Legal news reports that a Maryland appeals court has upheld a $20.6M award in a birth injury case based on complications that arose during labor and delivery. According to reports, the child now suffers from cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a common birth injury that results from medical malpractice.
If you believe that your child developed any birth injury – including cerebral palsy - as the result of medical malpractice, it is important to consult with an experienced California birth injury law firm as soon as possible. A dedicated California birth injury lawyer can begin an investigation into all of factors that may have caused or contributed to any injury.
In this instance, evidence introduced at trial showed that the obstetrician's failure to perform a timely cesarean section caused the complications, and ultimately the cerebral palsy. The mother was admitted to the hospital in labor at 32 weeks pregnant. The following day, the fetal heart rate monitor revealed that the baby was low on oxygen – indicating that an immediate C-section was necessary.
However despite the urgency, the obstetrician allowed the labor to continue for an additional three hours. When the infant was delivered, his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and he had been deprived of oxygen. The child now suffers from spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Although he is not mentally impaired, he has significant motor skill difficulties.
This is an example of just one type of birth injury that can occur as the result of medical malpractice.
For more information or if you believe that your child has suffered any type of birth injury as the result of medical malpractice, please contact the top California medical malpractice lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.