Arizona Birth Injury Attorney
Giving birth can be one of the most important events a mother could ever experience. However, when complications manifest, that joyful experience can turn into a heartbreaking one. If you or your baby suffered harm or wrongful death from a medical provider’s negligence, contact an Arizona birth injury attorney at Lerner and Rowe. Our team is available to take your call whenever you need them, so don’t delay.
What Is a Birth Injury?
A birth injury is when the mother or her baby are harmed by a healthcare professional during labor or delivery. Birth injuries can occur in many ways, and they vary in type and severity. Here are a few examples of possible birth injuries:
- Paralysis – If a baby is delivered in an awkward position or aggressively pulled during delivery, paralysis of the baby’s face or other body parts could result. If enough pressure is applied, the paralysis may be permanent.
- Bleeding – The baby could bleed because of excessive pressure or bruising during labor or delivery. Bleeding could occur in many areas, including between the skin and the skull (cephalohematoma) and within the brain itself (cerebral hemorrhage).
- Fractures – When a healthcare professional isn’t gentle enough with the baby, a fracture could occur. Babies are born with a greater number of bones in their body than that of adults, and their bones are soft and fuse together as they age. It can be rather easy for a negligent healthcare professional to fracture/break a baby’s bones.
- Erb’s Palsy – This condition occurs when the bundle of nerves called the brachial plexus suffers damage. When this happens, the baby may have numbness, weakness, and the inability to move their arm and shoulder. Depending on the severity, Erb’s Palsy may even require surgery to correct.
- Hypoxia/Anoxia – If a baby doesn’t get enough oxygen or any oxygen at all, hypoxia/anoxia can occur. As a result, a baby can suffer serious brain injury, life-long developmental problems, and mental disability.
How to Prove Medical Malpractice
If a birth injury does occur, that doesn’t necessarily mean that medical malpractice took place. There are a few key elements critical to proving a medical malpractice case. The Arizona birth injury attorney team at Lerner and Rowe is proficient at building strong medical malpractice cases. Here are some things you should keep in mind:
- A Medical Relationship Existed – There must have been a relationship between the mother and the healthcare professional. Medical documents, treatment records, and other notes can help establish that the mother was under the care of a healthcare professional.
- Negligence Occurred – Negligence means that a healthcare professional or other staff member acted in a way outside the reasonable standard of care. In other words, negligence occurs when any other competent person would have acted more carefully in a similar situation.
- Harm Resulted – The mother or the baby must have suffered harm as a direct result of negligence. For example, if an obstetrician delivers a baby and fractures its bones instead of performing a cesarean section where the baby would remain uninjured, this could constitute medical malpractice.
What Can You Do?
There are some steps you can take if you or your baby suffer a birth injury. Remember these things:
- Seek medical help – Make sure you and your baby get medical attention right away.
- Contact legal aid – Call a Lerner and Rowe Arizona birth injury attorney for help pursuing just compensation.
- Recover and Rest – Focus your energy on healing while Lerner and Rowe pursues your legal case.
Contact an Arizona Birth Injury Attorney
If you or someone you know suffered due to medical malpractice during childbirth, contact our Lerner and Rowe Arizona birth injury lawyers right away. Our legal team has years of experience handling personal injury cases, and we work with other medical professionals to pursue your compensation.
Give us a call anytime at 602-977-1900. You can also visit us during our office hours, which are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additionally, you can reach us online through a contact form or through our convenient LiveChat feature. Consultations are free, and we don’t collect a penny until we win your case. So don’t wait; contact us today!