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Representing Clients in Birth Injury Cases Throughout North Carolina
Nothing is more precious than the life of a newborn child. While most OB-GYNs and midwives practice with the utmost care, mistakes may still be made during pregnancy, the birth itself or in post-delivery natal care. When those mistakes result from medical negligence, Rhine Law Firm, P.C., is there to help families pursue justice. Our birth injury lawyers have the insight, experience and dedication to help families recover full and fair compensation for birth injuries to a child or mother caused by medical malpractice.
Pursuing Compensation for Delivery Room Negligence
Most birth injuries arise from negligent or improper monitoring of the mother and baby during delivery. If doctors or midwives fail to recognize signs of distress during the birth, the results can be catastrophic. We handle birth injuries arising from:
- Errors in fetal heart monitoring
- Oxygen deprivation, which can lead to infant brain injury or long-term disabilities like cerebral palsy
- Improper use of vacuum or forceps
- The failure to order a cesarean section (C-section) when required
- Shoulder dystocia and the resulting brachial plexus injuries
- Other delivery complications
In addition to compensation for any long-term problems, most families also simply want answers about what happened in the delivery room. As your advocate, we can get those answers and explore all of your available options for holding negligent care providers and hospitals legally and financially accountable.
Experienced Help for Issues Caused by Negligence During Pregnancy
Birth injuries are not limited to the delivery room. Your doctor has the duty to diagnose and treat complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, ectopic pregnancy, pre-eclampsia and infections, that could harm the fetus wherever possible. Your doctor should also take your medical history into account. Certain anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants have been known to cause congenital heart defects, persistent pulmonary hypertension in a newborn (PPHN) and other issues.
Our attorneys can help you explore whether your child’s condition was the result of negligent prenatal care. We will explore all of your legal options for holding negligent doctors or hospitals accountable for any resulting medical treatments, long-term care and diminished quality of life, if applicable.
Birth Injuries vs. Birth Defects: Negligence Must Be Involved
It is not always easy to distinguish whether the injury was due to a birth defect or a birth injury because, yes, there is a difference. The primary difference is that birth defects tend to occur prior to the actual birth, while birth injuries occur during the birth itself.
According to research, five of every 1,000 babies in the United States will suffer some sort of injury during birth. This shows that birth injuries are relatively common; however, it does not mean that all birth injuries can lead to a lawsuit because it does not necessarily mean that a negligent act occurred. In order to prove that a birth injury did occur as a result of negligence, it must be shown that the doctor failed to act accordingly with the standard of care.
It can be a traumatic experience to give birth and then have to deal with a birth injury, and those affected might not know what steps to take. First and foremost, the parents should seek the medical attention necessary to ensure all parties involved are as safe and as healthy as possible. Then, it may be time to speak to a birth injury attorney about what legal options may be available. If negligence did in fact occur, it may possibly seek compensation for the injuries that the baby and the family as a whole has suffered.
When It Really Matters – Contact Rhine Law Firm, P.C.
We invite you to contact us by calling (910) 772-9960 to discuss your case with one of our experienced birth injury attorneys. Office hours 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening and weekend appointments also available.
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We are proud to serve the people of North Carolina.
Although our primary office location is in Wilmington, North Carolina we represent clients nationally and across the state of North Carolina. Some of the many areas we serve are listed below.
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