Baltimore Skull Fractures or Bone Fractures Lawyer
Skull fractures are always extremely serious, regardless of a person’s age. However, when an infant sustains a skull fracture, the consequences are particularly damaging. Skull fractures in newborns are often a result of mistakes made by the doctors in the delivery room. If your child has sustained this type of injury, you may be able to file a medical malpractice claim to recover financial compensation. A Baltimore skull fractures lawyer can help ensure you receive the fair settlement you deserve.
Understanding the Newborn Skull
The skull of a newborn is made up of several plates that are held together by sutures. Sutures are fibrous tissues that allow the plates to shift as the child moves through the birth canal. The sutures make the skull much more flexible and allow it to move much more easily through the birth canal than if the bones were hard and fused together. As a child ages, the sutures fuse together.
Although the flexibility of a newborn’s skull is important for the birthing process, it also leaves the brain exposed and more vulnerable. When a newborn sustains a skull fracture, there is much more potential for the brain to become damaged and injured.
Causes of Skull Fractures in Newborns
The majority of newborn skull fractures are caused by the use of tools meant to aid with delivery. Forceps and vacuum extractors are the two main instruments used during the birthing process. These devices help guide the baby through the birth canal and when used properly, they are quite safe. Unfortunately, too often, doctors negligently use excessive force when using these tools and that can easily cause a newborn to sustain a skull fracture.
Birth-assisting devices are not used in every delivery, so some newborns are more at risk of suffering a skull fracture than others. Forceps and vacuum extractors are more likely to be used when a complication arises, such as a baby in the breech position, or during prolonged labor.
Liability for Skull Fractures
Spontaneous skull fractures, or broken bones that occur without the use of birthing tools, do happen, but they are very rare. Even when these instruments are used, doctors are expected to know how to use them safely, or when not to use them at all. Ordering a Cesarean section is often the safer option to deliver a baby.
Doctors who use excessive force when using birthing tools, or who fail to order a C-section in a timely manner, can be held liable for causing a skull fracture in a newborn. Expert testimony from a doctor in the same specialized field can confirm when a doctor failed to act in a reasonable manner, or when they deviated from the acceptable standard of care.
Our Birth Injury Lawyers in Baltimore Can Prove Liability for a Skull Fracture
At Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman, LLC, our Baltimore birth injury lawyers know the devastation newborn skull fractures cause. When working on your claim, we will reach out to our network of experts to prove your case so you obtain the full financial compensation you are entitled to. Call us today at 410.567.0800 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and to learn more about your legal options.
