Oklahoma Birth Injury Lawyers

The birth of a new baby is one of the most joyous events in a family’s life. But when something goes wrong, joy quickly turns to sorrow. Parents wonder what happened, could the injury have been prevented. The sad truth is that some 9.5 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits involve failing to diagnose, or misdiagnosis, during the birth of a child. 100,000 babies are injured every year in the United States during birth, and many of these are serious, including:

• Brain damage
• Bone fractures
• Brachial plexus palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Cerebral palsy
• Paralysis (permanent or temporary, localized or widespread)
• Group B strep
• Nerve and spinal cord injuries
• Horner’s syndrome
• Caput succedaneum
• Cephaloghematoma
• Meningitis
• Shoulder dystocia
• Intracranial hemorrhage
• Subdural hematoma
• Disfigurement
• Developmental disabilities

While many of these injuries are unavoidable, some stem from the negligence of medical professionals. Doctors, nurses, emergency technicians, anesthesiologists, midwives, and others do make mistakes. Sometimes, their actions are reckless, or their decisions are impaired by lack of sleep or even drug and alcohol abuse. Acts of negligence or other commonly seen errors include:

• Failure to identify, monitor, or handle fetal distress
• Failure to detect complications
• Failure to plan for an emergency Cesarean section (C-section)
• Failure to act quickly on a prolapsed umbilical cord
• Failure to identify potential risk factors
• Failure to correct apnea
• Misuse of instruments during delivery
• Improper birth techniques
• Improper planning for delivery
• Improper vacuum extraction
• Excessive force in removing a baby from the birth canal or handling a baby’s delicate skull
• Breach delivery
• C-section injury
• Delay in performing a Cesarean section if the situation requires it
• Unsuccessful induced labor
• Misdiagnosis of pregnancy conditions
• Oxygen deprivation
• Ruptured uterus or uterine tear
• Placental abruption
• Untreated seizures after birth
• Exposure to bacteria
• Exposure to harmful medications
• Umbilical cord strangulation
• Prolonged time in the birth canal
• Perinatal asphyxia
• Respiratory distress
• Mishandling a baby’s skull
• Delegation of procedures to unqualified or inexperienced staff

In Oklahoma, most birth injury malpractice suits involve cases of cerebral palsy, brachial plexus palsy (also known as erb’s palsy) and shoulder dystocia.

If your baby has suffered a birth injury and you believe negligence or malpractice may have played a role, you owe it to yourself and your baby to contact the Oklahoma Birth Injury lawyers at Hasbrook & Hasbrook. We can help you obtain compensation to protect your financial future and ensure your baby receives all the care he or she needs to recover from the injury or lead a more fulfilling life. Contact us today to set up a free initial consultation.