During childbirth, both mother and child experience a high level of vulnerability. Medical providers must effectively monitor the situation, providing assistance or intervention as needed. When a doctor, nurse, or institution fails to meet those standards, it can lead to devastating injury to the mother and child.
Following a birth injury, your family needs a Houston birth injury lawyer to help you pursue the compensation you need. Get in touch with the Law Firm of Kinard, Garcia, & Saldana today to speak with a compassionate and dedicated medical malpractice attorney.
How Birth Injuries Occur
In order to file a birth injury claim, injured parties or their families will need to show a doctor-patient relationship between the care provider who committed the error or negligence and the mother or child.
In addition, given the situation, they will need to prove that the care provider deviated in some way from the expected treatment. Negligence can include the following:
- Failure to use needed interventions when indicated
- Using interventions too early or when not necessary
- Physician error, including dropping a baby
- Surgical errors during C-sections
- Failure to inform families about potential dangers before a medical procedure
- Medication errors
These devastating provider errors can change the course of a family’s life and the infant’s future. Working with a Houston birth injury attorney could make it easier for families to assess precisely what led to those damages.
Common Birth Injuries
Birth injuries can vary, depending on how the error or negligence occurs during the birthing process. However, common injuries include the following:
- Head injuries
- Brain injuries, including oxygen deprivation
- Broken bones, including broken clavicles
- Nerve damage
Mothers can also suffer injuries during childbirth, including blood loss, loss of reproductive organs, sexual dysfunction, or death. Injury to either mother or child can prove devastating, permanently changing the family’s needs. While some infants who suffer birth injuries will ultimately make a full recovery, others may require additional care for the rest of their lives.
Compensation for Birth Injuries
After a birth injury, a Houston lawyer could work with families to assess the damages they suffered, including financial and non-financial losses. Most birth injury claims will include compensation for the family’s current medical bills related to the injury as well as anticipated future medical costs for children who will likely have high medical expenses.
In the case of maternal injury, families may have the right to claim lost earning potential as well as lost wages related to inability to work after the incident. Finally, the family can claim suffering for both the family’s suffering and the child’s. When the birth injury results in death, the family can claim compensation for final expenses, including funeral and burial costs and the loss of the mother or child’s presence in their lives.
Contact a Houston Birth Injury Attorney to Discuss Your Case
Birth injuries can not only mean an extended stay in the NICU and higher medical bills in the early days of a child’s life, but they can also lead to the loss of the child’s future potential.
When your family suffers devastating losses, a Houston birth injury lawyer could help you fight for financial compensation that can ease your family’s way through the challenges ahead. Reach out to the Law Firm of Kinard, Garcia, & Saldana today to discuss your losses and build your claim.