Birth Injury Factsheet: Born With An Injury
In 2003, the research journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology published research results that found that approximately 29 out of every 1,000 births involves a birth injury. Certain risk factors commonly associated with birth injuries were also identified by the study, including:
- When a birth is complicated or requires the intervention of medical devices, there is a higher chance that the baby will suffer a birth injury.
- Babies that have a higher than average birth weight tend to suffer birth injuries more frequently than babies born with an average birth weight.
- Male children are more likely to suffer a birth injury.
- Newborns of Pacific Islander or Asian descent tend to suffer birth injuries at a higher rate and it is unclear why that is.
Starting life with a birth injury is an unfortunate start for an injured newborn and his or her family. many birth injuries are the result of negligence on the part of a doctor or nurse, and many birth injuries are preventable if a medical professional had exercised the appropriate level of care during the birth.
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Common Types of Birth Injuries
Birth injuries can take many forms. Some injuries are physical, some affect the brain, and others lead to developmental problems for the child later in life. A few common birth injuries include:
Brachial Plexus Injury
Babies are very delicate at birth, and if during the delivery the doctor applies too much strain on the baby’s neck and shoulder, the two can be pulled apart causing damage to the brachial plexus, which is the network of nerves that runs from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand.
Cerebral Palsy
If a newborn suffers brain injuries during delivery, the child could develop cerebral palsy, which is characterized as difficulties with coordination, sensory perception, and muscle weakness, but other symptoms can also present themselves.
Bone Fractures
It is remarkably easy to break a baby’s bones during delivery as the bones are so fragile and soft. However, a doctor acting with reasonable care should not break the bones of a baby during delivery.
Perinatal Asphyxia
When a newborn does not get enough oxygen during delivery, the child can become oxygen deprived. Lack of oxygen can harm a baby’s organs, with the most noticeable damage occurring to the baby’s brain. Physical or mental disabilities are common when perinatal asphyxia occurs during birth.
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The birth injury attorneys of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. are committed to helping our clients and their families get through the tough reality of a birth injury and how it can affect the rest of your child’s life.
Investigating Birth Injuries Requires Resources
Medical negligence can happen during the birth of a child, which can produce a serious injury to the baby or its mother. In order for a birth injury victim to recover on a medical negligence claim, it must be shown that the medical professional was negligent or failed to act when he or she should have, and that this breach of their duty of care was the cause of the resulting birth injury. A thorough investigation must be conducted to show that doctor had a duty of care, but deviated from that duty of care, which caused the injury that you and your family are now dealing with. The birth injury attorneys at Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. have more than 40 years of experience helping clients get the compensation they deserve, because we have the knowledge, skills and resources it takes to investigate your claim to get you the maximum possible recovery for your birth injury.
Birth injury cases are complicated and can take a lot of time and resources to investigate properly. It is important to demonstrate how the doctor or other medical professional deviated from an appropriate standard of care, so your birth injury lawyer might rely on expert testimony to identify how and where your doctor went wrong during the delivery of your child. Further, a medical examination of the child and a detailed accounting of the child’s birth-related injury will add credibility and support to your birth injury claim.
As unfortunate and tragic as a birth injury is, the medical profession has made leaps and bounds of progress when it comes to safely delivering babies, compared to just a century ago. But even with all of the technological advances that have been developed, birth injuries still occur. The lawyers of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. that serve Cherry Hill and the surrounding areas are dedicated to helping birth injury victims and their families obtain the compensation they need to help their child cope with his or her birth injuries.
Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. offers a FREE CONSULTATION.
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Over 40 Years of Outstanding Results and Hundreds of Millions Recovered for our Clients.
With more than four decades of experience working with birth injury victims and their families to obtain the maximum possible compensation for their suffering, the birth injury lawyers at Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. have obtained hundreds of successful resolutions for clients who have been injured in preventable accidents. A few of our medical negligence recoveries include:
$14.5 Million
Securing a $14.5 million recovery for a medical negligence victim who received substandard post-operative care, that resulted in the victim suffering brain damage.
$7.5 Million
Recovering $7.5 million for a client who was injured because of a physician’s negligence during childbirth.
$3.5 Million
Securing a $3.5 million recovery for a medical negligence victim who suffered vision loss after the victim was negligently administered anesthesia.
Multi-Million
Many other multi-million dollar recoveries for victims injured by medical negligence.
While results in prior cases do not guarantee similar results in your case the following listing of recent case victories should hopefully provide you with the assurance that we are experienced and know how to get you the compensation you deserve.