Up to 8% of all children in the U.S, three every hour, are born suffering from birth injury negligence which results in long term medical complications, problems with normal growth and development, permanent disability, or even death. Traumatic brain injury inflicted at delivery is one of the leading causes of a permanent life impacting birth injury.
Birth Injury Negligence Resulting in Brain Injury
Medical reports by The Brain Injury Association of America show that brain injuries received at birth typically result in long term permanent disability or death. Brain injury at birth is linked to cerebral palsy, erbs palsy, mental retardation, seizure disorder, paralysis, speech and language disorders, and many other significant conditions and disorders that affect a child’s growth and development for their lifetime. Some birth injuries may be identified at birth while others may not present themselves until years later as the child grows.
Infant Brain Injury Symptoms
Some of the initial symptoms of brain damage can be seen shortly after birth. While birth injury related to brain damage may take years to be diagnosed, some of the early signs are:
- Difficulties with feeding
- Tremors or shaking
- Distorted or misshaped facial features
- Abnormally shaped spine
- Appearance of neck stiffness
- Excessive episodes of crying or being fussy for no apparent reason
Birth Injury Developmental Delays
Very often symptoms of brain damage related to birth injury negligence do not become noticeable until the child begins to miss normal developmental milestones. The injury may begin to impact a child affecting their physical, cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, or emotional growth and normal development. Brain damage from birth may not have symptoms become an issue until the child reaches school age and a learning disability is suspected. Up to 14% of brain damage is not discovered until a child is of school age. Some of the common symptoms of developmental delay include:
- Problems with normal physical development of rolling, crawling, sitting up, walking, running, jumping, using stairs, skipping
- Delays in normal time frame expected for feeding self, using the toilet, dressing themselves, helping with minor household chores
- Problems with memory and processing of information
- Problems with language and communication
- Issues with attention and concentration
- Development of behavioral and emotional problems
- Ability to color, appropriate play with toys and games
Birth Injury and Medical Negligence
The leading causes of birth injury directly related to medical negligence include the following:
- Failure to detect or respond quickly to signs of fetal distress
- Improper use of forceps or a vacuum to assist in delivery
- Failure to order a cesarean section timely, or in an emergency situation
- Failure to monitor, detect, treat any maternal infections
- Failure to diagnose and treat a prolapsed umbilical cord
- Failure to resuscitate a newborn infant properly
- Improper training and supervision of medical staff under doctor’s direction
- Failure to use assisted birthing instruments correctly
Birth Injury Negligence Lawyer
Providing for a lifetime of care, attention, and treatment for your child can be expensive and put a tremendous emotional toll on the entire family. Call the law office of Joel Baskin for a confidential consultation regarding current and future needs.