Not surprisingly, complications related to pregnancy, labor and delivery are devastating to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, parents when they result in a child being stillborn or dying shortly after birth. In other cases, complications leave an infant alive, but suffering permanent and serious medical problems that could prevent them from functioning normally.
These sorts of things are tragic, yet sometimes, unpreventable. However, there are other situations where a doctor or hospitable made mistakes or omitted an important treatment, and these costly errors contribute to the death or serious disability of a newborn baby.
Doctors can make a number of mistakes during pregnancy or childbirth. For example, one of this law office’s successful results involved a situation where a mother went into labor well before her due date, but doctors did not attempt to slow down the birth via the use of drugs or provide drugs to the baby that might help its little lungs develop more quickly. The baby could not get enough oxygen after being born and passed away unnecessarily.
In addition to failing to act or missing signs of the baby’s being in medical distress, doctors who are not careful during childbirth can leave a child suffering from Erb’s palsy or other traumatic injuries. This is more likely when a birth has to be done quickly or is rough.
Following a birth injury, our office works with medical experts in Pennsylvania and in other parts of the country to determine whether a doctor breached the so-called “standard of care.” We also secure the assistance of economic experts who can put a dollar value on the many costs associate with a birth injury.