Item: Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer
Rating: 5
Author: David Marion

It’s almost unbearable to think about your newborn baby getting hurt during birth. Sometimes, it happens as a natural result of the birth process. Other times, it is the fault of a health care provider.

If a caregiver was negligent, you may have a medical malpractice claim.

It’s hard on you and your family when labor and delivery do not go as planned. Your baby is injured, and your own recovery is complicated. Compensation from a personal injury claim could help your family cope with this traumatic experience.

The Kentucky birth injury attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can help you understand your rights and your options after a birth injury. We give your family the courage to demand answers and justice during this difficult time.

Contact us now for your free consultation.

How Our Birth Injury Lawyers Can Help You

If you or your child has suffered an injury during birth, there are many ways our attorneys can help. Our compassionate legal team will:

Manage all communication with the health care provider and the insurance companies involved
Thoroughly evaluate the extent of your losses and the value of your claim
Advice on Kentucky laws and how they apply to your case
Collect evidence to substantiate your claim
Obtain a certificate of merit from a medical expert, as required in all Kentucky medical malpractice claims
Negotiate aggressively with the insurance companies and at-fault party, with the goal of securing a fair settlement for your family
Argue your case persuasively at trial, if a fair settlement cannot be reached

When we take on your birth injury claim, we will handle every aspect of it from beginning to end so you can focus on your child and your recovery. We will always keep you updated on the status of your claim so you understand your options during every step of the process.

For advice on your next step, please contact us now for a free consultation with an experienced birth injury attorney. There is no charge for us to begin work on your case, and you don’t pay us anything unless we win payment for your family.

A Birth Injury Attorney Helps You Determine Negligence

The difference between a congenital defect and a claim against a health care provider is negligence. Errors in medication, neglect of care, or improper medical treatment all could point to a negligence claim.

These are some of the ways that negligence can appear for birth injuries:

Prenatal Negligence: When you’re pregnant, your doctor should screen you for conditions like gestational diabetes and hepatitis, which affect your pregnancy. Pregnant women should not receive certain medications that can cause birth complications. Your doctor has a responsibility to provide reasonable prenatal care.
Negligence During Labor: While giving birth, doctors and nurses should monitor your heart rate and blood pressure, along with the baby. It could be negligent for health care providers to miss signs of trouble or fail to identify when you need a C-section.
Negligence After Birth: You and your baby should receive careful medical care before leaving the hospital. Otherwise, you run the risk of infections, seizures, strokes, or even death. Improper care after giving birth can be considered negligence.

About one in seven babies is injured during birth in the United States. If you or your baby are suffering because of something doctors did or failed to do, we can help you pursue any financial assistance that might be available to make this time in your life easier.

Contact Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer now.

Get a Free Consultation: 877-809-5352 Contact Us Online

Testimonials

Hello my name’s David Marion. I chose (Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer)…He did an excellent job on (our) case. He got us what we deserved and what we should’ve gotten. And he worked very hard at what he did. And we are very pleased with the outcome of our case.

Review by: David Marion
Date published: 2019
Rating: ★★★★★5 / 5 stars

We Demand Maximum Compensation for Families

Birth injuries are devastating. Not only do these injuries tarnish the joyous event of a birth, but they often have lifelong effects on the child and the entire family.

These consequences are very difficult for families to contend with. They are also very expensive. Families can seek compensation through a medical malpractice claim to give their child the best possible chance at recovery.

The most common types of compensation our birth injury lawyers demand in these cases include:

Current and future medical expenses: Birth injuries often require treatment for several years. Sometimes, victims must receive treatment for their entire lives. We will calculate past and future medical expenses so you are demanding the full amount of compensation your family needs.
Lost wages: When children are severely injured or become ill after a birth injury, parents often have to leave their jobs to stay at home and care for them. When that is the case, the wages that parents will lose can also be included in a claim.
Loss of future earning capacity: It’s not only children who suffer from birth injuries. Mothers sometimes become seriously hurt due to medical negligence, as well, and they may be unable to return to work or perform the same type of work in the future. In these cases, we will claim the loss of future earning capacity in a medical malpractice claim.
Past and future pain and suffering: Children and mothers will both feel a great amount of pain and suffering after a birth injury. The law recognizes that this is a serious loss and allows birth injury victims to claim compensation for that loss.
Loss of household services: When mothers are so severely injured during the birthing process that they can no longer perform the same household tasks they once did, they can claim compensation for this loss. That compensation can provide for the replacement of household services, such as hiring a cleaning company.
Loss of consortium: Sometimes, mothers are so severely injured that they can no longer provide companionship or engage in an intimate relationship with their spouses. This loss can also be included in a birth injury claim.

Some states place caps, or limits, on medical malpractice claims. In Kentucky, there are no such limits, so victims of birth injuries can claim the full amount of compensation they deserve.

Statute of Limitations on Birth Injury Claims

Birth injury claims are considered a type of medical malpractice in Kentucky. Like all states, Kentucky has a statute of limitations on these claims. Families who wish to file a claim for birth injuries have only one year to make their claim.

If claims are not filed before this one-year time period expires, those injured and their family members are barred from receiving compensation.

There are, however, exceptions to this statute of limitations that are particularly relevant in birth injury claims:

The first exception is when a child is injured before his or her 18th birthday. In these cases, if the child wishes to file a claim later in life, the child can do so after turning 18 years of age. When this is the case, the young person has one year from the date of that 18th birthday to file a claim.
The other exception to the statute of limitations is when injuries are not discovered right away. This is often the case in birth injuries that affect a child because the injuries are not always noticeable right after birth. When this is the case, families have one year from the date they discovered the injury to file a claim.

No matter what your family’s situation, you should speak with a knowledgeable birth injury attorney as soon as possible. Our lawyers are always here to answer your questions and help you decide what’s best for your family.

Contact us now for your free consultation.

What Are The Most Common Type of Birth Injuries

Sadly, there are many different types of birth injuries that can happen in the labor and delivery room. Some of the most common of these include:

Cerebral palsy: Cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects the brain and results in motor deficiency, affecting a child’s motor skills. The disorder can be a result of improper prenatal care or because the child suffers from a lack of oxygen during childbirth. The condition typically stays with a child for life.
Broken bones and fractures: Many different infant bones can become broken during the birthing process. The thighbone can be broken if it is twisted awkwardly during delivery. The clavicle can become injured if it becomes stuck in the birth canal and a doctor uses too much force when delivering the child.
Caput succedaneum: This injury refers to the swelling, or edema, of the child’s scalp. It is typically caused by undue pressure placed on the infant’s head during delivery.
Cephalohematoma: This condition occurs when a hematoma develops underneath the skin in the skull. It damages blood vessels and can cause blood to pool between the skull and inner layers of the skin. Children are more at risk for this injury when birth-assisting tools are used during delivery.
Facial paralysis: Facial paralysis is caused when the facial nerves become damaged during delivery. This type of birth injury typically occurs when forceps are used.
Brachial plexus injuries: The brachial plexus is a complex network of nerves between the neck and shoulders. When these become injured during delivery, children often cannot move their hands, fingers, shoulders, or elbows. Some infants recover from this injury, but others never do.
Hypoxic-ischemic injury: These injuries are a result of the brain not receiving enough oxygen. It is an extremely dangerous condition that can occur for a number of reasons. Preeclampsia, low maternal blood pressure, infections, and severe prematurity are just a few of the causes.
Brain injuries: Another type of injury that can remain with a child their entire life, brain injuries are one of the most serious types of birth injuries. These can occur due to decreased oxygen during the birthing process or decreased blood flow to the baby’s brain.
Bruising and lacerations: The birth process is exhausting and extremely difficult for both the mother and child. Some bruises are natural afterward, but they can also be an indicator of more serious injuries. These include caput succedaneum, forceps trauma, and shoulder dystocia. Birth-assisting tools, such as forceps and vacuum extractors, could also cause lacerations if they are not used properly.
Stillbirth and neonatal death: The most devastating type of birth injury, a stillbirth is when a baby is born and has already passed away. This is sometimes also called neonatal death. There are several reasons for this type of tragic birth injury. These include misplaced umbilical cords, infections, and other types of improper care.

These are just a few of the common types of birth injuries our firm has seen. Any time a child suffers from a birth injury, or a mother is injured during the birthing process, families should speak to a Kentucky birth injury lawyer about their legal rights.

Your family is going to need the courage to get through this difficult time. Our attorneys are here to provide the Kentucky Courage you need.

Birth Injuries to Mothers

Unfortunately, it’s not only infants who suffer from birth injuries. There are many injuries the mother can suffer during labor and delivery, as well. These include:

Vaginal tears: Most women experience some form of tearing during the delivery process. When doctors do not perform procedures to reduce this tearing when necessary, such as episiotomies, it can worsen the tears and cause extreme pain and immobility for women. Health care professionals should also identify and repair tears following childbirth.
Postpartum hemorrhage: Some blood loss is normal after birth. Sometimes, though, mothers bleed excessively after birth, losing as much as four pints of blood. Health care professionals must be able to identify when a mother is at high risk of postpartum hemorrhage and take the necessary steps to reduce the chances of this happening or prevent it altogether.
Ruptured uterus: This is a very serious complication during pregnancy. It is life-threatening to both the mother and the child. When it occurs, the walls of the uterus tear. Health care professionals must identify this risk as soon as possible and perform an emergency cesarean section, repair the uterus, perform a blood transfusion, and administer antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.
Prolapsed uterus: When this happens, one or more of the pelvic organs bulges into the vagina. This condition typically is not life-threatening, but it can negatively affect a woman for the rest of her life. Health care professionals should treat this condition through pelvic floor exercises, a hysterectomy when the condition is severe, or surgical repair of the pelvic floor muscles.
PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder is quite common following childbirth, and it can be particularly harsh when the birth process did not go as planned. Following the birth, health care professionals should recognize the symptoms of this disorder and treat the woman as soon as possible.

The day a child is born should be the happiest day of a woman’s life. These serious maternal injuries can greatly overshadow the excitement of the day, and even strip away the joy women and the rest of the family should be feeling.

It is important that all family members understand that when these injuries happen, either to the mother or the infant, help is available.