Columbus Birth Injury Lawyer
What should be a joyous occasion can quickly turn tragic when a medical professional fails to provide an expectant mother and her baby with the proper level of care. A serious, often preventable birth injury can change your child’s life forever.
They can be left with devastating mental, emotional, and physical challenges that require extensive, ongoing medical treatment, rehabilitation therapy, and assistance with daily tasks.
If your child was injured due to a healthcare provider’s negligence, we urge you to contact an experienced Columbus birth injury Lawyer immediately. Our seasoned Lawyers at Slater & Zurz have helped injured Ohioans recover damages for over 32 years. We are relentless advocates for our clients and are committed to obtaining justice on their behalf. Our legal team, along with our team of experts, skillfully determine the nature and extent of our client’s injuries, whether the injuries resulted from a negligent party’s actions, and the accurate assessment of past, present, and future losses.
Common Birth Injuries
Children can suffer a wide variety of birth injuries that can lead to short or long-term consequences. Common birth injuries include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Shoulder dystocia
- Broken bones
- Skull fracture/Head trauma
- Hypoxia or HIE
- Vision, hearing, and motor impairment
- Epilepsy
- Brain damage
- Wrongful death
- Maternal injuries
Birth injuries are often caused by a negligent doctor, nurse, midwife, or hospital who fails to use the appropriate standard of care. Other factors, such as improper medication administration or malfunctioning medical equipment, can also result in serious birth-related injuries.
Symptoms of Birth Injuries
Birth injuries can have a dramatic impact on the health and well-being of a newborn. They can experience immediate complications but can suffer long-lasting consequences as well. There is a wide range of signs and symptoms related to a birth injury. Some commonly recognized symptoms include the following:
Temperament issues – Newborns who have suffered a birth injury generally cry excessively or are extremely fussy. You may not be able to comfort them easily. Temperament issues are good indicators of a brain injury.
Seizures – Neonatal seizures occur shortly after birth (typically within 48 hours) and can indicate a brain injury has occurred. Tremors, muscle spasms, and lethargy are also common symptoms of brain damage.
Abnormal physical characteristics – Birth injuries can present themselves in misshapen heads or facial features, protruding foreheads, and deformed spines.
Sensory issues – Newborns who have suffered a birth injury are often sensitive to light and sound. They may also have abnormal eye movement or ringing in their ears.
Breathing problems – An infant may have trouble breathing or have low oxygen levels if they have suffered from asphyxia. Birth asphyxia occurs when the infant does not receive enough oxygen to the brain or other organs before, during, or after delivery.
Developmental delays – Some birth injuries are not immediately detectable. Some can go unnoticed for several months. When a child begins to miss milestones, such as sitting up, crawling, walking, and talking, it may indicate a brain injury.
Birth Injury vs. Birth Defect
While the terms “birth injury” and “birth defect” are often used interchangeably, there are key differences between the two.
Birth injury
A birth injury occurs before, during, or shortly after the birth process. Although some birth injuries happen naturally, most are preventable when the appropriate standard of care is provided to the mother and baby. Examples include shoulder dystocia, skull fractures, and broken bones. Birth injuries are often caused by the improper use of birthing tools, the improper administration of medication, the failure to respond to fetal distress, not performing a C-section promptly, and the failure to provide sufficient oxygen to the baby.
Birth defect
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disability, is a problem that occurs while the baby is still in the womb – typically within the first three months of pregnancy. They range from minor to severe, with some being harmless and others requiring long-term medical care. A birth defect can affect the baby’s appearance, mental and physical development, and organ function. The majority of birth defects are caused by genetics, exposure to certain medications or chemicals, and infections during pregnancy. Examples include spina bifida, clubfoot, cleft palate, and heart defects.
Proving Negligence in a Columbus Birth Injury Case
A negligent medical professional can cause a child to suffer a serious birth injury. If a negligent act caused your newborn’s injury, you might seek to hold the responsible party accountable for their actions and recover damages on your child’s behalf. To establish liability, a Columbus birth injury lawyer must show that:
- The medical professional had a legal obligation or duty to treat you and your baby.
- The care they provided was below the appropriate standard of care.
- You or your baby were injured.
- The injury resulted from their failure to provide the proper level of care.
How a Columbus Birth Injury Lawyer Can Help
To obtain the maximum recovery in your birth injury claim, you need a lawyer with the expertise, resources, and determination to advocate aggressively on your and your family’s behalf. The Columbus injury lawyers at Slater & Zurz will do everything within our power to hold the negligent party responsible for their actions and recover the much-needed compensation you are entitled to. We will provide superior legal representation throughout the birth injury claims process by:
- Make sure you or your child receives the highest level of medical care
- Ensuring we are readily available to you and your family to answer any questions and address any concerns
- Promptly updating you with any developments in your case
- Working with a team of medical professionals to determine the nature and extent of the injury, its cause, and the party responsible for the injury
- Working with qualified financial experts to assess the precise amount of past, present, and future damages
- Skillfully negotiate to obtain maximum recovery
- Represent your best interests in court, if necessary
- Being there whenever you need us – even after your case is successfully resolved
It is devastating to learn you or your child has been injured due to the actions or inaction of a negligent party. But you can find comfort in knowing our dedicated and compassionate legal team will be there every step of the way, fighting diligently on your behalf. We will handle every aspect of your birth injury claim so you and your family can focus on getting your lives back on track. Schedule a free consultation today by calling (614)756-2714.