What You Should Know About Birth Injuries
Did you know that in the U.S., there are more than 31 million injuries that require a doctor’s care every year? These stem from several unfortunate mishaps, such as the 5.5 million car accidents that occur annually.
Many of these victims suffer a wrongful injury or death because of negligence or unsafe conditions, and often file personal injury lawsuits and injury claims to receive compensation for their losses. They typically have to consult with injury lawyers to be sure that their case is fairly represented.
But what if the injury was not necessarily anyone’s fault?
While there are some births that are mishandled by doctors and require injury compensation, many babies incur a multitude of injuries at birth that cannot be blamed on anyone.
Here are a few of the most common birth injuries on record.
- Facial paralysis.
- According to ScienceDaily, of every 1,000 births, facial paralysis affects anywhere from 0.8 to 7.5 babies. This occurs during labor if the baby’s face experiences a significant amount of pressure as it comes through the birth canal. In many cases, this also happens if a doctor has to use forceps to extract the baby. The effect of this injury can be seen when the baby cries for the first time — one side of the face may remain frozen, and the eye, unblinking. If there is only slight nerve damage, the paralysis will disappear within a few weeks, but for more severe damage, surgery may be required.
- Subconjunctival Hemorrhage.
- This may be one of the less scary injuries that can happen to a baby, though the name makes it sound terrifying. During subconjunctival hemorrhage, blood vessels in the baby’s eyes may have broken, allowing blood to enter into the white portion of the eye. It often looks like a red band in each eye, but only lasts for a maximum of 10 days and does not cause any damage to the eyes.
- Fractures.
- During delivery, the clavicle, or collarbone, is usually the site of most fractures. This occurs when the baby’s shoulders are crushed during delivery, and subsequently the arm on that side is immobilized for a a couple of weeks. With a split and or bandage in place, the new bone forms quickly, creating a small bump that lasts for a while as the injury heals.
While none of these medical conditions warrant an injury lawsuit, if a doctor makes a mistake during delivery that leads to paralysis, hemorrhaging, or fractures, you could have a valid case on your hands. If that happens, just make sure you hire an expert lawyer to handle your injury lawsuit, and get the compensation you deserve.
