
A birth injury can have devastating consequences and may affect a child’s entire life. An injury at or around the time of birth may cause chronic pain, limited mobility, cognitive impairment, and other serious problems. Those types of issues may limit a child’s future prospects for employment and a family and make it difficult for him or her to enjoy a good quality of life.
If your child suffered a birth injury, he or she may need surgeries, physical therapy, and possibly long-term, around-the-clock care at home or in a nursing home. You may have to purchase specialized equipment and have your home modified to accommodate your child. For example, you may need to install a wheelchair ramp or stairlift or have doorways widened to allow a wheelchair to fit through.
A Los Angeles pediatric birth injury lawyer may be able to help you obtain a settlement to compensate you for your child’s birth injury and to cover medical costs to date, as well as future expenses. That may give your family peace of mind and confidence that your child will be able to receive the care he or she needs. A lawsuit may also benefit other families by encouraging hospitals and doctors across the country to take more precautions to prevent birth injuries. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 970-4884 to discuss your case with a member of our staff.
How a Birth Injury Occurs
The term “birth injury” may include any injury that occurs immediately before, during, or after childbirth. This may include bruises, fractures, cerebral palsy, and other types of injuries. Birth injuries may be caused by maternal or fetal bleeding, anoxia (lack of oxygen to the fetus), complications involving the umbilical cord, cesarean sections, infections, and improper use of forceps or a vacuum extractor.
Fetal monitoring can help a doctor make sure that a fetus is getting enough oxygen. If it is not, a physician can order a cesarean section. A birth injury may occur if a doctor waits too long to order a necessary C-section.
Dystocia can occur if a baby is not helped along during a vaginal delivery. It can result in various forms of palsy, as well as other complications.
According to Mayo Clinic, a doctor may use forceps to guide a baby’s head during childbirth if labor is not progressing or if the baby needs to be delivered quickly for safety reasons. A baby may be injured, however, if a doctor applies too much pressure while using forceps.
The MedlinePlus explains that if a fetus experiences severe distress during childbirth, meconium (early infant stool) may mix with amniotic fluid and enter the lungs. Meconium aspiration syndrome can lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening complications.
Improper prenatal care may contribute to birth injuries. If an expectant mother does not receive appropriate prenatal care or has a high-risk pregnancy, there may be a higher-than-usual risk of complications. If an obstetrician fails to diagnose a disease or another type of defect, that may cause complications at the time of birth.
An injury may also occur after childbirth. If staff do not conduct a thorough examination and diagnose and treat a problem quickly, or if they do not adequately monitor a newborn, the baby may experience harm that can have lifelong consequences.
How a Los Angeles Pediatric Birth Injury Lawyer May Be Able to Help Your Family
If a physician or hospital did not meet the standard of care and your baby was injured at or around the time of birth, your family may be entitled to financial compensation. The birth injury may have occurred because of negligence or malpractice on the part of an attending physician or nurse. The hospital may be liable if its policies did not adequately account for potential risks and take steps to mitigate them.
Our staff can review records related to your pregnancy and learn if any risk factors were known at the time of your child’s birth. We can speak with any witnesses who were present. We can also investigate what happened around the time of delivery that may have led to your child’s injury, including how the doctors and nurses dealt with risk factors and complications.
To prevail in a lawsuit, we will need to show that a medical professional had a duty of care, that the individual or hospital breached the duty of care, and that the breach caused your child’s birth injury. We may seek guidance from medical experts who are familiar with risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth and the standard of care. They may help us figure out whether medical staff provided appropriate care before, during, and after your child’s birth. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to talk to a member of our team about how we may be able to assist you.
For a free legal consultation with a Pediatric Birth Injury Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 970-4884
Contact a Los Angeles Pediatric Birth Injury Lawyer
Parents of a child who suffered a birth injury are sometimes hesitant to file a lawsuit because they are concerned about the cost or intimidated by the thought of spending years in litigation. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm works on contingency, so you will not have to pay us any money unless we obtain a financial award for your family.
While it is true that medical malpractice cases can take years to resolve, they are often settled without going to trial. Our staff can work to make the process as simple and stress-free as possible for your family so you can focus on caring for your child and carrying on with your lives.
You do not have a lot of time to take action to seek financial compensation. According to California Code of Civil Procedure § 340.4, an action by or on behalf of a minor for personal injuries sustained before or in the course of his or her birth must begin within six years after the date of birth.
Cases involving birth injuries are often complex since many people were involved in providing care during a mother’s pregnancy and around the time of birth, and numerous factors may have played a role in the outcome. Attorneys representing hospitals and doctors work to limit their clients’ liability for birth injuries. Building a strong case on behalf of your family may take a significant amount of research and preparation. The sooner you contact us, the sooner our team will be able to get to work. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 970-4884 to get the process started.
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