If your baby was born with Erb’s palsy, it can be devastating for your family. The fear and uncertainty can be overwhelming – not to mention the cost of getting comprehensive medical treatment and care.
If medical malpractice caused your child’s birth injury, you deserve justice and fair financial compensation. In Columbus OH, the birth injury lawyers of Clark, Perdue, & List Co, LPA understand what you’re going through. We will fight for your family and your future and hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions.
What Is Erb’s Palsy?
This condition involves nerve damage in the baby’s neck and upper spinal cord. Also called Erb-Duchenne palsy, this condition is a form of brachial plexus injury and is related to other conditions such as Klumpke’s palsy, neuroma, neuropraxia and shoulder dystocia.
Babies suffer this injury when the neck is stretched excessively during birth. This causes damage to those nerves that control the upper torso and arms. Your child may experience numbness or weakness in the arm(s) or even complete arm paralysis.
How Is Erb’s Palsy Treated?
The approach to treatment – as well as the baby’s prognosis – depends on the extent of the damage.
In some cases, Erb’s palsy symptoms can be mitigated through physical therapy and related protocols. However, some babies require nerve grafts or surgery to repair tendons or shoulder joint contracture.
Surgical intervention is not always successful, unfortunately. Infants may never regain sensation, strength or mobility in the arm. In some cases, the affected arm fails to grow in proportion with the rest of the body, leaving the child with a life-long struggle with physical challenges and emotional damage. Parents could face years of paying for medical treatment, therapy, accessibility modifications, caregivers, etc.
Do You Have a Birth Injury Malpractice Case?
Not all birth injuries constitute medical malpractice. Even when doctors and other attending medical professionals provide reasonable care, things can go wrong. Further, medical treatment mistakes aren’t always a form of malpractice.
However, if the obstetrician or someone else who participated in the baby’s delivery failed to provide a reasonable standard of care, you could have grounds for pursuing a birth injury medical malpractice.
The best way to determine if you have a valid Erb’s palsy claim is to talk to an experienced birth injury lawyer.
If you do have a claim, you could be entitled to recover physical, emotional, and economic damages. An experienced attorney can discuss your options for pursuing a claim. In most cases, your lawyer can negotiate a settlement with the doctor’s malpractice insurance carrier.
In Columbus, Ohio, the compassionate personal injury lawyers of Clark, Perdue, & List Co, LPA offer a no-cost, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation. Contact us now to discuss your case with a birth injury malpractice attorney.