Medical malpractice suits stemming from birth injuries are tragic and devastating to those involved. The catastrophic consequences of a doctor’s negligence during labor can cause paralysis, brain damage, infections, damage to the spinal cord and even death.
A birth injury often occurs when a doctor fails to react in accordance with his profession’s standards when a complication arises during pregnancy or delivery, or when they prescribe a harmful drug to the woman during pregnancy.
Some common birth injuries that often have lasting consequences are:
- Brachial Palsy, which occurs when the brachial plexus is damaged. Often this occurs during delivery. Consequences of brachial palsy are that the baby is unable to flex and rotate their arm
- Erb’s Palsy is when a doctor has difficulty with the baby’s shoulders during delivery. This results in the stretching of nerves around the baby’s shoulders and paralysis of the arm is the usually consequence
- Cerebral Palsy can be caused due to brain damage during deliverance. Some cases are devastating while others are mild—it depends on how much and what parts of the brain are affected
- Facial paralysis can occur if too much pressure is applied on the baby’s face during labor. Typically the paralysis heals within a few weeks but sometimes surgery is necessary to repair the damage
Having a child is a joyous occasion. A newborn’s health should never be jeopardized due to a doctor’s negligence.
If your newborn was the victim of a birth injury in Atlanta, please contact Robbins & Associates today to schedule a free consultation with one of our medical malpractice attorneys.