Statistics indicate that of every 1000 infants born, 6 to 8 of them usually suffer from birth injury. In 2014 alone, the number of reported cases was close to 157, 770. More than 50% of these injuries could have been avoided, either through identification or planning for obstetrical risk factors.
Birth injury is defined as the impairment of a neonate’s body structure or function that mainly occurs during adverse events in childbirth. In an instance where it transpires through medical negligence and careless mistakes from a preferred health provider, it is necessary to take legal action and hold the responsible party accountable.
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Many parents have a mediocre understanding around the whole issue of taking legal action against the parties responsible. An experienced lawyer can help them understand these rights while at the same time work with them diligently to ensure that they have the best chance in proving their case.
Before you get started on your birth settlement issues, it is important to understand what attorneys related to birth injuries do and how they can actually help you. For more details, we urge you to continue reading through this article.
Types of Birth Injuries that Require Lawsuits
Legal action can be taken when negligence leading to direct birth injury is ascertained. How does this happen? The medical community is supposed to uphold certain standards as specified in their guidelines. If the healthcare professional performance falls below the expected standards, then medical negligence occurs.
Some of the common types of negligence include:
- Lack of calling in a specialist during high-risk situations
- Failure to diagnose and treat an infection that might be at hand
- Improper use of delivery facilities like vacuum which is normally associated with severe injuries to both mother and child
- Misuse of Pitocin
- Improper use of forceps during birth
Some of the common injuries associated with the mentioned types of negligence are:
- Wrongful death
- Bone fractures
- Infant brain damage
- Hypoxia which normally causes adverse mental and physical disabilities.
- Fatal lacerations
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension of a newborn
- Facial paralysis, among many other defects.
How Can Birth Injury be Proved?
Qualified lawyers normally have the necessary skills and expertise to do this. Mostly, birth injures are uncovered through medical reports, review of diagnostic tests, review of medical notes and use of labor flow sheets. In addition, lawyers usually work with medical experts to ascertain whether medical malpractice contributed to the overall birth injury.
Where can I get an Experienced Chicago birth injury lawyer?
Yes, one can use traditional routes like yellow pages but the best preferred method would be to use the Family Law Guide which is online. It comprises of many legal areas and more specifically, birth-related injuries. The platform features readily-available reviews, areas of practice, testimonies and ability to check an attorney’s past infractions if any. This is done through a simple Internet search.
Conclusion
We live in an era where parents are expected to be caretakers of their disabled children. But we also live in a medical age where we are constantly trying to learn about the medical conditions at hand. As it turns out, a large percentage of our children’s disabilities are caused by birth injuries.
With this knowledge comes responsibility. Parents are therefore expected to become advocates of their children. This can effectively take place when the parties responsible of birth injuries are held accountable.
Bio
Lisa Masterson is a prominent obstetrician and gynecologist. She was also syndicated in a TV series known as “Doctors”. Lisa Masterson has also been praised for being a tireless Chicago birth injury lawyer. But her career came to peak when she started traveling to Africa in an effort to stem birth injury and maternal death.