Fresno Birth Injury Attorney
The birth of a child should be one of the most exciting days in a person’s life. Whether you’re becoming a parent for the first time or introducing a new sibling to the family, there are so many emotions that go along with your child’s birth. So when an injury occurs, it’s traumatic on many levels. We can help you recover damages to help you pay for the medical expenses and care for your child.
What is a birth injury?
Birth injuries occur while the baby is being born, including labor and after-birth care. Some babies suffer injuries due to physical pressure while passing through the birth canal. unfortunately, not all birth injuries can be prevented, and even mothers who take all the right precautions can still face major complications. Medical professionals can reduce the chances of suffering a birth injury by carefully monitoring the health of both the mother and the baby. While providing sufficient after-birth care. When you need a Fresno birth injury attorney, call Grossman Law Offices.
What are the most common birth injuries?
A birth injury lawyer can help you if your child has suffered one of these common birth injuries.
Caput Succedaneum
Caput succedaneum is swelling around an infant’s skull caused by the use of forceps during birth. If the swelling does not go down in a few days, then it could lead to permanent brain injuries.
Cephalohematoma
This condition causes blood to accumulate under the newborn’s scalp after tiny blood vessels may have burst during delivery. Medical experts agree that it is often the result of medical malpractice when a doctor uses too much force, such as the vacuum extraction technique.
Cerebral Palsy
As the most common motor disability in childhood, the prevalence of cerebral palsy is estimated to be 1 to nearly 4 per 1,000 live births or per 1,000 children. A study conducted in 2010 found that 7.8% of 8-year-old children with cerebral palsy walked using a hand-held mobility device, and another 33.3% had limited or no walking ability. A Fresno birth injury lawyer can help you collect damages for these injuries, including medical costs necessary to treat the child for the rest of their life. One study found that the medical cost of raising a child with cerebral palsy is 10 times higher than for children without cerebral palsy or another intellectual disability.
Facial Paralysis
When nerves in the infant’s face are damaged during birth, it can result in loss of voluntary muscle movement, complicating eating and language development later on. It’s often caused by doctors using forceps during delivery.
Fractured Collarbones
Clavicle fractures are one of the most common injuries sustained by newborn babies during birth. These injuries take 7 to 10 days to heal, but the baby needs to be monitored the entire time for possible infection from complications of the bone fragments healing together. A fractured clavicle is diagnosed through an x-ray or ultrasound image to confirm that it’s broken. Babies with a broken clavicle are fussy or cry and have little movement of the affected arm. The arm may even lay limp by their side. Call us today if your child suffered a clavicle fracture during birth.
Brachial Plexus
A common complication associated with a clavicle fracture is an injury to the brachial plexus, which is a network of nerves that communicate between the spinal cord and the shoulder, arm, and hand. If the brachial plexus is damaged by a fractured bone in the clavicle, then the infant may temporarily be unable to move their arm on their injured side or possibly never recover their ability to move their arm.
Oxygen Deprivation
Hypoxia, which is another name for oxygen deprivation at birth, disrupts the proper operations of the cells in the organs and brain. Every second counts in the first minutes of life, and every moment that an infant does not have oxygen can contribute to cognitive, developmental, and intellectual problems and deficiencies as they grow older, in comparison with babies who did not suffer from birth asphyxia.
When should I contact a birth injury lawyer?
The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in California is two years which means that you have two years and the date of the birth of your child to file your suit. The Fresno courts are very strict with this deadline, so you should talk to a Fresno birth injury attorney immediately.
A Fresno birth injury attorney can help you recover economic damages and noneconomic damages from a personal injury lawsuit. Economic damages compensate you for financial losses related to the birth injury. However, what complicates these types of cases is that there is no way to calculate an exact total that the medical negligence will cost your child over the course of their lifetime, especially if the child is still an infant or toddler.
However, an experienced attorney can work with relevant experts who can come up with a fair settlement amount that includes an estimate of how much medical care will be necessary. During the child’s lifetime, their therapeutic needs, their special education expenses, and what type of work the child may be able to get when they become an adult. It also includes the cost of any medical assistive devices that the child will need, such as mobility aids.
Noneconomic damages compensate a child for the suffering that they endure for the rest of their life, as well as the psychological trauma that comes with a debilitating condition. You can receive economic damages if your child’s quality of life has been diminished due to the birth injury.
Call Now To Talk To A Fresno Birth Injury Lawyer
Call Grossman Law Offices today at 866-982-5094 to speak with a Fresno birth injury lawyer. We start by offering you a free consultation where we advise you of your rights under California personal injury law and what next steps you need to take. We provide compassionate legal counsel and aggressive representation.
