westchester County or one of our Long Island offices in Nassau County or Suffolk County.