Birth Injury

Indianapolis Birth Injury Attorneys

FIGHTING FOR FAMILIES WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGHEST

Seeking Compensation for a Birth Injury

If your child suffered a serious injury, such as shoulder dystocia or hypoxia, or they were diagnosed with a condition like cerebral palsy or Erb’s palsy after a difficult pregnancy, labor, or delivery, he or she may have suffered what is known as a birth injury.

A birth injury not only alters the course of your child’s life (as well as your own), but it can also result in a serious financial burden for families. Medical bills are pricey, and depending on the severity of the injury, care may be required for the rest of the child’s life.

In most birth injury cases, the doctor, nurse, or hospital may be liable for your child’s injury. Drug or medical device manufacturers may also share responsibility. When you contact Wagner Reese, we can help you explore you options for financial compensation.

What Are The Different Types of Birth Injuries?

Despite modern advances in the delivery and birth process, medical professionals can and do still make mistakes. In some cases, attending nurses or hospital staff act negligently, leading to serious birth injuries that can affect both the infant child and the mother.

Some common birth injuries that affect infants include:

• Birth asphyxia and other forms of oxygen deprivation
• Cerebral palsy, which often results from a lack of oxygen during birth
• Cephalohematoma, or bruising that occurs between outer layers of skin and the brain
• Brachial plexus injuries, which typically affect the shoulders, hands, and arms
• Erb’s palsy, which often results in complete paralysis of one arm
• Shoulder dystocia (the infant’s shoulders become lodged behind the pelvic bone)
• Vacuum extraction and/or forceps injuries, including bruises, broken bones, and more
• Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) due to lack of oxygen

Common birth injuries affecting mothers include:

• Uterine rupture
• Prolapsed uterus
• Perineal tears
• Hemorrhaging
• C-section errors
• Abnormal uterine bleeding
• Preeclampsia/eclampsia
• Infection

Birth injuries often occur when delivery room doctors and nurses fail to properly monitor an infant’s heart rate or fail to order a timely C-section. However, birth injuries can occur for a wide variety of reasons, including mistakes made during delivery, poor pregnancy care, medication errors, and much more. Our firm can help you investigate the cause.

Birth Injuries vs. Birth Defects: What’s the Difference?

Birth defects typically form early during or before the pregnancy, usually because of genetics, maternal or paternal health problems, infection, or other issues. A birth injury, on the other hand, occurs because something went wrong during the baby’s birth.

Compassionate Care for Victims of Birth Trauma

For more than 20 years, Wagner Reese has been helping individuals and families affected by medical malpractice throughout the state of Indiana. Our personal injury lawyers in Indianapolis have over 150+ years of combined experience and have earned a reputation for winning results. We have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of victims of birth trauma, allowing families to heal and children to receive the crucial medical care they needed.

If your child was injured during delivery or was diagnosed with a serious condition as a result of a birth injury, we encourage you to reach out to our firm as soon as possible. We offer free initial consultations and contingent fees, so there is absolutely no cost for you. We also offer legal services in Spanish, if needed.