Maryland Infant Injury Lawyer
While every parent hopes for a healthy baby, the truth is that birth injuries happen often. The risk of developing birth trauma in hospitals depends a lot on the quality of care the medical facility provides. In some hospitals, it’s better. In others, it’s a lot worse.
When a newborn baby suffers injuries during or shortly after birth, it can have significant consequences for both the baby and their parents. The Maryland infant injury attorneys at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman can help you determine your legal options based on the details of your case.
A newborn can be injured before, during, and shortly after birth, but regardless of when the injury happened, it’s always devastating when medical negligence is involved. That’s because
birth injuries due to medical negligence could have been prevented. Now the baby and parents must deal with the long-lasting impact of the injuries, which could be long-term or even lifelong in nature.
Both mothers and newborns can be at risk for suffering harm during the childbirth process. While these injuries can sometimes happen naturally, with nobody to blame, medical professionals can be held liable if they make mistakes. If medical professionals are not performing their duties per the medical standards of care, their negligence can have far-reaching consequences. Not only can there be serious or permanent damage to the infant, but there can also be significant financial, mental, and emotional challenges for families.
Types of Medical Negligence
Medical negligence can happen in a number of ways. Some common mistakes that doctors can make include the following:
- Failing to perform duties that a reasonable medical professional would have performed to avoid the injury
- Misuse of forceps, vacuum extractors, and other delivery instruments
- Failing to communicate pregnancy or delivery issues to other doctors involved
- Failing to properly diagnose and treat issues during pregnancy and birth, such as maternal infections, umbilical cord issues, premature rupture of the membranes, placental abruption, and other conditions for which a C-section is recommended
- Failing to properly monitor newborns
- Failing to perform specialized testing for the mother during pregnancy
- Failing to monitor and address changes in the fetus’ condition
- Failing to refer high-risk mothers to specialized providers
This negligence can lead to birth injuries such as:
- Brachial plexus
- Clavicle fracture
- Lack of oxygen
- Shoulder dystocia
- Hemorrhage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Facial paralysis
- Head trauma
- Brain damage
- Cerebral palsy
Contact Us Today
Obstetricians are trained to expect and manage complications during labor and delivery. They must be able to react quickly and provide competent care in these situations so they can deliver a healthy baby. When they fail to do so, serious injuries can occur.
If your baby has been affected, reach out to the infant injury attorneys at Wais, Vogelstein, Forman, Koch & Norman as soon as possible. Birth injuries can cause a lot of mental and financial stress, so let us help you get the compensation you deserve. Schedule a free consultation today by calling (410) 567-0800.
