$900,000 Settlement In Medical Malpractice Claim Involving Baby’s Erb’s Palsy Injury
One kind of case repeatedly seen by a birth injury attorney involves an Erb’s palsy injury. This type of injury can leave a child with lifelong damage to the arm. When evaluating these cases an erbs palsy attorney takes into account various issues. Some of the factors is whether the physician had data indicating there could be difficulties from a vaginal delivery and took sufficient actions to avoid them.
In a published lawsuit, for instance, the child’s mother had in the past delivered two other children. The two had been born large . The pregnant woman was recorded as being borderline for gestational diabetes in the fourth month of her pregnancy. She had excessive weight gain during the pregnancy. The baby had been noted larger than expected at four months of pregnancy and to weigh in the 90th percentile. Her physicians scheduled her for induced vaginal labor to take place during her 40th week of pregnancy.
Once admitted to the hospital for the planned vaginal delivery a number of troubling indications were detected. However, the doctor failed to attempt to test the pregnant woman one more time for gestational diabetes or to approximate the baby’s weight in advance of inducing her. The doctor went forward with a vaginal delivery.
Hospital records indicated that shoulder dystocia was found and that following delivery of the baby’s head, as opposed to using a commonly used technique, the doctor instead used suprapubic pressure to facilitate delivery. The child was ten pounds 10 ounces with a head circumference in the ninetieth percentile. The baby suffered from Erb’s palsy. As she got older her arm atrophied due to her incapacity to use it. She has developmental delays and she has cerebral palsy. The law firm that pursued the lawsuit reported that the case settled for $900,000.
The preceeding should not be considered to be medical or legal advice. You should consult a doctor right away in case you think there is a complication with your pregnancy or your child has a health problem. Seek the advice of a medical negligence attorney should you think your baby was hurt as a result of an error by a doctor or other wellness care professional.