Medical Malpractice Lawyers—
Responsible Parties in Birth Injury

Virginia, Washington, D.C., & Maryland

Birth injuries can turn one of life's greatest joys into one of life's most devastating tragedies. No matter how careful they have been throughout the pregnancy, many mothers are wracked with guilt, wondering what they could have done better to protect their babies. Most birth injuries are not caused by the mother's action or inaction. They are the preventable result of medical negligence.

Medical malpractice, including birth injuries, is not limited to doctors. Any health care professional or facility involved in your care can be held responsible for their actions or failure to act. There can be multiple responsible parties in birth injury including:

• Doctors
• Obstetricians
• Midwives
• Nurses
• Anesthesiologists
• Emergency room staff
• Other hospital staff
• Hospitals
• Pharmaceutical companies

Medical mistakes which can lead to birth injuries include:

• Failure to diagnose and treat medical problems in the mother
• Administration of improper medications during pregnancy and/or delivery
• Failure to monitor fetus and respond to fetal distress
• Improper use of delivery instruments
• Miscalculation of the size of the baby
• Miscalculation of due date
• Failure to perform a timely c-section
• Failure to recognize respiratory distress
• Failure to give oxygen to newborns when needed
• Malfunctioning or improperly applied respiratory support
• Untreated pneumonia
• Untreated brain infection
• Untreated jaundice
• Untreated seizures
• Improperly delivered nutritional support
• Excessive haste and force
• Dropped baby

Most of these mistakes are made by obstetricians and attending staff during pregnancy and delivery.

Hospitals

Hospitals may be responsible for birth injuries in two ways. The hospital itself can be responsible for unsanitary conditions, failing to keep its equipment in proper working order, and policies which may have led to the injury, including emergency rooms refusing to admit mothers in labor. Hospitals are also responsible for the actions of their employees.

Defective drugs

Doctors can be held responsible for prescribing inappropriate medications. Pharmaceutical companies can be held responsible for their errors as well, including failure to warn doctors of the dangers of a drug, and improper labeling.

Birth injuries

Common birth injuries include:

• Brain injury (including cerebral palsy)
• Brachial plexus injury (including Erb's palsy)
• Untreated jaundice
• Infections
• Meconium aspiration
• Spasticity
• Paralysis
• Seizures
• Bruising from forceps
• Skull fractures
• Excessive bleeding
• Bleeding beneath the scalp
• Bleeding inside the skull
• Clavicle fractures
• Spinal cord damage
• Cranial nerve trauma
• Facial paralysis
• Soft tissue injuries
• Skin irritation
• Stillbirth
• Spasticity
• Strep infections
• Temporary body paralysis
• Infant death

If you believe you or a loved one has been injured due to medical malpractice or medical negligence in Maryland, Washington, D.C. or Virginia, please email or call our experienced medical malpractice lawyers to review your case. We are committed to obtaining justice for you - the victim.

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