Errors made by trusted medical professionals at any stage of your pregnancy or birth could have a serious affect on your life, as well as the life of your child.
If you or your child has suffered an injury during pregnancy or childbirth, our highly experienced team of solicitors can help you take legal action to help you receive the compensation, closure and financial support you deserve.
For legal advice on making a birth injury claim please contact Kay Kelly, Head of Clinical Negligence or one of her team on 0800 954 9936.
The most common types of birth injury, dealt with by our clinical negligence lawyers are:
- Cerebral Palsy
- Shoulder Dystocia
- Brachial Plexus Injury/Erbs Palsy
Cerebral Palsy Claim
Cerebral palsy is frequently the result of a baby being starved of oxygen during birth, which causes progressive and irreversible brain damage.
Unfortunately, damage can sometimes occur as a result of clinical negligence, when a hospital has made errors or failed to provide a suitable standard of care, to include timely intervention in labour.
Each form of cerebral palsy affects the muscles and movement with varying degrees of severity and can cause physical and cognitive impairment. These fall broadly into three categories:
- Spastic cerebral palsy
- Athetoid cerebral palsy
- Ataxic cerebral palsy
A baby suffering from cerebral palsy will often require a lot of medical care and if you want to claim compensation, it is important to be aware of the legal options available to you.
Shoulder Dystocia Claim
Shoulder dystocia is a birth complication affecting a small number of women and their newborn babies. It occurs in circumstances where the baby's shoulder becomes trapped behind the mother's pelvic bone during pregnancy. There are common risk factors often associated with shoulder dystocia, including:
- A suspected large baby
- Maternal diabetes
- A family history of shoulder dystocia
Shoulder dystocia can result in a broken bone or clavicle, a strain of the nerves running through the neck, or even shoulder paralysis, which may be permanent.
Sadly, some cases of shoulder dystocia are the result of clinical negligence and can often be avoided. If there is evidence of a lack of all appropriate skill or care, you could be entitled to make a birth injury compensation claim.
Brachial Plexus Injury/Erbs Palsy Claim
Brachial Plexus birth injury, otherwise known as Erb's Palsy, is a condition which often arises as a result of Shoulder Dystocia. The brachial plexus is a series of nerves that conduct signals from the spine to the shoulder, arm and hand.
Brachial Plexus birth injury often happens during birth when there is damage to those nerves.
Symptoms include a limp or paralyzed arm, lack of muscle control in the arm, hand or wrist, and a lack of feeling in the arm or hand.
The injury can be temporary, however it is often permanent. Many Brachial Plexus injuries happen at birth in circumstances where the baby's shoulders have become impacted and the brachial plexus nerves are stretched or torn.
Brachial Plexus can also be a result of medical negligence if the medical staff responsible has failed to act efficiently and reduce the risk of a potential birth injury.
Contact Lanyon Bowdler today
If you or your child have been affected by a birth injury and you believe it is due to clinical negligence on behalf of the medical team responsible, contact our birth injury lawyers for a free consultation on bringing a compensation claim on 0800 954 9936. You can also visit us at a number of offices ideally located to assist clients throughout the Midlands including Hereford, Ludlow, Telford, Shrewsbury and Oswestry.