Having a baby is meant to be one of the happiest times in a new parent’s life. Unfortunately, not all pregnancies and deliveries go smoothly, and infants might be born with severe injuries.
Birth injuries are often very complicated because many parents do not know how they were caused. Birth injuries might result from physical trauma in or out of the womb or a doctor’s negligence. Some birth injuries may improve over time, while others leave infants with lifelong disabilities. In a lawsuit, you can claim economic and non-economic damages for you and your child. The negligent doctor should pay for medical expenses related to the injuries and costs of future care. While doctors bear a lot of responsibility in these cases, other medical professionals like nurses and the hospital might also be liable.
If your child was born with injuries, our Long Island birth injury attorneys can help you get justice for them and your family. For a free case evaluation, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.
Examples and Causes of Birth Injuries on Long Island
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with a birth injury is figuring out how it happened. Sometimes, parents know their child is injured before they are even born. In other cases, the injury is not realized until after delivery or even weeks or months later as the infant develops and grows. Our Long Island birth injury lawyers can help you determine how your child was injured and who should be held responsible.
Common Birth Injuries
Birth injuries may affect various parts of the body and have varying degrees of impact on the child’s life. Some injuries are relatively minor, while others are severe. Some birth injuries may improve over time, but some may be permanent, leaving children with disabilities needing long-term care. Our Long Island birth injury lawyers can help you take legal action if your child is injured.
Cerebral palsy is a somewhat common birth injury that has multiple possible causes. Cerebral palsy is a brain injury that may affect the brain’s control over muscles and the nervous system. There is no cure for this condition, and children spend the rest of their lives with it. Although children may be impacted differently, many born with cerebral palsy have difficulty living independently as they get older.
Broken bones and fractures are also somewhat common and are often caused during delivery. When a baby is born, doctors must position it carefully, so it is delivered as safely as possible. If the infant is at a difficult angle in the womb, the doctor might fracture the clavicle or collarbone or cause damage to the shoulders.
Nerve damage is another possible birth injury affecting different body parts, depending on the damaged nerves. One example of nerve damage is injuries to the brachial plexus. The brachial plexus is a collection of nerves that run from the neck and shoulder down the arms. If these nerves are stretched, torn, or squeezed, they could be damaged, and the child might have trouble with muscle function and control.
Possible Causes of Birth Injuries
There are many possible causes of birth injuries, and knowing what caused them brings us one step closer to holding your doctor and the hospital involved in the birth accountable for their negligence. If you are unsure what caused your child’s birth injuries, speak to our Long Island birth injury attorneys, and we can help you get medical assistance from a qualified doctor.
Trauma during pregnancy or delivery may lead to a variety of birth injuries. Trauma may include physical injuries in utero, such as a pregnant person slipping and falling. Trauma can also happen during delivery. For example, if an infant is stuck in the birth canal for too long during delivery, they might experience severe injuries.
Medications during pregnancy can also cause birth injuries. Your doctor must be made aware of all medications you normally take so they can determine if it is safe to continue these medications during pregnancy. In some cases, doctors are negligent and overlook medications that might be dangerous to take during pregnancy, and your child might be born with injuries.
Lack of oxygen is a serious concern during delivery, and babies deprived for too long might experience severe brain damage. A lack of oxygen is one possible cause of brain injuries like cerebral palsy. Depending on how long your child was deprived of oxygen, they may experience severe injuries and lifelong disabilities.
Damages Available in Long Island Birth Injury Cases
Damages in birth injury cases might be very high if your child is badly injured. Dealing with birth injuries can also be emotionally devastating for parents, and non-economic damages may also be very significant. Our Long Island birth injury attorneys can help you determine the extent of your damages so we can maximize your compensation.
Economic damages are related to monetary losses and expenses. In cases of birth injuries, much of the plaintiff’s economic damages will be for medical expenses to treat the birth injuries. Babies with birth injuries often require immediate medical care. In some cases, the care lasts long-term or even for life. As such, it is important to estimate the costs of future medical expenses as well.
Non-economic damages include painful experiences connected to birth injuries. When children are born with severe injuries, parents have to process the situation emotionally, which is rarely easy. People are often devastated when their child is born injured, and the emotional trauma they experience deserves compensation from those responsible.
Liability in Long Island Birth Injury Lawsuit
Often, birth injuries occur because doctors or other medical professionals were negligent. In addition, the hospital or doctor’s office that employed those medical professionals may be held liable too. Proving liability in these cases can be difficult, as mistakes in medical care are not automatically considered negligence. Our Long Island birth injury lawyers can help you prove your doctor is liable for your child’s injuries.
Cases of birth injuries often fall into the category of medical malpractice. Proving that a doctor is liable for malpractice and your child’s birth injuries requires that we prove that the treatment and care you received fell below the standard of care required for your case.
Exactly what a doctor’s negligence looks like will vary. It might be a disinterested doctor who did not listen when a pregnant patient voiced their concerns. It might also be a doctor who prescribed the wrong medication to a pregnant person when any other reasonable doctor would have known better. Our team can help you determine what went wrong and how we can hold the negligent doctor and hospital responsible.
Contact Our Long Island Birth Injury Lawyers for Help
Dealing with a birth injury is not only expensive, but it is emotionally and mentally traumatizing. Our Long Island birth injury attorneys can help you take legal action against those responsible while you focus on your child and family. For a free case review, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.