BIRTH INJURY ATTORNEY UTAH
A Lawyer Can Help Families Recover Compensation for Devastating Birth Injuries
Birth injuries due to a medical professional’s negligence are one of the most difficult circumstances parents can endure. Victims of birth injury often suffer life-long health problems. A birth injury lawyer at Flickinger Boulton Robson Weeks in Utah can help parents and their children cope with the costs of ongoing medical attention for birth injuries. No amount of money can take away the pain of watching your child suffer, but a birth injury lawsuit could ease your financial burden.
Causes of Birth Injury
Birth injuries can arise shortly before, during, and after delivery. Despite advances in medical care for pregnant women and delivery techniques, risks to mother and child during childbirth remain. Some of the negligent actions a medical professional may make during delivery include:
- Failure to identify and properly respond to signs of fetal distress
- Failure to use equipment, such as forceps, with adequate force and technique
- Depriving the baby of oxygen
- Failure to respond properly to umbilical cord entanglement
- Using non-sterilized instruments or equipment that cause an infection
- Inadequate or improper care for an infant immediately following birth
- Failure to have emergency equipment onsite
These incidents and other acts of negligence can lead to mild to severe birth injuries. Our medical malpractice attorneys will thoroughly explore the nature of your child’s birth injury and the events that contributed to it. This can help determine liable parties and allows us to hold them responsible for their actions or inactions.
Birth injuries due to a medical professional’s negligence are one of the most difficult circumstances parents can endure.
Conditions Resulting from Birth Injury
Certain birth injuries are temporary and resolve over time with medical treatment. In other cases, victims may suffer from the effects of birth injuries for their entire lives. Common short- and long-term conditions your child may suffer include:
- Cerebral Palsy– This condition occurs when the part of the brain that controls motor function is damaged during birth. Cerebral palsy can result in mild to severe mobility complications and can also affect speech and cognition. While cerebral palsy does not worsen over time, in many cases, it requires a lifetime of specialized medical care.
- Brachial Plexus – The brachial plexus is the bundle of nerves that controls movement in the shoulders, arms, and hands. When a doctor uses excessive force to deliver your baby, it can tear these nerves. This nerve damage can create muscle weakness and numbness in the affected area.
- Erb’s Palsy –This is a type brachial plexus injury that affects the nerves in the upper arm. Your child may be able to move his or her fingers, but will endure limited shoulder and arm mobility.
- Perinatal Asphyxia – Perinatal asphyxia is when a baby does not receive enough oxygen during birth for a brief period of time. This often occurs when there is insufficient blood flow to the fetus that is not quickly resolved.
- Facial Paralysis – Excessive force on a baby’s face during childbirth can cause facial paralysis. Sometimes the paralysis can correct itself naturally, while other times it will require surgical intervention.
- Brain Hemorrhage – A hemorrhage, or excessive internal bleeding, beneath the skull or in the brain is extremely dangerous. Brain hemorrhage can result in a wide range of injuries depending on the part of the brain affected.
- Fractures– Excessive force during childbirth can fracture a baby’s small bones. Such fractures most commonly affect the collar bones.
Compensation for Birth Injuries
Parents confronting the trauma and medical bills associated with their child’s birth injury can turn to Flickinger Boulton Robson Weeks. Our firm has successfully represented many birth injury victims, helping them secure the money they need to move on with their lives. Depending on the circumstances of your case, the court may award you damages to cover:
- Hospitalization
- Surgical costs
- Physical therapy
- Medications
- Continuous nursing care
- Handicap-accessible transportation
- Lifelong support if your child’s injuries mean her or she is unable to work
- Pain and suffering
Call for a Free Consultation
Call the Utah auto accident compensation attorneys at Flickinger Boulton Robson Weeks locally at (801) 500-4000 or contact us below for a free, no-obligation consultation.