No parent wants to think of their child suffering an injury during birth, yet this is a problem many parents face. Ensuring that your medical care providers are keeping diligent records at all stages of your child’s early life, from conception through birth, can help to establish that a member of the medical staff attending you was at fault.
How Can I Tell if Medical Staff Was at Fault for a Birth Injury?
These records can help establish that staff members did not act reasonably with the information they had for your child. A lack of records may also help to establish a pattern of negligence that may have contributed to your child’s injury.
Finding good expert medical negligence solicitors in Dublin who are experienced in birth injury cases can make the difference between obtaining compensation on their behalf and facing mounting medical bills and the cost of care for them later in life on your own.
How Long Do I Have to File a Birth Injury Claim?
While the statute of limitations on birth injury cases varies from state to state, most require parents to file within the first two or three years after a child’s birth. That makes it vital to secure legal representation as quickly as possible if you suspect your child is suffering from a birth injury. Finding the right birth injury lawyer is crucial for your case. Follow the link if you’d like to speak to an attorney about your options.
Warning Signs
During the birth of your child, your child may be harmed in ways that aren’t readily apparent. If your child is injured, it may be easy for you to miss it, depending on its nature. The injury may not be apparent until long after your child has been taken home. In some instances, it could take longer than a year for parents to notice that a birth injury is wrong with their child and hindering their development.
Knowing the birth injury warning signs from your care providers and your child can help you best position yourself to file an injury claim.
From Care Providers
Care providers who don’t keep thorough records of every stage of your child’s development before, during, and after their birth may be trying to hide something from you. If they engage in the following behaviors, they may be responsible for your child’s birth injury.
- Refusal to run requested tests
- Unwillingness to provide information promptly
- Missing records
- Inconsistent details about your treatment
- Accusations that you injured your child or were in some way responsible for it
- They cannot identify the time of injury
- The mother underwent an unscheduled C-section
From Your Child
If your child was injured during birth, they might let you know through the following signs of behaviors.
- Inability to move in a full range of motion
- Failure to hit developmental milestones at the expected times
- Recurrent infections
- A need for surgery
What Are Common Types of Birth Injuries?
Many children who suffer birth injuries face a lack of oxygen during delivery, causing brain damage that lasts for their entire life. Others may suffer from broken bones due to being roughly handled during delivery, with clavicular fractures being relatively common. Babies that are improperly delivered can also suffer nerve or spinal damage. While this may heal on its own, in many cases, it leads to a permanent injury that limits your child’s mobility.
If you suspect that your child suffered a birth injury, it’s vital to act fast. Finding a lawyer who is experienced in birth injury cases can make the difference between obtaining compensation on their behalf and facing mounting medical bills and the cost of care for them later in life on your own. Be sure to carefully vet any lawyers you consider working with to ensure they have a track record of winning cases and delivering caring service to their clients.
