Childbirth can be an intensely traumatic experience for both mother and newborn, even if they receive the best possible medical care from experienced and compassionate professionals. Unfortunately, sometimes, obstetric care standards are deficient, and these vulnerable patients can suffer injuries due to preventable errors by obstetricians and other health care providers.
Klumpke’s palsy is one of many debilitating and potentially life-changing injuries that newborn babies can suffer as a result of medical malpractice during birth. Accordingly, it is one of many grounds upon which our skilled birth injury attorneys can help you file suit. If your baby sustained nerve damage in their shoulder because your doctor failed to provide adequate care during a difficult birth, a Philadelphia Klumpke’s palsy lawyer from The Weitz Firm, LLC, can help.
Causes and Effects of Klumpke’s Palsy
Klumpke’s palsy, also called Klumpke’s paralysis, results from trauma during birth to a baby’s brachial plexus—a set of nerves in the shoulder connecting the spinal cord to the rest of the arm. This is often due to the baby’s shoulder getting stuck on the mother’s pelvis during delivery. High birth weight can significantly increase the risk of this injury, as can late-term and artificially induced births.
The specific effects of Klumpke’s palsy vary depending on how severe the injury is. Damage to the nerves in the brachial plexus may include:
- Being stretched
- Getting severed
- Developing significant scar tissue
- Being torn away from the spinal cord altogether
Most often, though, this condition results in an involuntary “clawing” of the hand on the affected arm, loss of motor function or muscle tone, and atrophic development. If a medical professional has formally diagnosed your child with this condition, our Klumpke’s palsy attorneys in Philadelphia can help recommend an appropriate course of action.
Holding Health Care Providers Liable for Birth Trauma
While obstetricians and other doctors assisting with childbirth are not expected to be perfect in every way while providing care for mothers in labor and their babies, they are expected to meet the same standard of care that any equally qualified physician would provide under the same working conditions. Consequently, irresponsible actions that no doctor should perform, such as the negligent misuse of forceps or failure to account for birth complications, can serve as grounds for legal action if they directly lead to your child developing Klumpke’s palsy when they otherwise would not have.
Importantly, Pennsylvania state law prohibits you from filing suit for malpractice unless you have support for your claim from at least one qualified medical expert, formalized through a certificate of merit. Support from seasoned Philadelphia lawyers can be crucial to navigating this and other legal difficulties during a Klumpke’s palsy claim.
Contact Our Klumpke’s Palsy Attorneys in Philadelphia for Help
Nerve damage from an injury sustained during childbirth can have devastating and lifelong repercussions for a child, let alone the emotional pain and financial strain it can place on their parents and other loved ones. If your child has experienced this harm due to misconduct by physicians, you must understand your right to seek civil restitution and how best to enforce that right.
A Philadelphia Klumpke’s palsy lawyer from The Weitz Firm, LLC, can provide invaluable assistance in this and work tirelessly to ensure your unique case has the best possible outcome for your family. Call our team today for a free consultation.
