Childbirth should be a momentous and joyful occasion. Unfortunately, not every healthcare provider who helps with the birthing process meets the acceptable standard of care. Sometimes negligent care can cause a newborn to suffer potentially life-altering physical trauma.
Preventable injuries during childbirth can serve as grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Reach out to a qualified Athens birth injury lawyer for a free consultation to learn if you have a claim for damages that could address your injuries and losses.
How Medical Negligence Can Cause Birth Injuries
Even the most careful and dedicated doctors cannot guarantee a positive medical outcome for every single patient. If a newborn suffered an injury while being born, not all situations will warrant a viable lawsuit. There must be significant evidence that a physician, or other medical caregiver involved, failed to meet the standard of care.
Some of the most common examples of medical errors that may result in a birth injury include:
- Failure to diagnose and/or promptly treat a medical complication that might make childbirth difficult
- Failure to order a Cesarean section when appropriate
- Misuse of tools like forceps
- Failure to monitor fetal and/or newborn vital signs
- Miscommunications between staff members
- Failure to order appropriate testing and/or correctly interpret test results
An Athens birth injury attorney can provide more detail about what actions or events during the labor and delivery process might serve as the basis for a lawsuit. They can also confirm if the disability came from negligence or if it is from a genetic disorder.
Recovering for Lifelong Injuries and Losses
Newborn babies are extremely sensitive to external trauma, and seemingly small errors by doctors and nurses can cause permanent damage to the brain, lungs, muscles, or nervous system. Therefore, it is often crucial to account for both economic and non-economic losses that the child will experience, even for the remainder of their life. A serious injury might prevent them from being able to provide for themselves through employment as they grow older.
A typical birth injury claim could incorporate damages like lost future earning capacity, long-term medical and therapeutic expenses, physical pain, and psychological trauma, as well as certain losses the mother may have sustained. A birth injury lawyer in Athens can provide more information on what damages are compensable in a particular claim. They can also let an individual know if the statute of limitations to file suit has been extended, since some injuries are not obvious until the child is older.
Learn How an Athens Birth Injury Attorney Can Help
No matter how experienced a medical professional is, they must always follow the basic standard of care, or else risk serious harm their patients, especially to a baby. The types of injuries that might result from this negligence, such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or numerous other physical or mental conditions, can affect a child for life.
It is important to have the support of an Athens birth injury lawyer if you decide to file a lawsuit against the person or entity that was responsible. Give us a call today or contact us on our website for an initial consultation to determine if you have a case.
