Experienced Connecticut Birth Injury Attorneys
If your child has been harmed, Walsh Woodard will fight for your family
Nothing is more devastating for a parent than a birth injury to their child, and the consequences of a permanent birth injury such as cerebral palsy can be life-altering. Too often, these injuries are the result of carelessness and malpractice on the part of medical professionals. Your child deserves accountability and fair compensation. We can help.
The experienced birth injury attorneys at Walsh Woodard LLC have the knowledge and tenacity needed to win high-stakes birth injury cases. We know the law, we know the medicine, and we are committed to fighting for Connecticut families. Give us a call or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.
Talk to an experienced birth injury attorney today
If your child was injured due to negligence, it’s normal to feel lost and overwhelmed. Our legal team is here to help hold those responsible accountable and pursue compensation for your child while you focus on your family. We have extensive experience handling high-stakes medical negligence cases, and we will be prepared to fight for you and your child in negotiations and, if necessary, at trial.
Remember, talking to a lawyer isn’t a commitment to take legal action; it’s an opportunity to tell your story and get some answers. Give us a call or contact us online for a free consultation with an experienced Connecticut birth injury lawyer.
A birth injury is an injury to a newborn that occurs during or immediately after birth. Examples of birth injuries include:
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery.
- Kernicterus, a severe complication of untreated jaundice that can cause permanent brain damage.
- Cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects balance, posture, movement, coordination, and muscle strength and stiffness.
- Erb’s palsy, a type of paralysis of the arm caused by damage to the nerves in the shoulder.
- Bell’s palsy, a type of facial paralysis that can cause weakness and loss of movement in one side of the face.
- Spinal cord injury (SCI), which can be caused by traumatic injuries to the spinal cord during delivery.
Most birth injuries are preventable if medical professionals follow standards of care before, during, and after birth. However, those standards are not always met, and the consequences can be devastating.
When doctors miss warning signs or fail to act appropriately to respond to complications, there is significant danger to both the mother and the baby. Examples of malpractice that can lead to birth injuries include:
During prenatal care
- Failure to diagnose pregnancy complications such as macrosomia (abnormally large fetus), gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, or group B strep.
- Misinterpreting ultrasound results.
- Failure to refer to a specialist for further testing or treatment.
- Failure to communicate with the patient’s other healthcare providers.
- Failure to make appropriate recommendations to the mother (for example, recommending the right hospital for a high-risk pregnancy).
During labor and delivery
- Failure to monitor the fetal heart rate during labor.
- Misuse of forceps or vacuum extractors.
- Giving the wrong dose of medication such as Pitocin (oxytocin).
- Failure to order a c-section when medically indicated.
- Errors in placing or administering an epidural.
After delivery
- Failure to promptly and appropriately treat jaundice.
- Failure to promptly and appropriately treat hypoglycemia.
- Failure to appropriately administer oxygen to the newborn.
- Failure to diagnose and treat infections.
- Improperly managing assisted breathing.
Depending on the circumstances, legal liability for a birth injury may fall on the OB/GYN, anesthesiologist, another physician, or a nurse or other medical professional, as well as the hospital or birthing center where the baby was delivered. To get answers about what happened to your child, you need the right attorney to investigate and build a case on your behalf.
Like all medical malpractice cases, birth injury cases are highly complex. Multiple medical experts may need to be consulted. There are often hundreds or even thousands of pages of medical records that are relevant to the case. Our law firm has the experience and resources needed to find the right experts, review medical records, take depositions, and determine why your child was injured so that we can hold the at-fault party or parties responsible.
Just as importantly, we put a lot of time and effort into proving each client’s damages. Remember, you only get one opportunity to pursue full compensation for all the care your child will need for the rest of his or her life. Our experienced trial attorneys understand the gravity of these cases, and we put in the time and effort to obtain meaningful results.
In general, the statute of limitations (legal time limit) for birth injury claims in Connecticut is two years from when the injury occurred or when it was or reasonably should have been discovered. Of course, when an injury “should have been” discovered is often contentious but can provide time beyond the two year deadline. There are also different legal doctrines that can extend the time that can apply in some circumstances. From a practical perspective, it’s always better to start an investigation of a birth injury case sooner than later. So, the earlier you talk to a lawyer, the better off you will be.
At Walsh Woodard, we handle birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you don’t have to pay us up front or out of pocket. If we win your case, our fee is a percentage of the settlement or verdict; if we don’t win, you don’t owe us a fee at all. We will explain the details of our contingency fee in a free consultation.
