Birth Injury Attorney in Pittsburgh

Did your baby suffer injuries during the birth process? There are few more devastating experiences than having a baby that has been injured through a medical breach of duty - the injury need not have occurred had the attending physician or other medical professional provided the accepted standard of care. The birth process is dangerous for both mother and child, and modern medicine offers the opportunity for a higher survival rate.

Patients trust their obstetricians, nurses, anesthesiologists and other medical professional who attend the birth to carefully monitor the baby during the birth process. Unfortunately, there are cases in which the medical team attending the birth fails to take action fast enough—such as delaying a caesarean section—resulting in serious damage to the baby. The trust you couldn't place in your healthcare provider you can place in a Pittsburgh personal injury lawyer at the law office of Frank Walker.

What are common causes of birth injuries?

When the birthing process becomes complicated, it can leave the newborn vulnerable to serious injuries. There are many issues which can lead to such a difficult birth – including a large child, a child being born prematurely, as well as a mother with too small of a pelvis. Other complicating factors include dystocia, labor that is prolonged too long or a child that is breeched. Some common birth injuries include the following:

• Brachial Plexus Injuries – The brachial plexus is a group of nerves which runs through the shoulder, arm and hand. When stretched or torn during difficult deliveries, it can result in numbness, weakness, as well as complete lack of movement.
• Fractures – Fractured bones are a common injury which can affect the delicate bones of newborns – especially to the newly formed clavicle and collarbone. Thankfully, these can heal quickly; however, they can result in pain and complications for children and their parents.
• Cerebral Palsy – This actually involves several different disorders – all of which target the brain and nervous system of the newborn. In most cases, this results in difficult with movement, learning, as well as the other senses, such as hearing and sight.

While some of these are outside of the realm of human control, there are many instances where they could have been avoided or treated had the medical professionals involved upheld their duty of care. Using excessive force, incorrectly using forceps or incorrect vacuum extraction can all result in severe birth trauma. In other cases, a doctor may have been negligent in overseeing the process and failed to notice developing symptoms that they should have. If you are unsure about whether or not a birth injury was caused by the actions of a medical professional, you should not hesitate to contact a lawyer to evaluate your case.

Protecting Victims & Their Families in Birth Injury Claims

Should the child have restricted oxygen to the brain, there are very serious consequences, often resulting in permanent disability. If you believe that your child was injured due to a failure to provide the accepted standard of care, we urge you to contact our personal injury lawyer. Attorney Frank Walker is a trial lawyer with an impressive record of success in personal injury claims, including birth injury cases. Our firm is committed to providing the child and their family with the highest quality legal counsel to address this very serious issue.

The child may need long term medical care and ongoing treatments, medical equipment, surgeries, or skilled nursing care. Parents often cannot work as they need to care for their child. The focus of the family shifts immediately from a normal life to a much more difficult and concerning situation. The compensation sought by our law firm must reflect all the costs involved in medical care and treatment, as well as the other non-economic losses, which in birth injury medical malpractice cases, are often very high value, as the damage to the child's life can be significant.