When the joy of welcoming a new baby is dampened by the fear and uncertainty of a birth injury, parents have a right to demand answers and financial accountability for their child. Birth injuries are preventable when a pregnant and laboring mother’s medical care team diligently upholds the standard of care expected of the medical community. If your child suffered a birth injury in Fort Worth, call Greening Law today to learn about your family’s right to compensation.
Why Select Greening Law as Your Fort Worth Birth Injury Law Firm?
Greening Law is a law firm centered around classic victim advocacy methods with a core commitment to compassion, professionalism, honesty, and open communication. With Greening Law, you can expect the following:
- A free evaluation of your birth injury claim and contingency-based payment, so you only pay for your attorney’s representation after they’ve recovered your compensation
- A Fort Worth personal injury attorney who will develop a personalized legal strategy based on the circumstances of your child’s injury to obtain the maximum compensation available to you, rather than using a formulaic approach that may leave you settling for less
Nothing can erase the injury, but a successful birth injury claim opens doors to the best possible care and brings families a sense of justice.
Understanding Birth Injuries In Texas
A birth injury or birth trauma refers to injuries sustained by a child before, during, or just after the birthing process. Birth injuries are not as uncommon as we’d like to think in the 21st century. About seven in every 1,000 births result in a child with a birth injury. The most common birth injuries in Fort Worth, and elsewhere in the U.S., include the following:
- Contusions (bruises) caused by forceps or vacuum extractors
- Cephalohematoma, or bleeding between the skull and brain
- Brachial plexus injuries, or injuries to the nerves in the neck and shoulder, impacting arm and hand movement (Erb’s Palsy)
- Fractures (clavicle fractures are the most common)
- Caput Succedaneum (swelling of the scalp), which can lead to jaundice
- Facial nerve injury
- Spinal cord injuries
- Hypoxic brain injuries (lack of oxygen to the brain) leading to conditions such as Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is among the most serious consequences of birth injuries caused by oxygen deprivation during the birthing process. In the worst cases, a birth injury results in a stillborn child.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Birth Injuries In Texas?
Birth injuries occur when a medical emergency arises during the labor and delivery process, and the medical providers tasked with a laboring mother’s care fail to take prompt action to apply corrective measures. The most common emergencies that result in birth injuries include the following:
- Prolonged labor, or delayed birth
- Prolapsed umbilical cord
- Failure to order a C-section delivery for a large baby or a mother’s narrow pelvis
- Incorrectly dislodging an infant’s shoulder from below the mother’s pubic bone (shoulder dystocia)
- Failure to adequately monitor or address fetal distress
- Failure to diagnose a mother’s infection
A birth injury may have mild, temporary effects that resolve within a few days after delivery, or a severe birth injury could leave a child with permanent impairment.
Who Is Liable In a Fort Worth Birth Injury Claim?
It often takes a skilled investigation and consultations with medical experts to pinpoint the negligence that occurred in a birth injury case and to identify the liable party. Common liable parties in Fort Worth birth injury cases include:
- The obstetrician
- A nurse who failed to properly monitor a laboring mother and child, or failed to inform the doctor of changes in the medical status of the mother or child
- A member of the care team
- The hospital, birthing center, or other medical facility
- The manufacturer of a defective medical device
A birth injury claim is a category of medical malpractice law. Compensation in birth injury cases typically comes from the negligent provider’s malpractice insurance.
Contact Greening Law to Speak to a Birth Injury Lawyer About Your Case
A successful birth injury claim relieves the related financial consequences of the injury by recovering compensation for medical expenses, future medical care costs, expenses for special education and therapies, and a family’s lost income.
Call Greening Law for experienced representation at your side throughout the legal process of financial recovery.