Birth Injuries Caused by Medical Negligence

Birth Injuries or fetal death caused by medical negligence – a preventable error by the doctor, nurse or other medical staff – can be particularly traumatizing. Birth injuries typically occur while a woman is in labor or delivering the baby and they are far more common than most expecting parents realize.

If your baby suffered a serious birth injury you may be entitled to receive damages through a medical malpractice lawsuit. Damages are financial compensation for injury-related medical treatments, therapies, pain and suffering, long-term care and other losses.

The 10 most common birth injuries

1. Brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s Palsy)
2. Bone fractures
3. Cephalohematoma
4. Caput succedaneum
5. Perinatal asphyxia
6. Intracranial hemorrhage
7. Subconjunctival hemorrhage
8. Facial paralysis
9. Spinal cord injuries
10. Cerebral palsy

Birth Injury Statistics

Of every 1,000 babies born in the United States, between six and eight are born with a birth injury. In 2006 alone, almost 157,700 potentially avoidable injuries were sustained by mothers and children during childbirth. About 50 percent of all birth injuries are potentially avoidable with better planning and identification of obstetrical risk factors.

The highest birth injury rates are from vaginal births that involved forceps or vacuums (160.5 deliveries per 1,000 births). In fact, during 2000-2006 the injury rate for mothers in non-instrument-assisted vaginal births was 30 percent lower than the injury rate for mothers in instrument-assisted vaginal births. Risks associated with both forceps deliveries and vacuum deliveries include intracranial hemorrhage, retinal hemorrhage and feeding difficulties.

While injury rates of trauma occurring during cesarean section increase with the mother’s age, a cesarean section is generally accepted by the medical community as the safest form of delivery. Mothers who received a cesarean section while covered with Medicaid or being uninsured were less likely to experience birth injuries than mothers with private insurance who received a cesarean section. Obstetrical trauma rates from a cesarean delivery were 35 percent higher in the wealthiest communities, compared to the poorest communities.

Overall, newborn infants covered by Medicaid had a higher rate of birth injury as compared to infants covered by private insurance providers but conversely mothers covered by Medicaid had a lower rate of birth trauma. Uninsured newborns had similar rates of birth injuries when compared to newborns with private insurance.

Rural births carry a 33 percent higher rate of birth injuries than urban births.

Source: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

If your newborn child has sustained a birth injury and you believe that it may have been caused by medical negligence, you should seek legal advice from a qualified birth injury lawyer today.

The Seattle personal injury attorneys at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC have years of experience representing families harmed by medical malpractice, birth injuries and other personal injuries. We seek justice for patients who have been harmed by preventable medical errors including wrongful death, catastrophic injuries and traumatic brain injuries in Seattle and across Washington State. There are no fees or expenses to file a personal injury case as we only receive payment if we recover damages on your behalf. Do not delay; personal injury claims come with a statute of limitations, which means they must be filed within a certain time frame of the injury.

Call us now at (206) 752-4366 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our compassionate, experienced Seattle injury lawyers. We are ready to fight for you.