Philadelphia Birth Injury Attorney

At Anapol Weiss, our Philadelphia birth injury lawyers know how devastating birth injuries can be for the child and parents. Birth injuries cause long-lasting physical, psychological, and cognitive effects. If your loved one suffers lifelong repercussions from a negligence-related accident, now is the time to take a stand.

Enlist the help of our experienced Philadelphia birth injury attorneys today. During pregnancy, labor, and birth, healthcare professionals must do their utmost to ensure the safety of both mother and child. Prenatal care and infant delivery require careful monitoring of fetal heart rate, proper use of birthing tools, and the competence to know when to order a cesarean section. A mistake at any point during the process can result in birth trauma.

Don’t wait. In Pennsylvania, you have a limited statute of limitations in which you can file a birth injury lawsuit. Talk to our attorneys for a free consultation and our medical malpractice lawyers at Anapol Weiss can launch a full-scale investigation into the incident in question, hire prominent expert witnesses, and take from in-depth research and comparable past cases to help your case.

 

No matter what it takes, we’ll work tirelessly on your behalf. To schedule a free consultation about your birth injury claim, call (215) 735-1130.

mother with newborn

Information and FAQ’s About Birth Injury Lawsuits:

How do I recover compensation for a birth injury?

A birth injury lawyer will demonstrate how the mother and/or baby suffered damages, including physical, psychological or financial consequences or other harm. Particularly in birth injury cases, the cost of future medical care for the catastrophically injured baby is of paramount importance. We work with rehabilitation physicians and nurses to create a life care plan to fully care for the injured child.

How to File a Birth Injury Claim in Philadelphia?

Each state has rules and restrictions for bringing birth injury claims. In Pennsylvania, one must file within two years of the date of the injury. If the plaintiff did not discover the injury until later (as may be the case with many developmental birth injuries), the countdown begins on the date of discovery.

A plaintiff also has two years after the date he/she knows or reasonably should know the conduct that caused the injury and the relationship between the conduct and the injury. Regardless of these three factors, a plaintiff has seven years from the date the injury occurred to bring a claim. If the plaintiff is a minor, he/she has seven years after his/her 20th birthday to file a claim, no matter when the incident occurred.

Within 60 days of the initial filing of the claim with the Pennsylvania courts, the plaintiff must submit an affidavit or certificate of merit. The affidavit must have an attorney’s signature and a written statement from an expert that supports the merit of the plaintiff’s claim. Seek help from an attorney to create your affidavit of merit during the filing process. An attorney can help you locate an appropriate expert and sign your document to make it qualify.

Negligence and Birth Injury Malpractice in Philadelphia

Not all birth injuries result from medical malpractice. However, there are many situations in which a doctor’s negligence is the main cause of fetal injury. In these cases, the parents of the injured child have the right to bring a medical malpractice claim against the responsible party. Anytime a doctor, hospital, or a member of the medical staff fails to use reasonable care that results in any of these outcomes, there may be grounds for a civil claim:

  • Injury to mother or child
  • Wrongful birth
  • Wrongful pregnancy

Injuries to mother or child can run the gamut from broken bones to traumatic brain injuries in the infant, and from excessive blood loss to internal injuries in the mother. Wrongful birth cases can occur if the parents would have ended or avoided pregnancy had they known about birth defects. Wrongful pregnancy describes a failed attempt to end or avoid a pregnancy. In any of these situations in Philadelphia, injured parties should seek help from Anapol Weiss.

Improper or negligent handling of birth-assisting tools such as forceps or vacuum extractors has led to thousands of birth injuries worldwide. In other cases, a doctor’s incompetence or failure to properly react to an emergency can cause birth injuries. Surgical errors during C-sections can also occur. All these represent common situations in which the injured parties have the right to sue the doctor, hospital, and/or a third party.

What are Common Types of Birth Injuries?

Examples of birth injuries include:

Understanding the multifaceted symptoms and outcomes of each of these injuries takes testimony from experts. Many of these injuries can result in lifelong health consequences such as cognitive difficulties, learning impairments, and loss of motor function and skill. Sadly, many birth injuries are avoidable with proper medical care during pregnancy and delivery. Here’s a more in-depth overview of some main categories of birth injuries:

Brain-Related Injuries

Brain injuries may develop due to lack of oxygen to the brain during labor and delivery. Oxygen deprivation can lead to brain damage or electrical disorders such as cerebral palsy (CP). CP is the leading brain-related birth injury. Oxygen deprivation and CP can occur when physicians fail to detect maternal infections, fail to carry out emergency C-sections, fail to treat a prolapsed umbilical cord, or fail to use birthing tools correctly.

Physical Injuries

Muscle-related injuries such as limited movement or paralysis can stem from medical negligence such as causing broken bones, bruising, or lacerations to the infant during birth. Skull fractures or cephalohematoma (bruising between the skull and outer layers of skin) may occur in these situations. With proper care during labor and birth, physicians can avoid physical injuries such as:

Infection-Related Injuries

Sometimes, an infection in the mother can cause injuries to the unborn child. It is a physician’s job to detect and treat maternal issues, such as infections, before they cause harm to the baby. Infections that can pass to the infant include strep and meningitis. Physicians must also recommend the proper supplements to prevent issues such as anemia, folic acid deficiency, and spina bifida.

The Lasting Effects of Birth Trauma

Infants with birth injuries or trauma may display physical, cognitive, and psychological disorders. Labor complications leading to oxygen deprivation or loss of blood supply to the brain can lead to brain damage and developmental delays. Brain injuries can cause issues with body functions and cognitive abilities.

Brachial plexus injuries, on the other hand, can cause lifelong paralysis in the shoulder or arm – often due to shoulder dystocia (when the baby’s shoulder becomes lodged behind the mother’s pelvic bone during delivery). Physicians must act quickly and appropriately in emergency situations to prevent this lasting damage.

Even in the absence of physical or cognitive injuries, traumatic births may affect an infant psychologically. Researchers are still exploring the potential effects of traumatic births in children as they grow older. Developmental disabilities from birth injuries might include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, Asperger’s syndrome, behavior problems, delayed language development, hearing loss, and speech problems.

Who Is at Fault for a Birth Injury?

Determining fault after a birth injury can be difficult. There are many people involved in the prenatal care, labor, and delivery of a child. One must look at the hospital or facility itself, as well as the products and equipment used. It takes a skilled team of attorneys to investigate a birth injury and identify the possible defendant(s). Parties may be able to sue the doctor, nurse, staff member, the facility, a manufacturer, or a combination of parties causing a birth injury.

If a negligent physician is at fault, one must look at whether he/she is an independent contractor or an employee of the facility. Many doctors are independent contractors who work for themselves and not the facility. If this is the case, a plaintiff may only be able to sue the individual doctor. As an employee, the doctor and/or the hospital may act as defendants. A hospital may be liable for the negligence of its employees based on strict liability laws or due to negligent hiring or training practices. Assigning and proving fault takes a team of dedicated attorneys.

When Birth Injuries are Caused by Negligence

To have a malpractice claim in Philadelphia, the plaintiff must prove a physician’s negligence caused the birth injuries. It is not enough to prove the plaintiff suffered damages or the defendant was negligent – there must be a connection between the two. For plaintiffs to receive compensation for their damages, they must prove these four elements:

  1. A doctor-patient relationship existed.
  2. The doctor breached his/her duties of care.
  3. The breach resulted in the patient’s harms.
  4. The patient suffered specific damages.

The doctor’s breach of duty, and its subsequent harms, is at the center of birth injury claims. Plaintiffs must have evidence that the doctor acted in a way that another reasonably competent medical professional would not have in similar circumstances. Typically, plaintiffs use expert witness testimony to prove this element during a case. In fact, the Pennsylvania courts require expert testimony unless it is unnecessary to pursue the claim.

Who Qualifies as an Expert Witness?

An “expert” is a physician actively engaged in practicing who has experience in the field at hand, with a similar specialty as the defendant, and who is board certified. The court can waive these requirements if the expert can prove sufficient experience or knowledge from actively practicing or teaching medicine within five years of the date of the injury. Expert testimony can make the defendant’s breach clear to the judge or jury, as well as the connection between the breach and the plaintiff’s injuries.

Why Hire a Birth Injury Expert at Anapol Weiss?

1. Obtaining Crucial Documents

Our birth injury lawyers are experienced in obtaining pertinent information including medical records to begin investigating a birth injury case right away. They know how to use insurance records, medical bills, and other documentation to illustrate the magnitude of the child’s injuries and how the health care professional’s negligence contributed to those injuries.

2. Acting as the Patients’ Voice in Court

Hospitals and physicians typically have top-notch birth injury attorneys who are skilled at protecting their interests in court. Nevertheless, an experienced birth injury attorney at Anapol Weiss can obtain a verdict or negotiate a settlement to ensure injured children receive the financial recovery they’ll need to have the best quality of life possible.

3. Working with Medical Experts

The testimony of an expert is an important component to proving a victim’s case in a birth injury lawsuit. A lawyer will often call upon a medical expert to not only establish the applicable standard of care in the situation, but also to show how a physician failed to meet that standard.

4. Providing Resources, Understanding and Compassion

After decades of advocating for countless families with injured children, an experienced lawyer has a deep understanding of the struggles following a birth injury. They can provide valuable information and resources for victims and their families.

Contact a Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer Today

Call Our Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyers for a Free Case Evaluation

For decades, our birth injury lawyers have successfully represented children and their mothers who were permanently injured as a result of medical negligence. If you were injured, get legal advice and a free consultation with Anapol Weiss today. You could also be preventing a similar situation from happening to another unsuspecting patient. If you or a loved one are dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic birth injury, consult our legal team today. Anapol Weiss is a leading Pennsylvania law firm specializing in personal injury, medical malpractice, and many more practice areas. We fight for our clients’ rights and our lawyers will do everything in their power to get you the justice and compensation you deserve. Get started with your free case evaluation by reaching out to our birth injury attorneys today.

Contact an Experienced Philadelphia Birth Injury Lawyer

Birth injuries take many shapes and forms. Some birth injuries cause temporary harms, while others lead to permanent damages or death. Many birth traumas have varying symptoms on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, birth injuries are immediately evident, while at other times symptoms take years to surface. As soon as you suspect a negligence-related birth injury, contact an attorney.

According to a fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, birth defects affect one in every 33 babies. At Anapol Weiss, we have decades of experience handling birth injury claims. Our Philadelphia birth injury lawyers will work on your case until we get the job done. Our firm works closely with medical experts to examine every aspect of a birth trauma case.