Union City Birth Injury Lawyer
The discovery of a birth injury in your child can lead you down a difficult path of exploring your family’s legal rights and determining how to hold a negligent health care provider in Union City accountable. While you may be feeling overwhelmed, you don’t have to go through this alone.
The Union City injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C., are here to help you and your family seek justice and maximum compensation for a traumatic and preventable birth injury in New Jersey.
Contact us 24/7 to schedule a free consultation about your potential birth injury case. We care about our clients and will make sure your case receives personal care and attention from one of our knowledgeable attorneys.
How Birth Injuries Can Happen During Labor and Delivery
Birth injuries during the labor and delivery processes can arise due to medical negligence or malpractice, meaning a health care provider’s failure to act according to the correct standards of care. While not all birth injuries are the result of a medical practitioner’s neglect, a percentage of serious injuries and fetal deaths each year are attributed to malpractice in New Jersey.
Common examples include:
- Failure to monitor fetal heart rate and vital signs
- Failure to react promptly and appropriately to signs of fetal distress
- Improper birthing techniques or the misuse of birth-assistive tools
- Failure to order an emergency C-section
- Diagnostic, treatment or medication errors
- Surgical mistakes and anesthesia errors
- Mishandling of an infant shortly after birth
Infant injuries are more likely to occur during a complicated birth, such as one with prolonged delivery, large infant size or breech position. However, health care providers are expected to use a certain amount of care during all births to avoid preventable patient injuries. The failure to do so is medical malpractice.
Signs a Birth Injury May Have Been Caused by Medical Negligence
Many parents don’t recognize that their child has a birth injury until days, weeks or even years later. Signs of developmental delays and learning disabilities due to permanent brain damage, for example, may not be noticed until the child starts missing milestones.
As soon as you discover that your child suffered any type of injury or harm during your birthing experience, contact Jeffrey S. Hasson and his team of attorneys to explore the possibility of filing a medical negligence claim.
You may have grounds for a medical malpractice case if there are red flags in your child’s status or well-being, such as a severe or permanent injury, brain damage due to lack of oxygen, dangerous or unsanitary conditions at the hospital or birthing center, or unclear answers or evasions when you ask the doctor questions.
Common Types of Birth Injuries in Newborns
Birth injuries can take many shapes and forms. They can be mild, moderate or severe. They may be temporary and resolve on their own within a couple of weeks, or result in long-term harm and permanent disability.
Common types of birth injuries involved in Union City medical malpractice claims include:
- Brain injuries due to a lack of blood or oxygen
- Cerebral palsy and other motor function disorders
- Broken bones and greenstick fractures
- Muscle, tendon, ligament and joint damage
- Cuts, lacerations and scarring
- Head, scalp and facial injuries
- Bleeding inside the skull (cephalohematoma)
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Nerve damage, chronic pain and paralysis
- Brachial plexus injuries, including Erb’s palsy
- Internal injuries, organ damage or organ failure
- Kernicterus (untreated jaundice)
A birth injury may cause symptoms in a newborn such as inconsolable or high-pitched crying, trouble feeding or swallowing, visible injuries such as bruising or cuts, certain parts of the body not moving, and unusual muscle stiffness or floppiness. At the first signs of something amiss, take your infant to a different medical center than the one where you gave birth for a checkup.
How a Birth Injury Can Impact a Family’s Future
Birth injuries can cause great financial and emotional strain. These injuries can be expensive to treat, resulting in thousands of dollars of medical debt that falls on the infant’s parents. If a birth injury causes more than just temporary harm, the family may also be faced with future costs, such as:
- Regular doctor’s appointments and trips to see specialists
- Multiple surgeries and medical treatments
- Various therapies and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications and medical devices
- Disability accommodations (home and vehicle modifications)
- Lost income from taking time away from work for appointments or caregiving
- Chronic stress, mental health harm and emotional distress
- Relationship problems and personal strain
The toll of a birth injury on the whole family cannot be overstated. A successful birth injury case in Union City could result in damages or financial compensation for all of these losses and more. Common types of damages are present and future medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and out-of-pocket costs.
Who May Be Liable for a Birth Injury in Union City?
If your child sustained a birth injury due to medical negligence, your family may have the right to bring a claim against one or more parties in pursuit of financial compensation. Working closely with an attorney in Union City can make it easier to identify the correct liable parties in your case.
Possibilities include:
- A physician or specialist
- An OBGYN
- A nurse
- A midwife or doula
- A surgeon
- An anesthesiologist
- A hospital or birthing center
- An emergency room
Liability in a birth injury case can be complicated. Your family may have the right to sue a medical center for the negligence of one of its employees under the doctrine of vicarious liability, for example. Multiple parties may share fault for your child’s birth injury. Asking an attorney for legal guidance is the easiest way to determine your rights.
Contact a Union City Birth Injury Lawyer Today
It is important to explore your family’s legal rights by speaking to an attorney if your child was diagnosed with a birth injury in Union City, New Jersey. Your family may be able to achieve a fair and full financial recovery by hiring our experienced birth injury lawyers.
The lawyers at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C., have over 90 years of combined legal experience. We can help your family secure maximum compensation by providing strong and smart legal advocacy during negotiations.
Find out how we can help you and your family in more detail during a free birth injury case evaluation with one of our local attorneys. Contact us online or call (201) 645-4374 today. Our Union City office is located at 322 48th Street, Union City, NJ 07087.