Atlanta Birth Injury Lawyer
Having a baby is a magical time for parents. It can be one of the biggest changes to come into your life and a miracle to experience. However, when a birth injury is inflicted upon your newborn baby or their mother, those good times can quickly turn stressful and worrisome. Rather than imagining your family’s future, you might feel that it’s now all up in the air.
Our Atlanta birth injury lawyer is here to help you figure out what comes next for your family by taking legal action against the party whose negligence harmed your baby or the mother. We’ll fight to defend your baby’s rights so that you can focus on doing what they need to heal. At Bey & Associates, we understand how stressful this time is, which is why we’re dedicated to supporting your family and getting you the justice you deserve.
What and Who Causes Birth Injuries?
As a new or expecting parent, it’s helpful to know who and what could cause birth injuries to your baby or you as a new mother. There are medical mistakes that could be made before, during, or after childbirth that harm you and could potentially affect your health or your baby’s health for the rest of your life.
By knowing the causes of birth injuries, you might be able to intervene when you see them beginning to happen. Otherwise, if you’re not able to raise concerns before the injury occurs, knowing the causes of birth injuries can help you recognize whether what you suffered would be considered birth-related injuries or not.
Here are some of the factors that increase the risk of traumatic birth injuries for babies and their mothers, according to Stanford Children’s Health:
- Larger babies.
- Breech babies.
- A long pregnancy.
- Premature birth.
- Long labor.
- C-sections.
- Use of delivery tools.
- Errors with epidurals.
- Mother’s pelvis or birth canal is smaller than normal.
- Misreading tests.
- Improper monitoring of vitals for baby and mother.
- Other errors by medical professionals.
A physician or health professional’s mistake could lead to the baby or mother suffering a serious birth injury that affects them for the rest of their life. When you’re thinking about what could have caused the injuries during birth and delivery that you or your baby sustained, you’ll likely look to who could be at fault for something like this.
Here are some of the parties who could have caused you or your baby’s birth injury:
- Doctors.
- Nurses.
- Other medical professionals.
- Defective medical tools.
- Drug administrators.
- Poorly-manufactured drugs.
All of the above parties could have caused or contributed to the injury that you or your baby sustained during childbirth. You’ll likely want to take legal action against them so that you can recover financial compensation. While this can’t undo how they harmed you, it can help you and your family move forward.
Your Atlanta birth injury attorney will represent you and ensure you get justice for the damages you’ve suffered. Let’s take a look at the different types of birth injuries that could have happened to you or your baby so you can better understand your situation.
Different Types of Birth Injuries
Knowing the types of birth injuries that are possible for your child or you can help you when you’re filing a birth injury claim. That way, you know how to move forward because you know exactly what happened. Depending on the birth injury that was caused to you or your newborn, you could have different damages that you’re able to recover.
When a baby is injured during birth, or their mother is injured during birth, they could sustain lifelong damages, which means you could recover more in compensation. Regardless, when a baby or mother is harmed during childbirth, there are damages you can recover, but when those damages last longer or for the rest of your life, you can recover more.
That’s why you should know exactly what types of birth injuries there are so you can fully understand what you’re owed. Here is a list of birth injuries:
- Improper epidural administration for the mother.
- Abnormal tearing.
- Improper stitching.
- Pelvic floor damage.
- Uterine rupture.
- Infections.
- Preeclampsia.
- Prolapsed uterus.
- Swelling and bruising of the baby’s head.
- Cuts.
- Bleeding in the brain or head.
- Fluid in the head.
- Facial nerve palsy.
- Erb’s palsy.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Internal organ damage.
- Brain damage.
- Nerve damage.
- Shoulder dystocia and clavicle fractures.
- Peritonitis.
- Umbilical cord issues, like wrapping around the neck.
- Oxygen deprivation.
This list only covers some of the birth injuries that could occur for mothers and their babies during birth. There are plenty of other damages that you could have sustained that aren’t listed above. If you think you or your baby suffered a birth injury, but it’s not listed above, you still could have sustained injury. Our Atlanta birth injury lawyer is here to help you figure that out.
We’ll answer all your questions to ensure you get a full scope of what happened and know your options. Let’s take a look at potential damages you could recover from a birth injury claim so you know what your attorney will be working toward.
Damages You Could Recover after Birth Injury
As mentioned above, filing a birth injury claim can’t reverse what’s happened to you. However, it can help you recover from the financial toll it’s taken or will take on your family. Knowing the different types of damages you can seek can be helpful so you can fully understand what’s on the table in your claim.
The two main types of damages are economic and non-economic, which your lawyers will fight to recover by proving the other party’s negligence caused your injuries. Economic damages are more of the physical damages you sustained, whereas noneconomic damages are the more abstract costs you suffered.
Here are some examples of the damages you can recover from a birth injury claim, both economic and noneconomic:
- Medical expenses.
- Medical equipment.
- Treatment costs.
- Medications.
- Long-term care costs.
- Lost wages.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress.
- PTSD.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Partial or permanent disability.
In addition to these kinds of damages, it’s also possible you could qualify for punitive damages if gross negligence was involved. These types of damages are rarer, but your Atlanta birth injury lawyer will know what you’re eligible for in compensation. They’ll fight to get you the full and fair financial recovery you deserve.
Bey & Associates Will Represent You in Your Birth Injury Lawyer Claim
It would help if you didn’t have to worry about whether or not your attorney has experience when you’re trusting them to handle such a fragile experience like a birth injury. Your family is likely feeling vulnerable after the baby or mother experiences trauma during childbirth, and your lawyer needs to understand that and know how to offer the most support.
At Bey & Associates, our Atlanta birth injury lawyers are experienced and know your case requires the utmost care. We’ll support you every step of the way and ensure all your questions are answered. Reach out to our office today so we can get started working for you right away.