If your child suffered a birth injury in Seattle, you may be eligible for significant compensation. Birth injuries can cause lifelong disabilities and require extensive medical treatment. The costs of personal injury can quickly add up, placing enormous financial and emotional strain on families.
Types of Birth InjuriesThese injuries are often preventable with proper prenatal monitoring and delivery procedures. When standards of care are breached, healthcare providers may be liable for negligence.
Causes of Birth InjuriesCommon examples include:
No family expects to deal with a serious birth injury. But when substandard medical care results in permanent harm to your child, you have legal rights and options.
Why Choose Us?At Moseley Collins Law, we treat clients like members of our own family. Our attorneys will be by your side providing trusted counsel and compassionate support every step of the way.
Common Birth Injuries We HandleOur Seattle birth injury lawyers have experience handling cases involving all types of birth-related neurological injuries, including:
Cerebral PalsyCommon symptoms include:
Cerebral palsy can be spastic (stiff muscles), dyskinetic (writhing movements), or athetoid (slow, uncontrolled movements). It is a permanent condition, but therapy and assistive technology can improve motor function.
Brachial Plexus InjuriesBrachial plexus injuries occur when nerves running from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand get damaged. Most brachial plexus injuries happen during birth when excessive traction is applied to the baby’s head and neck.
Symptoms include:
The most common brachial plexus injury in newborns is Erb’s palsy. It affects the upper nerves (C5-C6) controlling arm and shoulder movement. Another type is Klumpke’s palsy affecting the lower nerves (C7-T1) that control the wrist and hand. These nerve injuries can heal over time, but some children have permanent disabilities requiring reconstructive surgery or therapy.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)HIE refers to brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation. It occurs when blood and oxygen supply to the brain is disrupted during the birthing process. Factors like umbilical cord compression, placental abruption, or uterine rupture can impair oxygen flow. HIE injuries can range from mild to severe, with symptoms like:
Moderate to severe HIE can impair cognition, and motor function, and lead to developmental delays or cerebral palsy. Prompt diagnosis and hypothermia treatment within 6 hours can prevent further brain injury in newborns.
Neonatal StrokeSigns of a neonatal stroke include:
This condition needs rapid diagnosis and treatment to limit brain damage. Prompt evaluation of neurologic symptoms in newborns is crucial.
Birth-Related Skull FracturesIn some births, the bones of a baby’s head can shift and overlap, causing pressure on underlying brain tissue. Vacuum or forceps delivery can also inadvertently fracture a baby’s fragile skull.
Common birth-related fractures include:
Skull fractures may only cause superficial scalp bruising. But they can also trigger intracranial bleeding, facial nerve damage, and other serious complications. Proper immobilization and neurologic monitoring are essential.
Facial ParalysisFacial paralysis in a newborn can signal deeper birth trauma like skull fractures or brain bleeds. The facial nerve passes through the narrow facial canal in the temporal bone. Excess pressure during delivery can damage this nerve, causing one-sided facial paralysis.
Symptoms include:
Facial paralysis typically improves gradually without treatment as bruised facial nerves heal. But some newborns require physical therapy or surgery if nerve damage is permanent.
Brain BleedsBrain bleeds like subdural hematoma and intracranial hemorrhage involve ruptured blood vessels inside or around the brain. They can occur during labor and delivery or soon after birth.
Causes include:
Symptoms of a brain bleed usually appear during the first few days of life. They include:
Brain bleeds must be caught early. Quick diagnosis and intervention with drug therapy, surgery, or a brain shunt can help minimize cognitive and physical disabilities.
Other Birth-Related Neurological InjuriesOther potential birth injuries impacting the brain and nervous system include:
Any birth-related nerve damage or brain injury can have lasting effects on a child’s motor function, cognitive development, sight, hearing, and overall health. Our attorneys will thoroughly investigate what led to your child’s condition and hold any negligent parties accountable. Contact our birth injury lawyers today.
Birth Injury Cases We Handle (If 24/7 Care Is Required)We will fully examine what led to your child’s neurological impairment, gather medical evidence, establish a lifetime care plan, and fight for maximum compensation for their needs. Our birth injury lawyers will deal directly with insurance providers, sparing your family further stress.
Failure to Perform Timely C-SectionThese precious lost minutes without oxygen can result in catastrophic injury. Healthcare providers may insist labor continues too long instead of opting for a C-section when complications arise. But when the standard of care calls for a C-section, failure to deliver the baby right away is negligent.
Improper Use of Vacuum Extractor or ForcepsDevices like vacuum extractors or forceps can be lifesaving during difficult deliveries. But in unskilled hands, these interventions can cause serious harm. Excessive lateral or rotational pulling can damage nerves, spine, and brain tissue.
Healthcare providers may use too much traction or improper technique leading to broken bones, lacerations, intracranial hemorrhage, brachial plexus palsy, facial paralysis, and other devastating birth injuries.
Delayed Response to Fetal DistressMany birth injuries are avoidable with proper monitoring and quick response to fetal distress signs. But when medical professionals and teams ignore or downplay these red flags, newborns suffer preventable harm.
Fetal distress can often be addressed by urgently getting oxygen to the baby. But without swift interventions like giving the mother oxygen, stopping pitocin, manually turning the baby, or doing an emergency C-section, oxygen deprivation can rapidly escalate and cause lifelong impairments.
Failure to Diagnose or Treat Prenatal ConditionsCertain pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes, maternal infections, Rh incompatibility, preeclampsia, placental abnormalities, umbilical cord accidents, or fetal growth issues increase the risks for newborns. When doctors fail to diagnose and properly manage these conditions prenatally, it can lead to birth difficulties and potential brain damage.
Hire a Seattle Birth Injury AttorneyIt is essential to hire an experienced Seattle birth injury lawyer to handle your birth injury claim. Medical malpractice cases are extremely expenses and difficult to win without the right personal injury firm helping you. Contact our birth injury attorneys today to evaluate your medical malpractice claim.