The birth of a child should be one of life’s most joyous moments. Unfortunately for many new parents, medical negligence sometimes turns a happy occasion into one filled with dread, anxiety, fear and grief.
Statistics show that the United States is one of the most dangerous places in the developed world in which to give birth. The maternal death and injury rate in the U.S. is the highest in the developed world. Hundreds of women die in childbirth annually, while roughly 30,000 newborns suffer some sort of injury during birth.
Sadly, many of these deaths and injuries are entirely preventable. A 2018 investigation by USA Today found that roughly half of birth injuries and deaths could have been prevented with faster medical intervention.
Fortunately, California law offers strong protections for those victimized by birth injuries caused by negligence.
Why Birth Injuries Are So Common and Dangerous
Medical complications arising from childbirth are the primary cause of birth-related injuries and deaths. For mothers, these complications are typically found in the form of hypertension and hemorrhaging, two conditions that are deadly without fast intervention.
The list of birth injuries is a long one. Some of the most common of them include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Brain damage
- Hypoxia
- Erb’s Palsy
- Anoxia
- Pulmonary Hypertension
These injuries can arise, or be exacerbated by, negligent medical care at the time of the birth. This negligence may take the form of delayed response to complications, failure to recognize or diagnose fetal distress or bleeding, misuse of pitocin, forceps or other tools or the failure to order a timely and necessary C-section.
This negligence can have serious and long-lasting effects on the lives of newborns and their mothers. In the worst cases, a moment of negligence during birth may result in lifelong disabilities — or even death.
In California, the legal system is here to protect mothers and their children who have suffered from negligent birth injuries.
Finding the Right Birth Injury Attorney
Birth injuries are traumatic in every sense of the word, as they occur in a context that should be both joyous and life-affirming. The physical pain and mental anguish of such injuries may last a lifetime, and affect an entire family. Sadly, in the United States, this scenario is all too common.
The legal system is the best avenue available to deliver justice to those who have been victimized by medical negligence. Because birth injury cases are often highly complex, it’s imperative to find a firm with a track record of handling the toughest litigation.
By choosing an experienced attorney who specializes in birth injury litigation, victims can help ensure that they receive the justice to which they and their family are entitled.
