During pregnancy, parents eagerly look forward to their newborn children and dream about their futures. A severe childbirth injury, however, can quickly negatively impact those dreams. If your child suffered injuries during delivery due to a doctor’s negligence, a Bridgeport birth injury lawyer could help.
When a doctor or any healthcare professional acts in a careless manner that causes injury or death to your child before, during, or after the birthing process, you may have a potential claim. Consulting a passionate and experienced personal injury attorney could enable you to receive just and proper compensation for your losses.
How Birth Injuries Occur
A single misstep by a doctor or nurse can lead to devastating injuries to a newborn causing permanent damage that significantly impairs the child for life or results in death. Missteps or negligence by a medical professional causing a child to experience trauma during birth include oxygen deprivation, head injuries, nerve damage or excessive bleeding. For instance, a doctor who pulls too hard on the baby’s head during a vaginal delivery can cause lasting damage. Likewise, the improper use of forceps can cause a head trauma to a baby as he or she is being born, or a doctor may fail to promptly deliver a baby who shows signs of distress, leading to oxygen deprivation. A doctor who forcefully pulls on the baby’s limbs during delivery can cause the baby to suffer broken bones.
Types of Birth Injuries
Medical negligence can lead directly to specific neurological conditions, such as Cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, and Klumpke’s palsy. Cerebral palsy affects the parts of the brain that control muscle tone and movement. Erb’s palsy and Klumpke’s palsy result from damage to the brachial plexus, a nerve cluster that controls the movement of the shoulders, arms, and hands. Other potential birth injuries may include:
- Strokes,
- Brain Injuries
- Hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen to the brain
- Anesthesia-related injuries
- Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
While some injuries may heal, others may cause irreversible and permanent damage. Permanent injuries or disabilities that arise from negligence or carelessness of your medical professional during the labor process may require constant medical treatment, therapy, and personal care assistance.
Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr. of Bridgeport was once part of a $14.5 million birth defect settlement. He has helped families devastated by the negligence of their medical professional by obtaining substantial compensation for them to help with the ongoing medical needs of their baby as well as the pain and suffering associated with the injury or loss.
When to File a Claim in Bridgeport
Parents have a limited timeframe to pursue a medical malpractice claim for a birthing injury. These claims are subject to a statute of limitations, or deadline, for filing suit. Failure to follow the statute of limitations can result in parents being unable to pursue any claims for damages.
Under Connecticut General Statutes § 52-584, parents must file their birth injury claims no later than two years from the date they discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, their child’s injuries or the medical negligence. This means if the parents do not discover the injury for several weeks or months after the birth, the two-year limit begins on the date of discovery. However, the filing of the claim can come no more than three years from the date on which the injuries occurred, regardless of discovery. As a result, even though the child is a legal minor, and their parents may be unaware of the injuries, the parent can no longer pursue any claims after the child turns three.
Filing a birth injury claim before the statute of limitations deadline is likely to be easier with the assistance of a knowledgeable and experienced attorney in the community. The failure to file a lawsuit within the statutory time period may result in a parent forever losing out on holding the negligent medical professional accountable for their baby’s injuries.
Call Bridgeport Birth Injury Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr. Today
If your baby suffered harm during delivery caused by the negligence of medical professionals, you may have a right to hold them responsible for their conduct. By taking a stand, you may be able to prevent similar injuries from happening to other babies in the future. As a result, you should consult with Bridgeport birth injury lawyer George W. Ganim, Jr. about your claim as soon as possible.
Cases involving birth injuries can be lengthy, so the earlier you start working with Attorney Ganim, the more expeditiously you might be able to resolve your case. While no settlement or damages award can ever restore the health or life of your baby, it can, however, help ease the financial and emotional burden for you and your family.
Call today for your free consultation.