Birth Injuries
Birth injuries are a category of medical malpractice claims and lawsuits that arise when babies are injured at birth or before birth by careless or intentional acts of a doctor, nurse, hospital, or other healthcare provider. When these actions cause an injury to a baby (but the actions do not rise to the level of a crime), they are said to be a "tort," or civil wrong, which can provide the basis for a lawsuit. When someone is determined to be legally responsible for injuring someone else, they are liable for the injury, and may be made to pay the injured person compensatory damages. Compensatory damages attempt to put an injured person back in the position he or she was in before being injured. For a young child this can include future and past medical expenses, pain and suffering, disability and disfigurement, loss of a normal life and loss of future earnings depending on the type of injury the child suffered.
Our firm handles a variety of birth injury claims for clients located in the Chicago area and throughout Illinois, including:
- Shoulder dystocia
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Breech birth complications
- Cerebral palsy and brain damage
- Erbs or Klumpke palsy
- Birth hypoxia and brain damage
- Fetal death occurring before or during birth
- Death or trauma related to incorrect dosage of medicine
- Birth Injury caused by vacuum extraction
- Birth Injury caused by failure to perform a timely Caesarean
Our recent results include a $6.71 million birth injury verdict against a hospital because an inexperienced resident performed a vaginal delivery of a breech presentation (bottom first) resulting in shoulder dystocia and a crippling brachial plexus arm injury; a $4.5 million settlement for a child who suffered brain damage causing cerebral palsy as a result of a family practice physician's failure to perform a timely Caesarean section in the face of fetal distress; a $1.03 million verdict against a doctor for improperly performing the McRoberts maneuver in the delivery of a baby who developed shoulder dystocia during birth, resulting in a crippling brachial plexus arm injury; and an $850,000 settlement for the fetal death of 26 week old fetus. Injuries suffered at birth can be severe and life-altering for the child and the mother.
Our firm understands that your immediate goals after going through such trauma are to get your medical bills paid and covered, and make sure your insurance company will pay for future treatment relating to your child's injury. Our experienced Chicago birth injury attorneys will discuss your situation and go over the options available to you, as well as work with insurance companies and other parties involved in your case to make sure all your needs are handled quickly and appropriately.
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact us online or call us at 877-374-1417 or 312-332-2872 to set up a free consultation to discuss your legal options.
Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog - Birth Injury
- Birth injury spotlight: what are symptoms of Erb’s palsy In general, there are four types of nerve injuries common in birth injuries. 1. A stretch injury that “shocks” but does not tear the nerve. Normally, ....
- Birth injury spotlight: how does Erb’s palsy occur? Brachial plexus stretch injuries in newborns usually occurs during a difficult delivery. This birth injury can occur with a large baby, a breech ....
- Birth injury spotlight: more information about Erb’s palsy Erb’s palsy is a birth injury that one or two of every 1,000 have. Most infants with brachial plexus birth palsy will recover movement and feeling in ....
Chicago Birth Injury Lawyer Blog
- Jury Awards Birth Injury Victim $510,000 Xzavier Hyman, a four year old child from Staten Island, was recently awarded $510,000 in a Medical Malpractice action against the ....
- Canadian Research Warns Obesity Adds Health Risks for Expectant Mothers and Newborn Babies According to McMaster University researchers who collected information from over one million women in 84 studies, overweight moms-to-be have ....
- Medical Malpractice Suit Brings Down Negligent Doctor It is every parent’s worst fear for their child to suffer from a traumatic experience during the course of their life. Still, due to high levels of ....
