The birth of a child should be a celebration. When something goes wrong and you’re instead left to deal with unexplained injuries, you deserve to understand why. If your doctor made a mistake, you deserve to hold them responsible.
An experienced San Antonio birth injury lawyer at George Salinas Injury Lawyers can help. Year after year, our lawyers have been recognized by Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. We’ve earned some of the top settlements and verdicts in the State of Texas. Contact or call us today at (210)-225-0909 for a free consultation.
Why Choose George Salinas Injury Lawyers?
Hire us, and you’ll have a San Antonio personal injury lawyer to:
- Determine the cause of your child’s injury
- Investigate and gather evidence
- Bring in leading specialists to prove your case
- Identify all responsible parties and insurance coverage
- Handle all insurance negotiations for your family
Your family has suffered enough. Let our San Antonio personal injury attorneys help you fight for justice. We’re ready to get started today, so call for your free consultation.
Do I Have a Valid Birth Injury Case?
A birth injury is any type of injury that occurs to a baby during the labor and delivery process. If your child was harmed, you deserve to understand why.
All healthcare professionals have a duty to provide the level of care that a reasonable, competent medical provider would provide under the circumstances. That includes a duty to carefully monitor the mother and baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery.
Doctors, OBGYNs, nurses, and other medical providers can be held liable for medical malpractice when they fail to provide competent care.
Not all birth injuries happen because of medical negligence. Some injuries can’t be prevented. Still, it’s important to understand your legal rights if your child was harmed. Our San Antonio birth injury attorneys are here to help. If your child was injured during labor or immediately after birth, call our legal team for a free case evaluation today.
Our Birth Injury Lawyers in San Antonio Handle All Types of Birth Injury Claims
At George Salinas Injury Lawyers, our team handles all types of birth injury cases.
Some of the most common types of birth injuries include:
- Brachial Palsy
- Cerebral Palsy
- Hypoxia
- Erb’s Palsy
- Shoulder dystocia
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
- Bruising or forceps marks
- Caput succedaneum
- Cephalohematoma
- Facial paralysis
- Bone fractures
- Subconjunctival hemorrhage
- Placental abruption, which can cut off a baby’s oxygen supply
- Uterine rupture
- Neonatal stroke
- Umbilical cord injuries
Many of these injuries occur because of medical errors. If you believe you were a victim of medical negligence, contact our San Antonio medical malpractice lawyers for legal advice today. We can help you determine whether you have a valid medical malpractice case against a negligent doctor or hospital.
How Common Are Birth Injuries?
Out of every 1,000 births in the United States, six to eight babies suffer a birth injury. That’s about 28,000 birth injuries each year.
These injuries have the potential to be life-changing or even fatal. According to CDC research, about 20,000 infants died in the United States in 2020. Unfortunately, 1,946 of those infant deaths occurred in the State of Texas.
If your child was injured at birth, you’re not alone. Our lawyers are here to help in any way we can. We’re always available to discuss your case, so call our law firm for a free case review today.
How Do I Know Whether My Baby Has Suffered a Birth Injury?
You might not know immediately that your baby has sustained a birth injury. Some injuries are not immediately obvious if you don’t have medical training.
Some of the most important signs to watch for immediately after the baby is delivered include:
- The need for resuscitation
- Extremely pale or blue skin
- Bruising or swelling
- Low heart rate or diminished heart rate
- Trouble breathing or rapid breathing
- An obviously arched back when crying
- Weak reflexes
- An extremely high-pitched cry
- Seizures
Sometimes a birth injury won’t become obvious until after you take the baby home. Many types of injuries will become more obvious as your baby develops and grows.
Seek medical attention if you notice any of the following things during the developmental process:
- Difficulty holding items or grasping things
- Delayed speech or trouble speaking
- Problems with eating or drinking
- Difficulty crawling or walking
- Strange movements
- Muscle spasms
- An unusual lack of coordination
- Problems with hearing or vision
It’s important to seek regular medical attention as your baby develops. With regular checkups, it becomes much more likely that a doctor will catch any health issues as they arise.
What Are the Long-Term Consequences of Birth Injuries?
The long-term impact of a birth injury will vary depending on the type of injury involved.
Some possible long-term consequences of birth injuries include:
- Cognitive disabilities
- Loss of mobility or paralysis
- Learning disorders
- Seizure disorders
- Loss of a normal childhood
- Inability to earn a living
- A need for ongoing rehabilitation and care
Our experienced birth injury lawyers will also fight to recover compensation for damage to your emotional wellbeing. Injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression may not always be obvious, but they can be just as devastating as physical injuries.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Birth Injuries in Texas?
Some of the most common causes of birth injuries include:
- Failure to properly monitor the mother and fetus during pregnancy
- Failure to diagnose a medical condition in the mother or fetus
- Improper use of forceps, vacuum extractors, or assistive devices during labor and delivery
- Failure to perform a C-Section when needed
- Failure to properly monitor vital signs during labor and delivery
- Medication errors
- Failure to communicate
- Charting errors
- Failure to take a full medical history
- Inexperienced medical providers
- Understaffing and fatigued medical professionals
Unfortunately, many birth injuries occur because of medical mistakes during the labor and delivery process.
How Much Is My San Antonio Birth Injury Claim Worth?
No two cases are exactly the same. That said, birth injury claims tend to be worth more than other types of injuries. A birth injury can impact your child’s entire life–and if you were the victim of malpractice, you deserve compensation for all of the losses your family has suffered.
The value of your case will depend on:
- The nature of the injuries your child has suffered
- The nature of the responsible party’s actions
- The cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation, and other expenses incurred to date
- The anticipated cost of ongoing medical care and rehabilitation
- How the injury impacts your work and career
- Whether doctors expect the injury to impact your child’s future earnings
- Damage to your family’s emotional health and wellbeing
You should never accept an insurance settlement offer without speaking with an experienced attorney. If you accept too quickly, you could end up taking a lowball deal.
Our lawyers will carefully evaluate the details when we’re assessing your case value. We’ve handled cases like yours before, so we know how to help you fight for full compensation.
What Compensation Can I Recover for If My Baby Was Injured at Birth in San Antonio, Texas?
Examples of the types of compensation you may be entitled to receive include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages while you care for your child
- Future medical expenses
- Your child’s lost future earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Rehabilitative care
- Specialized education
- Medical devices and medications
- Long-term care
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of a normal childhood
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Damages for wrongful death
Our lawyers are here to help you get justice. We’ll do everything possible to hold the person responsible for your child’s injuries fully accountable. Just call for a free case review today.
How Long Do I Have To File a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit?
In medical malpractice cases, the statute of limitations is two years. However, the two-year clock doesn’t automatically begin to run on the date of the injury. Instead, the clock starts running on the date you discover, or reasonably should have discovered, the injury.
Contact A San Antonio Birth Injury Attorney Today
We know your family is struggling. Birth injuries can be incredibly stressful. Our team at George Salinas Injury Lawyers includes some of the most respected lawyers in the area. To learn more about how we can help your family fight for fair compensation, call for a free consultation at (210) 225-0909 with a San Antonio birth injury attorney today.