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When you have a child, it is a joyful time. That joy can fade quickly if there is an injury to your baby at birth. When that happens and there is a medical error or neglect, you likely have a legal claim. Our personal injury lawyer Peoria Illinois can help you pursue your claim and pursue justice. Contact us today at 312-622-2900 for a consultation.
You expect that your baby is going to be born healthy and that you will enjoy being a parent. However, some parents find that their child has been injured at birth or shortly thereafter. If this happens to you, then it is important to understand what constitutes a birth injury and how your child can be compensated for any problems they face as a result of the injury.
What is a birth injury?
A birth injury is a type of personal injury that can be caused by medical negligence, which means that your doctor did something wrong and hurt you. Birth injuries can be physical, mental, or emotional and they may affect the whole body or just part of it (like an arm or leg).
Some examples of birth injuries are:
- brain damage
- paralysis
- broken bones
- nerve damage
- loss of hearing or sight
- severe pain from surgery performed to correct other problems
Birth injuries can also include emotional trauma for the mother, such as postpartum depression. That lingers after giving birth because doctors failed to diagnose preeclampsia early enough before delivery so that it could have been treated effectively with drugs.
These types of injuries are preventable and if it is a result of medical malpractice, you may have a personal injury claim. Contact our personal injury lawyer Peoria Illinois today for a consultation. Our attorneys will review your case and determine the best course of action for your case.
What are the most common forms of birth injuries?
- Cranial: A craniotomy is a surgical procedure that removes a portion of the skull to access the brain. The most common reason for performing this type of surgery is to treat an injury, infection, or tumor in the head.
- Spinal cord: Damage to the spinal cord can cause paralysis, numbness or weakness in your extremities and make it difficult to move around easily. The types of injuries most likely to affect your spinal cord include fractures and dislocations, compression, contusion, and avulsion (where ligaments tear away from bone).
- Brain: Traumatic brain injury, damage caused by impact or penetration, which can result in bleeding within the brain tissue itself or within skull fractures caused by trauma during delivery. Traumatic brain injuries may cause unconsciousness as well as problems with memory and thinking skills that last for months or years after an injury occurs.
- Seizures: Some individuals suffer seizures after suffering birth trauma at delivery due to being deprived of oxygen during labor. These seizures require treatment similar that used for epilepsy patients who experience grand mal seizures without warning signs beforehand
- Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral Palsy is a term that refers to a group of neurological disorders that affect movement, muscle tone, and motor skills. It is usually caused by brain damage occurring before birth or during infancy. In some cases, factors such as infection or lack of oxygen may have contributed to the damage.
When a birth injury occurs, it is a traumatic experience. You don’t want to see your child in pain and you may have difficulty with the ongoing medical treatment that is necessary. An experienced personal injury lawyer Peoria Illinois can help you get compensation for those injuries.
Our personal injury lawyer Peoria Illinois will help you hold responsible parties accountable for their actions
There are several parties that could potentially be liable for your child’s injuries. The first party to consider is the doctor who performed the delivery. A doctor may be held liable if there are signs of negligence on his or her part or if they made medical errors.
The hospital where you gave birth may also become responsible for covering your child’s medical bills related to his or her birth injury. Insurance companies often will step in when there has been some sort of error made during labor and delivery.
Birth injuries are often caused by medical negligence on the part of the doctor, nurse or hospital staff. They may be caused by factors such as improper use of medical equipment or poor hygiene standards at your local birthing center. If you believe that someone else should be held liable for your child’s injuries, it may be possible for you and your family members to pursue legal action against those responsible for causing their suffering. Contact our personal injury lawyer Peoria Illinois to pursue justice for you.
