Birth and Child Injuries

Has a birth injury left your child facing a life of long-term, expensive care? If a doctor’s careless actions caused your child serious injury at birth, you may be able to get compensation for the harm that’s been done and hold the negligent caregiver accountable. The medical malpractice lawyers at Lundy Law can help you fight for your family’s rights so you can see justice served.

Common Birth Injuries

Cerebral palsy, a common birth injury, affects muscle control and movement. Several types of the condition exist, but the three most prevalent include:

• Spastic cerebral palsy. This form is the most common, accounting for 70% to 80% of cerebral palsy cases. With this type, the muscles are stiff, which makes movement difficult in the affected limbs. The condition can affect just the legs, only one side of the body, or all four limbs.

• Athetoid cerebral palsy. Accounting for 10% to 20% of cerebral palsy cases, this type affects the entire body.

• Ataxic cerebral palsy. Only 5% to 10% of children with cerebral palsy have this type, which impairs balance and coordination.

The cause of cerebral palsy is often unknown, but certain circumstances have been identified as causes of the condition. These include:

• Infections, such as rubella, toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus, during pregnancy
• Premature birth (weighing less than 3.5 pounds increases the risk for cerebral palsy)
• Blood disease, particularly Rh disease; though Rh disease can typically be prevented by giving Rh-negative women an Rh immune globulin shot during pregnancy and after giving birth to an Rh-positive baby
• Severe jaundice, usually resulting from liver complications
• Not enough oxygen reaching the fetus during pregnancy, labor, or delivery; once thought to be a common cause, a recent study shows that it isn’t as common as once thought

Erb’s palsy and Klumpke’s palsy, other birth injuries affecting muscle movement and coordination, can result from damage to the brachial plexus, a gathering of nerves between the shoulder and the spine, during childbirth. Like causes of cerebral palsy, brachial plexus injuries are sometimes the result of a doctor’s negligence. If a doctor failed to recognize that the child is abnormally large, several complications can occur in handling and delivery.

Do You Have a Case?

All too often birth injuries result from negligence on the part of medical professionals. Complications during pregnancy can be improperly diagnosed or overlooked. During labor, conditions can rapidly change, requiring quick but informed decisions to be made by caregivers. If at any point a healthcare professional fails to adhere to established professional standards, damages may be recoverable under medical malpractice laws.

Has your child suffered a serious injury due to someone else’s negligence? Contact the attorneys at Lundy Law immediately - we have representatives standing by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to take your call as well as offices conveniently located throughout Pennsylvania in Center City, Hunting Park, Blue Bell, and Northeast Philadelphia as well as in Wilmington, Delaware, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey.