St. Louis Birth Injury Attorneys

A birth injury refers to any physical damage a newborn sustains before, during, or soon after delivery.

The majority of birth injuries are not severe and heal naturally over time, but others can be more serious and cause lifelong issues.

Birth injuries are becoming less common due to improvements in medical care, technologies, and prenatal assessments.

However, birth injuries are still prevalent and unfortunately can be the result of medical negligence.

A St Louis medical malpractice lawyer or a St Louis birth injury lawyer can help you to determine whether your child’s injuries were a result of medical negligence.

Birth injuries in St Louis hospitals can occur naturally during the birth process or from medical negligence.

Birth injuries are most common during long or intensive labor, premature births, when the newborn is very large, or when medical practitioners use devices such as a vacuum or forceps.

Medical Malpractice

Some newborns sustain injuries due to medical malpractice. When medical professionals do not take proper precautions, fail to recognize a diagnosis, or make mistakes during labor, the newborn can suffer. Instances of medical negligence that can cause birth injuries are:

• Insufficient prenatal care
• Birth room contagions
• Delays in treatment
• Poor monitoring of vital signs
• Inappropriate pharmaceutical prescriptions
• Damage from vacuum or forceps extraction

Birth Injuries Sustained Naturally

Not every St Louis birth injury is a case of medical negligence. Newborns can sustain injuries as a natural part of labor. Natural birth injuries are common during an extended or difficult labor, premature births, births of large newborns, or in breech deliveries.

The most common birth injuries sustained during labor in St. Louis hospitals include:

Brachial Palsy

Brachial palsy is caused by damage to the brachial plexus, the network of nerves that control the hands and arms.

A brachial plexus injury affects a child’s ability to flex or rotate the injured arm.

Brachial palsy can be treated soon after birth with physical therapies and exercises, but the injury can be permanent if the nerves are damaged.

Bruising and Forceps Marks

Newborns delivered with forceps or by vacuum extraction can suffer from marks, bruises, and lacerations on their faces and body.

Bruising can also occur naturally from the child coming in contact with the birth canal or the mother’s tissues and pelvic bones.

Caput Succedaneum

Caput Succedaneum refers to swelling on the soft tissue of the scalp.

Caput is most likely to develop during vacuum extraction, and the swelling is often paired with scalp bruising.

Cephalohematoma

Cephalohematoma refers to bleeding between the skull bones and their fibrous outer layers.

Cephalohematoma is usually noticeable within a few hours of a child’s birth as a lump on his or her head.

The injury typically heals naturally, but newborns can develop jaundice in instances of severe bleeding.

Facial Paralysis

Excessive pressure on a newborn’s face during birth can cause nerve damage and facial paralysis.

This can result naturally or from inadequate forceps or vacuum use.

Bruised nerves typically heal within a few weeks, but in cases where facial nerves are torn, surgery is often required.

Fractures

Newborn’s clavicles and collarbones are susceptible to fracturing during delivery.

The bones are likely to break when there are problems delivering the baby’s shoulder or in instances of breech delivery.

Subconjunctival Hemorrhaging

Bleeding in the eye’s outer layer is referred to as subconjunctival hemorrhaging.

This injury is common in newborns and appears as a bright red band in the white section of the child’s eye.

The hemorrhaging can cause eye damage, but it typically heals within seven to ten days.

Families whose child suffered a birth injury should seek proper medical care.

Birth injury treatment options include surgeries, medications, and therapies.

Quality birth injury treatment is available at numerous hospitals and medical centers in St Louis:

• St Louis Children’s Hospital Newborn Medicine Clinic — St Louis, Missouri 63110
• Barnes Jewish Hospital Women’s & Infants Center — St Louis, Missouri 63131
• Mercy Hospital — St Louis, Missouri 63141

Hiring a personal injury lawyer is an important decision, especially when they will be acting as your St Louis birth injury lawyer.

At TorHoerman Law, we are experienced in medical malpractice and birth injury lawsuits.

Our team of St Louis birth injury lawyers is comprised of moms and dads who are almost all based out of the St Louis area.

As your St Louis birth injury lawyer – and more importantly as parents – we will do everything in our power to fight for you and your child.

We will work to ensure that you get the best possible outcome and get the compensation that your family deserves.

Choosing a St Louis birth injury lawyer is a difficult decision, and we understand.

That is why our firm offers free no-obligation case consultations for all potential clients.

So, feel free to call and discuss your incident with a St Louis birth injury lawyer from our firm, free of charge and with no obligation to commit to our firm.

No matter what law firm you decide to represent you, it is important to file your St Louis birth injury lawsuit as soon as possible after the injury occurs.

Missouri statute of limitations bars the amount of time that an injured party has to take legal action following an injury.

If you wait too long, you may not be able to file your St Louis birth injury lawsuit.

Before you move forward with your St Louis birth injury lawsuit, you should familiarize yourself with the steps of civil litigation.

You should also mitigate injury and future injury to your child by seeking medical attention right away.

Do not seek medical aid from the same St Louis hospital where the birth injury occurred.

After hiring a St Louis birth injury lawyer, you and your lawyer can begin to gather evidence to support your claim.

This evidence will help your St Louis birth injury lawyer determine liability – who should be held accountable for your child’s injuries.

You and your lawyer will also need to assess damages that you and your family incurred as a result of the birth injury.

In many St Louis birth injury lawsuits, the plaintiff will choose to demand both compensatory damages and punitive damages.

TorHoerman Law

Dealing with a birth injury can be stressful and traumatic.

If your child suffered from a birth injury due to inadequate standards of care, you could be eligible for a birth injury lawsuit.

The right St Louis birth injury attorney will help ensure your family receives adequate compensation for your child’s injuries, care, and damages.

Contact an experienced St Louis birth injury lawyer at TorHoerman today for legal advice and to learn more about your birth injury lawsuit options.

We will discuss your potential birth injury lawsuit with no obligation or costs.

Our law firm works with metro St Louis birth injury lawsuits both in Missouri and Illinois.

At TorHoerman Law, we operate on a contingency fee basis for all clients.

So, our team of St Louis birth injury lawyers is as dedicated as the parents and children that we represent in seeing that they receive the best possible outcome in their cases.

TorHoerman Law, your St Louis birth injury law firm.