Birth injuries can cause permanent disabilities for infants, including paralysis. When an infant is injured at birth, parents often feel helpless and may not know where to turn for help.
Our Boston birth injury attorneys at Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP have extensive experience handling birth injury cases. Collectively, we have over 100 years of experience in personal injury law. Our legal team has the skills, resources, and legal knowledge to pursue birth injury lawsuits for injured children and their parents.
Contact our law firm in Boston, MA or call(774)-235-6723, to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Boston newborn paralysis lawyer.
How Our Boston Birth Injury Lawyers Can Help You With a Medical Malpractice Claim
We hold medical professionals accountable when their negligence and wrongdoing injure babies and children. Injuries occurring during birth are often avoidable and, therefore, unacceptable — especially when they are the result of medical errors, negligence, and intentional acts.
We understand that you and your baby have experienced a tragic and painful experience. At Sweeney Merrigan Law, LLP, we understand you need to focus on your child. Therefore, we handle all aspects of the legal claim for you.
When you hire our legal team in Boston, Massachusetts, you can expect us to:
- Provide support and guidance by developing a close attorney-client relationship
- Conduct an extensive investigation into the factors that lead to your baby’s injuries
- Identify each medical staff member, physician, and any other party who contributed to the cause of your infant’s injury
- File all insurance claims, lawsuits, and other claims to protect your and your baby’s legal rights
- Work with medical experts to determine the extent of your child’s injuries and damages
- Calculate the maximum value for damages and fight to obtain that amount for your case
Birth injury cases are complicated medical malpractice claims. Therefore, you need an experienced legal team working on your case.
Contact our law office to schedule a free case review with one of our experienced Boston personal injury lawyers.
What Causes Newborn Paralysis?
If your baby is paralyzed, you may be wondering why it happened. Tragically, many cases of newborn paralysis result from medical professionals’ failure to provide the proper standard of medical care.
Common causes of newborn paralysis include, but are not limited to:
- Brain damage
- Spinal cord injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Conditions involving the umbilical cord
- Nerve damage
- Erb’s palsy
- Infections
- Brachial Plexus Injury
- Syphilis
- Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- Incorrect use of vacuum, forceps, and other birthing tools
- Klumpke’s palsy
- Failing to monitor the baby during labor and delivery
- Neck injuries
- Prolonged labor
- Incorrect use of epidural anesthesia and medications to induce labor
Many cases of infant paralysis are caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain or a spinal cord injury. Some infants may experience complete paralysis, but partial paralysis is generally more common.
How Do I Identify the Cause of Newborn Paralysis in Boston, MA?
These types of medical malpractice cases can be challenging to identify. The symptoms of newborn paralysis may not be immediately noticeable. In some cases, the symptoms may increase over time.
The symptoms of infant paralysis depend on the severity of the paralysis and the type of paralysis. For example, facial paralysis may cause a newborn to drool excessively. The infant’s face may droop or remain slack. Infants may be unable to blink or have difficulty feeding.
Paralysis in other areas of the body may cause the infant to favor one arm or leg. The baby may not reach for objects, rollover, or sit at the standard age.
If your baby displays any developmental delays, seek immediate medical treatment. It can be best to seek treatment from a specialist. A medical specialist has extensive knowledge and experience handling specific injuries and conditions. Search for a doctor who specializes in infant paralysis.
Do Doctors Have a Duty of Care to Protect a Child in Boston?
Physicians and medical providers have a duty of care to monitor a mother’s and infant’s condition throughout the pregnancy, labor, and delivery. In addition, they have a duty to carefully examine and diagnose any conditions after the baby is born.
When a medical provider makes a mistake while providing prenatal or infant care, the result can be an injury or illness that results in newborn paralysis. The consequences for the infant can be a lifetime of medical treatments, personal care, and physical struggles.
Newborn paralysis can significantly reduce a child’s quality of life. Throughout the child’s life, they may not have the same choices and opportunities as other people.
A medical malpractice claim can provide compensation for your child that covers:
- Medical and personal care
- Occupational, physical, and other therapies
- Counseling
- Assistance with education and development
- Emotional and mental trauma
- Physical impairments and disabilities
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of income and reductions in earning capacity
While money does not undo the damage caused by a negligent doctor, it can give your child the resources he needs throughout his life.
How Do I Prove a Doctor Is Guilty of Medical Malpractice in Massachusetts?
Your Boston medical malpractice lawyer will gather evidence to prove the elements of malpractice. Your lawyer will attempt to show:
- There was a doctor-patient relationship between the provider and the mother/child
- The physician and the medical facility were responsible for the safe delivery of the baby
- The medical providers breached the duty of care to provide the required standard of care
- The breach of duty was the direct and proximate cause of the child’s injury
- The child sustained damages because of the breach of duty
Medical malpractice claims are extremely complex and typically require expert testimony. We will work with leading experts to analyze evidence and prove a negligent medical provider caused your child’s injuries.
There are deadlines for filing medical malpractice claims in Massachusetts. It is in your child’s best interest to seek legal advice as soon as possible.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Boston Newborn Paralysis Lawyers
We provide compassionate and experienced legal services for Massachusetts families. Our law firm represents clients in Essex County, Suffolk County, and throughout Massachusetts. If you have questions about an infant medical malpractice claim, call us for a free appointment with a Boston newborn paralysis attorney.
