Birth Injuries

Though the birth of a child is often called “a miracle,” it is in reality a medical and scientific event. Hundreds of years of experience have demonstrated that there are proper procedures to follow to minimize the risk of injury to a newborn child and the mother.

When doctors, nurses or other medical personnel fail to follow established procedures and you or your child suffer needless injuries as a result, the attorneys at Shaffer & Gaier can help.

Cerebral Palsy and Erb’s Palsy Birth Injuries

Two of the most common birth injuries are Cerebral Palsy and Erb’s Palsy. Unfortunately, these can have tragic consequences for children and their families.

Cerebral Palsy is the result of brain damage that is caused during pregnancy, labor, or delivery by the lack of oxygen during delivery. An estimated 500,000 Americans have this condition, which causes permanent physical disabilities and may require lifetime care.

Erb’s Palsy is a condition caused by nerve damage around the shoulder of the baby. This occurs during a challenging childbirth and is associated with an injury that occurs in the birthing canal when the physician applies improper or excessive force during the birthing process. It can cause the paralysis of an arm that can lead to permanent injury.

Our Birth Injury Case Representation

We will take care of all matters related to your birth injury claim, gathering and preserving all relevant evidence, drafting and filing all pleadings and other documents, and zealously representing you in all hearings or proceedings, from depositions to settlement talks to trial.

We handle a broad range of birth injury claims, including cases involving:

• Delivery room errors, from suction or clamp-related injuries to hypoxia or medication-induced injuries
• Errors in inducing labor
• Failure to properly monitor the mother or fetus, leading to fetal distress
• Cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, brachial plexus injury or shoulder dystocia
• Preeclampsia
• C-section errors, including failure to perform a C-section in a timely manner

We will help you pursue full and fair compensation for all your losses, including loss of companionship or consortium, any medical expenses involved, and the costs of special care, special equipment, home remodeling, and other expenses incurred to accommodate your child’s health problems.

To ensure that we have a thorough understanding of all the medical issues involved in your case, we have a registered nurse as a full-time member of our staff.