Raising a child should be an enjoyable experience. But when lax medical care leads to injuries of your newborn, your future and the future of your child, changes. If you suspect that a medical professional was responsible for substandard care, you may wish to consult an experienced medical malpractice attorney. A Tarpon Springs birth injury lawyer could review your case and help you seek medical compensation on behalf of your child’s injuries.
What Constitutes a Birth Injury in Tarpon Springs?
To pursue a birth injury claim, claimants typically need to demonstrate that there was a deviation from the applicable standards of care concerning the delivery of the child which resulted in a permanent injury. Many times, the injury could be unfortunate and neurological in nature. Birth injury accidents are some of the most tragic but also the types of cases that often return some of the highest settlement injury verdict recoveries for families.
Possible Injuries Newborns Could Sustain
One of the most common forms of birth-related injury is a neurologic injury from lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain during delivery. Frequently, the cause of this injury is the failure to timely undertake a C-section as opposed to natural birth.
These injuries typically occur when the delivering physician or medical provider fails to timely recognize the need for a C-section. When the doctor takes quick and appropriate action to deliver the child surgically, the potential for oxygen deprivation to the child is eliminated or materially decreased.
Some of the more common birth injuries are neurologic, including nerve injuries such as a brachial plexus injury or Erb’s palsy, which is a cervical nerve root injury. There are also bleeding injuries and hematomas. Some of these injuries are what is called acute and blatant immediately. Some of the nerve injuries, when mild or moderate in nature, may present later. It is essential to discuss any concerns regarding differences in behavior or appearance of a newborn with both a pediatrician and, potentially, a malpractice attorney.
Signs that a Parent’s Child Suffered a Birth Injury
Parents might not immediately know if their child may have suffered from a birth injury. Neurologic injuries with babies, when mild to moderate, are not often immediately apparent. However, a competent and skilled pediatrician assessing the child is likely to see early signs of neurologic injury, and it is crucial that the parents of the child if it is suspected, discuss the circumstances surrounding the delivery with both a pediatrician and a birth injury lawyer in Tarpon Springs.
A Parent’s Recourse Upon Suspecting Medical Negligence
If there is a concern about a substandard delivery and the potential injury of a child, first and foremost, the parents need to seek the immediate attention of a qualified physician, usually a pediatrician. The information that the physician both obtains and records during that physical examination could be an essential basis for a future prospective medical malpractice case. Typically, the pediatrician will give the parents an understanding of whether their child was injured.
To determine if the injury resulted from medical negligence or a substandard delivery, the parents should subsequently, after speaking with a pediatrician and contact a Tarpon Springs birth injury attorney. An experienced lawyer could review medical records, consult with specialists, and decide about whether the newborn’s delivery met the standards of care and, if not, advise the family what the subsequent legal steps would be.
Contact a Tarpon Springs Birth Injury Attorney
Suspecting that a medical professional in some way was responsible for the injuries of your newborn could be an overwhelming feeling. Unfortunately, negligence by medical practitioners is not out of the realm of possibilities. Thankfully, a Tarpon Springs birth injury lawyer could help you in your consultation with a third party medical professional and determine if you have grounds to hold a negligent party responsible for substandard care. When you are ready for your consultation, reach out.
