Fulton County Erb’s Palsy Lawyer
Children may suffer Erb’s palsy if they sustain serious trauma to the body of nerves known as the brachial plexus that control function and feeling in the arm. If these nerves become weakened or damaged, injured children may be left facing pain, paralysis, and in some cases, permanent dysfunction in the affected limb.
If your child sustained Erb’s palsy due to a birth injury and you believe that your doctor or another healthcare professional acted negligently, you should get advice from a Fulton County Erb’s palsy lawyer. A birth injury attorney could work with an in-house doctor and use state-of-the-art technology to explain your rights and investigate the situation surrounding your child’s Erb’s palsy diagnosis.
How Erb’s Palsy Birth Injuries Happen
Erb’s palsy birth injuries can happen for several reasons. Specific risk factors increase the likelihood of a child sustaining complications during labor and delivery. For example, if the child is positioned in the wrong direction or the child is unusually large, the medical team must use proper care to avoid causing injury during birth or risk lack of oxygen to the infant.
If the infant is in the breech position, it may be necessary for the doctor to use vacuum tools or forceps to reposition the child and ensure a smooth delivery. However, if the doctor mishandles these tools and stretches the infant’s neck or shoulder, he or she can damage the brachial plexus, resulting in an injury such as Erb’s palsy. Other common causes of Erb’s palsy birth injuries stemming from medical negligence include tugging too hard on the infant during delivery, failing to detect birth complications such as a child in breech, and neglecting to perform a Cesarean when one is needed.
When the brachial plexus nerves are strained too far and sustain damage, the child may be left unable to move or feel his or her arm. Corrective surgeries may sometimes remedy the damage and help the child regain the use of his or her arm, but these treatments are costly and would not have been necessary had the medical professional acted reasonably given the circumstances.
If a child sustains Erb’s palsy as a result of a physician’s negligence, a Fulton County attorney could assist the family pursue compensation for the financial and physical damages resulting from the injury.
Determining Whether the Medical Care Standard Was Breached
To pursue compensation in an Erb’s palsy birth injury case, a Fulton County lawyer must be able to show that the allegedly negligent medical professional breached the medical standard of care. All physicians owe their patients a duty to provide a reasonable level of care and competency expected in their field. Accordingly, when a doctor or other medical professional violates this standard of care, he or she may be held legally accountable if a patient is injured and sustains damages.
Financial Compensation for Erb’s Palsy Birth Injury Victims
Erb’s palsy birth injury victims may require prolonged medical care and rehabilitation. This condition may sometimes present lifelong physical challenges as the child grows up and into adulthood. As a result, a wide range of damages may be available in an Erb’s palsy birth injury case, including the value of the patient’s medical bills, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, psychological trauma, and surgical costs. Compensation for modifications to the family’s home or vehicle to accommodate the injury, as well as lost wages, may also be recovered.
Contact a Fulton County Erb’s Palsy Attorney
If you have questions about filing a birth injury claim, a Fulton County Erb’s palsy lawyer could provide legal guidance and counsel you about how to best move forward. If doctors or other healthcare professionals were negligent in the care they provided your child during labor and delivery, you may be entitled to injury compensation. To discuss how to move forward with a lawsuit against the responsible medical provider, call to speak directly to a lawyer who takes calls after hours and can offer a free case review.
