At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC, our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer team has learned that a birth injury is basically any type of damage that happens to a child during birth and that many types of birth injury happen as the baby is traveling through the birth canal. Our team has also learned that it is common for a child to sustain some type of minor birth injury during birth with most of these minor injuries healing on their own. However, severe cases of birth injury do happen. These more severe types of birth injury are often preventable with attentive physicians and modern medical technology.
Our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer team has found that a significant number of birth injury cases happen because of a doctors error or medical malpractice. If you or your child sustained a serious birth injury and you believe it happened because of a negligent doctor, please contact our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer team to review your legal options.There are many types of severe birth injury such as, cerebral palsy, Klumpke's Palsy, shoulder dystocia, Horner's Syndrome and Erb's Palsy. Many of these types of birth injury can happen when a fetus is too large or the birth canal is too small, which leads to birth complications. In addition, the way the baby is positioned in the uterus pre-birth can affect how smoothly the delivery will be; an abnormal position can result in birth injury. As mentioned previously, medical malpractice and negligence often play a role in severe birth injury.
Acts of medical malpractice can include:
There are also other side effects for birth injury, according to our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer. These injuries can range from a brain injury to a spinal injury and the worst, wrongful death. Due to the tremendous pressures associated with birth, it is common for the newborn to sustain some form of head injury. A child can suffer from swelling or bruising but not need further medical attention. However, in a difficult delivery, the doctor may use medical devices such as a vacuum extractor or forceps. If these medical devices are not used properly, the child can suffer a head injury, including an intracranial hemorrhage, skull fracture or a subdural hematoma. These types of birth injury can range from mild to serious, and if the latter, will require surgery to repair the damage. Our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer team at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC states that many newborns who suffer serious head injury will need constant medical attention to ensure proper healing. If your child sustained a traumatic head injury, skull injury or other serious birth injury or brain damage during childbirth, contact our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer staff at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC.
When a delivery becomes problematic, the child is susceptible to another type of birth injury known as prenatal asphyxia. This condition occurs when there is a lack of oxygen to vital tissues, usually caused by lack of proper blood flow. According to our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer team, the most common causes of prenatal asphyxia are sudden blood loss or clots found in the umbilical cord. Newborn children who suffer from prenatal asphyxia are also at high risk for brain damage and other injuries.
While all birth injury has the potential to be serious, perhaps the most widely known type of birth injury is called cerebral palsy. This neurological deficiency happens when the brain becomes damaged during the birth process, usually because of lack of oxygen. Our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyer group estimates that cerebral palsy affects one in every five hundred children. Because the condition is caused by brain damage, the severity of the brain damage will dictate how severe the cerebral palsy is and how the child is affected. Typical symptoms of cerebral palsy include involuntary movement, muscle spasm, toe walking, joint and bone deformities, seizures, imbalance, scissor walking and contractures. It is also common for those suffering from cerebral palsy to have serious learning disabilities, behavioral disorders and require life-long medical attention.
A serious or traumatic birth injury can leave a family devastated both emotionally and money-wise. Long-term medical care can run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is why it's vital to have an experienced Long Island Injury Lawyer working on your behalf to fight for the fair compensation you deserve. If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of a birth injury, contact our experienced New York Injury Lawyers at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC to discuss your legal options. Contact us at 800.696.9529 or online to schedule your free consultation. Or stop by 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.