Birth Injuries: Erbs Palsy, Cerebral Palsy, Other Injury
To a new parent, nothing is more exhilarating than the moment your child is born. Nothing is more devastating than learning that your child has somehow suffered during child birth. Due to someone else's negligence during labor or childbirth, your child may endure challenges throughout life. While not all birth injuries are caused by negligence, examining the care that was provided will help you determine if you have a claim for medical malpractice.
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At the Law Offices of Richard L. Geller, PC, our lawyers are here to help people throughout the difficult times that lie ahead. We advocate for the rights of individuals who have fallen victim to medical malpractice. In cases where a child has suffered a birth injury, such as cerebral palsy or erbs palsy, we thoroughly investigate the medical care that was provided throughout pregnancy, during childbirth, and immediately following birth. Our professional staff compares the care provided with the standard of care accepted by medical experts in the community. When substandard care was provided, we aggressively pursue justice and accountability.
Negligence during pregnancy or childbirth includes:
- Failure to observe the fetal heart monitor: Fetal monitoring systems can alert medical professionals to concerns during child birth. Failure to regularly check fetal monitor strips during labor can result in failure to recognize signs of fetal distress and make the decision to perform an emergency cesarean section (c-section). Insufficient oxygen to the brain can lead to cerebral palsy or other hypoxic injury.
- Failure to observe the size or position of the baby: Large babies should be delivered through c-section in order to protect the infant as well as the mother. Poor decisions to proceed with normal delivery are often attributed to failure to diagnose gestational diabetes (which traditionally results in larger babies) or failure to perform adequate testing to determine the size of the baby. Adequate testing reveals valuable information about the position of the baby. If a baby is breech, a c-section delivery is usually made.
- Failure to provide due care during delivery: In certain situations doctors make hasty decisions or forceful movements during delivery. An infant may be in a position that causes the shoulder to get stuck (shoulder dystocia). Rather than following standard care, doctors may use forceps to forcefully extract the baby. The forceful movements caused stretching of the brachial plexus nerves resulting in erbs palsy.
Experienced, Hard-Working Lawyers in New York
Our medical malpractice lawyers have years of experience handling complex medical negligence lawsuits. We receive many referrals from other attorneys who trust in our ability and dedication to our clients.
If you need answers about your child's birth injury or believe that the birth injury may be due to medical malpractice, please contact the Law Offices of Richard L. Geller, PC to discuss your situation. Call our offices in Hartsdale or Bronx toll free at 866-608-9505.
