Out of all births in America, only about one and a half-percent involve serious birth injuries. While this is, fortunately, a low percentage, given the four million births that occur in the country annually, this statistic equates to 60,000 severe birth injuries every year. Labor and delivery are painful and stressful enough when nothing goes wrong; complications can turn a blessed event into a terrifying nightmare.

Not all birth injuries happen because the doctor, nurse or hospital did something wrong. Many times, however, medical negligence or mistakes by medical professionals and hospital staff are to blame. Birth injuries double the already expensive cost of delivery and can bring on a lifetime of daily challenges and extensive medical care, to say nothing of the emotional pain and trauma of experiencing a birth injury due to the negligence or incompetence of the medical staff. The Atlanta birth injury attorneys at Durham Law Group are here to help families by holding hospitals accountable for their failures, obtaining justice for their children, and achieving significant compensation to help them deal with the pain and difficulty this most terrible form of medical malpractice has caused. Call our office in Atlanta for a no-cost, confidential consultation regarding what happened in the delivery room and whether you might have a valid malpractice claim against the hospital and other parties involved.

What Causes Birth Injuries?

Complications arise during pregnancy, labor and delivery. That’s not uncommon. Because complications do set in, obstetricians and obstetrical nurses should be well-trained in the types of complications that arise and know exactly what to do when they appear. Unfortunately, gaps in communication and breakdown of procedures and hospital protocols lead to injuries that quite frankly should have been avoided. Preventable birth injuries happen because:

• Nurses took too long to call the doctor after noticing maternal or fetal distress
• The doctor took to long to call for a c-section
• The hospital did not have an operating room ready for an emergency c-section
• Staff failed to monitor for fetal distress
• The wrong medication was given based on a misunderstanding or miscommunication

What Kinds of Birth Injuries Occur in Atlanta Hospitals?

Birth injuries might occur due to failure to diagnose a difficult delivery, such as a baby in a breech position. Other mistakes involve failing to prevent premature birth or failing to treat pregnancy-related conditions such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia or eclampsia. Specific types of birth injuries that occur include:

• Cerebral palsy is caused by trauma to the head during delivery, damaging the brain and nervous system
• Brachial plexus injury caused by the improper use of forceps or a vacuum extractor, or using these tools unnecessarily
• Erb’s palsy or facial paralysis from forceps or vacuum extractors, as described above
• HIE, brain damage or death caused by oxygen deprivation due to an unreasonable delay in performing a vaginal delivery or c-section

Birth Injury Claims Require Special Expertise

Determining that medical malpractice lies behind a birth injury and proving it in court require significant skill and expertise. Doctors and hospitals are not likely to offer up an explanation when they know something went wrong; it’s up to the victim’s attorney to talk to medical experts and review medical records to build a case alleging malpractice. The Atlanta birth injury attorneys at Durham Law Group come from many diverse backgrounds and have years of experience litigating difficult and challenging cases. Whether settling your claim or taking your case to court, our firm is committed to achieving a significant result on your behalf that truly meets your needs.

Call for Help With an Atlanta Birth Injury Claim

If you believe a birth injury may have been caused by medical malpractice in an Atlanta area hospital, call the Durham Law Group at 404-845-3434 for a no-cost, confidential consultation with a team of compassionate and dedicated Atlanta birth injury lawyers.