At Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC, our Staten Island Birth Injury Lawyer team states that birth injury is any type of trauma or injury that's caused during birth and that many birth injuries happen as the baby is passing through the birth canal. Our team's experience has taught us that infants typically receive minor injuries during childbirth, such as bruising or swelling, and that these injuries usually heal on their own in a week or so. However, there are many cases where serious birth injury happens. These types of injury can be prevented with the right medical attention and preventative care.
Serious types of birth injury include Klumpke's Palsy, shoulder dystocia, cerebral palsy, Horner's Syndrome and Erb's Palsy. Some of these injuries are caused by careless of a healthcare provider or due to obstetrical malpractice. Negligence and delivery complications are some of the most common causes of serious birth injury. This negligence can include:
According to our Staten Island Birth Injury Lawyer staff, birth injury can include spinal injury, brain injury, brain damage or wrongful death.
When a difficult delivery occurs, the physician may opt to use instruments, like a vacuum extractor or forceps to help the child through the birth canal. In some cases, the improper use of these tools can lead to serious head injury, skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhage or possibly an infant subdural hematoma. Since the newborn’s skull is soft, the head is prone to injury due to the extreme pressures placed on it during childbirth. It's not uncommon for a child to suffer bruising and swelling as a result of the birthing process, but these minor injuries generally heal by themselves without the need for further medical intervention.
While some of these injuries can heal on their own, such as a skull fracture that doesn't result in bone displacement, other injuries like a depressed skull fracture will require surgery in order to repair the damage. In extreme cases, use of the aforementioned instruments can lead to brain damage and infant death. Our Staten Island Birth Injury Lawyer team has learned that newborns that suffer serious head injury during childbirth will have to undergo around-the-clock monitoring and even surgery. If this happened to your newborn, call our Staten Island Birth Injury Lawyer to discuss your legal options.
Another birth injury associated with medical negligence is cerebral palsy. There are many symptoms associated with cerebral palsy, but commonly, it can be identified by impaired motor function. The extent of the brain damage will usually determine the severity of the injury. Tragically, in many cases, cerebral palsy is caused by errors made during childbirth – errors such as improperly using instruments, prolonged birth canal extraction, trauma, and lack of oxygen. In severe cases, children stricken with cerebral palsy will need constant care and supervision, as there is no cure.
If your child sustained a serious birth injury, then you both will face grueling challenges ahead that will impact your whole family. Severe physical and mental impairment can negatively affect your child's development and learning ability. If you think that your child's birth injury was caused by medical malpractice, our experienced Staten Island Injury Lawyer group will work to determine liability. Having our attorneys working for you can be a crucial step to getting the fair amount of monetary damages to compensate you for your loss and for your ongoing medical expenses.
If you or someone you know is suffering from the effects of a birth injury, contact our skilled New York Injury Lawyers at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC to schedule a free consultation. 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.