Whether you’re having your first child or you already have children, going through childbirth is always an intense and stressful process, and it can be a dangerous one if you don’t have help from capable medical professionals. Fortunately, medical science has advanced a lot over the past several decades, so injuries during childbirth are a lot less common than they used to be. Unfortunately, individual doctors are still sometimes negligent in how they care for pregnant women and their babies.
If you or your baby were physically hurt during childbirth due to misconduct by one or more of your doctors, you may have grounds to sue over those injuries with help from a Norristown birth injury lawyer. From start to finish of your claim, our experienced medical malpractice attorneys will make sure your case is as strong as possible and give you the best possible chances of getting paid what you need for your damages.
What Kinds of Birth Injuries Can Justify Lawsuits?
Although full-term babies are able to survive outside of their mother’s wombs on their own, some parts of those babies’ bodies are still developing even after they’re born, which means they’re a lot less resistant to trauma than the bodies of adults—or even slightly older babies—generally are. As a result, a single mistake or reckless act by a doctor assisting with childbirth can lead to permanent injuries and medical conditions like:
- Developmental delays caused by the skull being compressed during birth and the brain being damaged
- Conditions like Erb’s palsy caused by nerve damage in the shoulder and neck
- Complications from lack of oxygen caused by something like the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby’s neck before they’re born
- Hemorrhages and other bleeding problems caused by pressure against sensitive arteries and nerves
A Norristown birth injury attorney may also be able to help sue over harm a newborn baby suffers due to a lack of high-quality care after they’re born—for example, a preventable infection caused by unsanitary conditions inside a hospital.
Recovering for Losses After a Birth Injury
Because birth injuries often have lifelong and potentially life-changing consequences, it’s vital when filing suit over one to seek compensation in advance for losses that won’t fully come to pass until years or even decades in the future. This can include but isn’t strictly limited to things like:
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Emotional trauma and suffering
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Future medical bills, including costs of things like wheelchairs and physical therapy
- Lost future working and earning capacity
- Other expenses associated with permanent disability, like the cost of hiring a nanny to help care for a severely disabled child around the clock
You generally can’t wait until the full value of those long-term losses becomes clear before you file suit. Under Pennsylvania law, you usually have no more than two years after discovering your child’s birth injury to file suit on their behalf. There are some situations where the deadline may be extended, which a birth injury lawyer in Norristown can explain in more detail if applicable.
A Norristown Birth Injury Attorney Can Help
No child should ever get hurt solely because of an adult’s negligence, and certainly not the negligence of a doctor or nurse. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens more often than many people might think, and even worse, it sometimes affects children who have just been brought into the world.
If your baby is dealing with a birth injury caused by the people who were supposed to care for them in their first hours of life, you have help available from a skilled Norristown birth injury lawyer with filing suit against them. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to learn more.
