SEATTLE BIRTH INJURY LAWYERS

Most births today take place in hospitals where mothers trust that having the assistance of trained professionals will ensure an uneventful delivery and a healthy baby. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and babies are sometimes born with serious injuries. An estimated six out of every thousand babies born in the United States suffers some kind of birth injury.

WHY DO BIRTH INJURIES HAPPEN?

In some cases these are no one’s fault and could not have been prevented with even the most competent and skilled care. However, at other times, the injuries are caused by doctors or nurses who fail to provide the expected standard of care. Sometimes birth injuries are caused by something a health care professional did incorrectly, and other times they are a result of the professional failing to do something that should have been done. These are some common medical errors that can cause birth injuries:

  • Not giving the baby enough oxygen
  • Failure to treat jaundice soon enough to prevent brain damage
  • Not treating infection properly
  • Poor technique in performing vacuum or forceps extractions
  • Inappropriate or incorrect use of drugs to induce or stimulate labor
  • Failure to monitor properly or to detect fetal distress
  • Failure to resuscitate a depressed baby properly
  • Failure to perform a caesarean-section when one is necessary
  • Using vacuum extraction and/or forceps when a C-section is needed

TYPES OF BIRTH INJURIES CAUSED BY MEDICAL ERROR

Certain kinds of birth injuries are sometimes, but not always, associated with medical malpractice. If your baby suffers from any of these birth injuries, you should consider consulting an experienced birth injury attorney to determine if the injury is one that could have been prevented by proper care.

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Broken bones
  • Erb’s palsy
  • Facial paralysis
  • Cephalohematoma
  • Vacuum suction or forceps injuries

GETTING HELP

You may be able to get monetary compensation for the medical treatment and other services your child needs, as well as for the pain, suffering, and disability that affect your child. Children with birth injuries may need surgery, physical therapy, special equipment, or special education. An experienced Washington birth injury lawyer will consult with medical professionals to evaluate the child’s records to determine whether the injury or condition was caused by a preventable medical error. These same experts will be available to testify in court if necessary. Your attorney will also gather proof of expenses related to the birth injury and will predict future expenses for the care the child will need.

YOU NEED AN EXPERIENCED BIRTH INJURY LAWYER

You should consult a birth injury lawyer soon as you begin to suspect that your baby’s problems may have been caused by something a doctor, midwife, or nurse did or failed to do at the birth. Washington law has limitations on the amount of time you have to file a malpractice suit. Your baby deserves an adequate recovery so you can feel secure knowing you’ll always be able to provide for his or her needs.

The Seattle, Washington birth injury lawyers at Wattel and York are committed to fighting for your injured child. We understand the importance of having enough money to provide everything the child needs to have the best life possible. We have the resources and expertise to succeed in getting it. Call us to schedule an appointment for a free, no-obligation consultation. There is no up front cost to hire us to help secure your child’s future, and you pay us nothing unless we get money for your child.