When a delivery does not go as planned, it can lead to injuries and physical implications that may affect the baby for years to come. If your baby suffered any type of injury during his or her birth, you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how what happened will impact your child long term. In addition to the effects of birth injuries on babies, it is also likely that they will affect you as a parent.
Learning that your child suffered harm during his or her birth can be devastating. One family recently successfully sued the hospital where their baby was born, claiming the decisions made by the staff at that facility was the reason for their baby’s pain and suffering. A jury agreed with these claims, awarding the child a substantial dollar verdict.
Poor decisions led to irrevocable harm
Depending on the nature of the birth injuries, it is possible the baby could suffer for the rest of his or her life. In this specific situation, the parents claim the hospital staff did not properly respond in a timely manner to the needs of their baby after his birth. There was a delay in providing oxygen to the child because they failed to monitor his levels. The result was oxygen deprivation to an extent where the baby was left permanently disabled.
The baby who suffered was a twin boy and was born with respiratory problems, requiring oxygen immediately after his delivery. He was stable when moved to the nursery, but he had an episode during which it was clear he was struggling to breathe. The staff employed some efforts to help him, but they were insufficient, and his condition quickly deteriorated. He was then intubated and placed on a ventilator, and he also suffered three seizures.
The claims of the parents
The baby is now a teenager, and he has cerebral palsy as a result of the oxygen deprivation he suffered as an infant. He has various other disabilities, and he requires constant care and support. Medical tests revealed that his struggles are a result of the lack of oxygen, which his parents claimed happened as a result of negligent care post-delivery.
The jury awarded the parents multi-millions of dollars for their past and future medical expenses as well as loss of their earning capacity. Oregon parents of children who suffered during or immediately after birth sometimes have the right to seek compensation for their own emotional injury, as well as any financial losses they experienced.