Although many birth injuries are unpreventable (such as those caused by congenital abnormalities or genetic defects), in rare cases, they may be caused by medical professionals who are negligent on-the-job. Should any Chicago or Illinois medical professional play a role in causing your baby's birth injury, the seasoned birth injury attorneys at Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. invite you to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation consultation to receive a comprehensive evaluation of your case. Following this assessment, we will offer professional advice regarding the most appropriate manner in which to proceed, based on your individual needs and circumstances.
Birth injuries are the foundation of a strong personal injury claim; your family will likely be entitled to seek compensation for losses, including pain, injuries and suffering by following through with a birth injury lawsuit. For nearly 20 years, we have been advocating the rights of birth injury victims and their parents so they can focus on recovering and achieving an optimal quality of life.
Risk Factors of Birth Injuries
Any serious trauma that affects a mother and/or infant can increase the chances a newborn will suffer from a birth injury. Risk factors for birth injuries include:
- breech birth (the event in which a newborn is born feet, rather than head, first)
- fetal infections, such as meningitis
- maternal infections, such as syphilis, chickenpox and rubella
- premature birth (born before 37 weeks) and/or low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs)
- prolapsed umbilical cord (an event in which the umbilical cord twists around an infants' neck and cuts off the oxygen supply)
- medical malpractice, which typically involves failure to detect and treat any complication with a pregnancy, delivery and/or newborn infant
Types of Birth Injuries
Common birth injuries include:
- Cerebral palsy, an incurable neurological disorder that causes cognitive, physical and emotional impairments
- Erb's palsy (brachial plexus injury), nerve trauma to the neck that causes loss of sensation, control and strength in the finger(s), hand(s), arm(s) and/or shoulder(s)
- Spinal cord injury
- Traumatic brain injury
How to Identify Medical Malpractice
You may have a viable medical malpractice claim if a mistake before, during or after birth occurs, such as:
- misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose a health problem
- misreading lab test results
- improper administration or prescription of medications, including prescribing an unsafe type/dose of medication, administering a drug in an unsafe manner/to the wrong patient, etc.
- improper or inadequate treatment of a patient
- surgical errors
- nursing home abuse
- neglect
If your child suffered a birth injury and you suspect it may have been caused by a mistake made by a healthcare provider, contact Pfaff & Gill, Ltd. for help. We will thoroughly evaluate the details of your case and work with medical professionals to figure out what went wrong. If medical malpractice can be proven, we will fight aggressively to ensure you receive the maximum amount of compensation possible.
