Birth Injury Attorneys | Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Chicago Birth Injury Lawyers

Having a child is one of the most joyous and rewarding occasions of a parent’s life. However, this day can take a turn for the worst when you learn that your newborn suffered a birth injury during or just after delivery. While not every injury caused during child birth is due to the medical malpractice or the negligence of a health care professional, when there are complications in the process of pregnancy or labor and delivery, the result can be a variety of complications for the newborn baby and/or the mother.

If your child was born with injuries or there was a birth-related injury to the mother during delivery, the delivery processes should be closely examined to determine whether the injury was a result of medical negligence. Contact the skilled and experienced personal injury attorneys of Willens Law Offices, P.C. at 312-957-4166 to discuss your legal options.

If we agree to investigate your birth-related injury case, we will thoroughly examine your case to figure out who may have liability for injury to the child and or the mother. Such potential parties we will investigate are the doctor who delivered the child, the hospital, nurses, interns, residents, techs and nursing aids. If a medication was prescribed to the mother led to a birth-related injury, the drug manufacturer may be named in a product liability lawsuit.

Causes of Birth Injuries

The most common types of birth injuries are:

Delay in ordering a cesarean section

Failure to respond to bleeding

Failure to respond to umbilical cord entrapment

Failure to respond to fetal distress

Misuse of vacuum extractors or forceps

Poor care of newborn immediately following birth

Miscommunication between Doctors and Nurses

Physicians should have the experience, training, and knowledge necessary to handle most unusual birth situations. Because newborns are still in such a delicate phase of their development, injuries they sustain can have harsh consequences. If the delivery team makes a careless mistake at the time of delivery, the infant may be harmed severely.

Types of Injuries Caused During Childbirth

Birth injuries vary in severity and type. Birth injuries can be minor, like bruising, or they can be serious such as in the case of cerebral palsy. In serious cases, the baby can suffer permanent, life-long injury. Many birth injuries result from the delivery itself as the baby makes its way down the birth canal. But some birth injuries occur when the treating medical professionals fail to adequately assess or respond to conditions or complications during a woman’s pregnancy or delivery.

Over our years of practice, the birth injury attorneys of Willens Law Offices, P.C. have gained the experience and skills necessary to represent victims of a variety of birth injuries, including:

Damage to the nerves of the baby’s brachial plexus in the stuck shoulder become stretched to the point of tearing.

Cerebral Palsy – damage to the areas of the brain that control muscle function and movement. Can be caused by a lack of oxygen during delivery.

Erb’s Palsy – stretching or tearing of the nerves that control movement in the arms, hands and fingers

Cephalohematoma – collection of blood under the baby’s periosteum, a tissue that covers the bones in the head

Facial Paralysis – caused by excessive pressure on the face during delivery

Forceps injuries – lacerations, bruising or swelling usually of the baby’s head

Fractures – of the collarbone, limbs or head

Post-natal Infections – often caused by Ecoli, enterococci, aerobacter, proteus the infection caused to body through skin, mucosa.

Brain Injuries

Spinal Cord Injuries

Wrongful Death of Baby

Wrongful Death of Mother

Damages Recoverable in a Birth Injury Matter

The child, mother and father may be entitled to damages stemming from a birth injury case. Some of the types of damages these parties may receive include:

Medical Expenses in the past

Medical Expenses in the future

Pain and suffering

Permanent physical disability

Emotional distress

Loss of companionship

The specific types of damages you may be entitled to will depend on the facts of your case and the relevant law. An attorney experienced in birth injury cases can discuss your options for recovery in greater detail.