BIRTH INJURY
Every day in the UK a number of babies are born with some form of birth injury. A birth injury is an injury that has occurred to the infant, before, during or shortly after the birth. Birth injuries can range from the minor to those of the utmost severity with the death of the infant. Common types of injury include skin irritation, fractures to the infant’s arm, collarbone or shoulder, brain damage, cerebral palsy, Erbs palsy and brachial plexus palsy.
Complications during the pregnancy, labour and delivery all can give rise to the possibility of injury to the newly born infant. Whilst there are a number of natural causes which may result in birth injury, there are many reasons why a baby may be injured for example; the negligence of a doctor, hospital staff or some other member of the medical profession.
How can birth injuries occur?
Common mistakes made by doctors during delivery include a delay in performing the birth where necessary by caesarean section, incorrect delivery, delivery with excessive force or a miscalculation of the infants’ size, which results in a traumatic delivery. The most serious of all non-fatal injuries are those sustained to the infant’s brain. Brain damage to an infant can be caused by a restriction of oxygen supply or bleeding in the brain caused by trauma during the delivery.
There are a considerable number of routine tests that should be performed during pregnancy to monitor and evaluate the health of your child. With higher risk pregnancies these additional tests and procedures are even more vital. If the pre-natal care/testing and delivery is not handled correctly then this can give rise to a claim for medical negligence.
Other examples of injuries caused by medical negligence can include:
- Injury to the mother by failing to identify a vaginal tear following giving birth
- Failure to detect abnormalities in the foetus at the 20-week stage
- Incorrect suturing following episiotomies
- Injury to the mother by failure to manage pre-eclampsia after delivery
I think that I have a claim. Where do I go from here?
If your child has sustained a birth injury then you need to seek specialist advice as soon as possible. Ashton Lake Solicitors specialise in bringing claims for infants who have sustained birth injuries. As specialists, we are skilled in identifying (from the medical records, CTG traces and witness evidence) when things began to go wrong, what action was/or was not taken, and whether mistakes were made. We will identify and prove negligent action on the part of the medical professional where they have provided a sub standard level of care. Our aim is to get to the truth of how the injury occurred and to obtain the maximum compensation for your child. We pride ourselves in high levels of client care and will always progress your claim with sensitivity at every stage of the process.
If you wish to obtain a free claim assessment then please complete the online enquiry form or call 01509 262621 to speak to a specialist medical negligence solicitor who will be available to discuss your case further. We offer a wide choice of funding arrangements including no win no fee.
