Your brachial plexus provides critical nerve function that allows you to feel and manipulate not only your arms and hands, but also parts of your chest and shoulder. When this nerve network sustains damage, the result is referred to as a brachial plexus injury — also called Erb’s palsy.
If you are not already aware, Erb’s palsy may be the result of one or more medical errors committed before, during, or just after you delivered your child. A doctor, nurse, or other medical professional and the institution where they work could be responsible to you and your child for any losses sustained as the result of the brachial plexus injury.
If your child has been diagnosed with Erb’s palsy or another form of nerve injury, call our team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529 to discuss your case and find out how a Greeley Erb’s palsy lawyer can help.
The Cause and Effect of Erb’s Palsy
You can get into significant detail regarding the possible forms of brachial plexus birth injury, Erb’s palsy among them, should you choose to. Erb’s palsy occurs when a child sustains damage to the nerves of their C5, C6, and, in some cases, C7 vertebrae to the neural network that is the brachial plexus.
Damage to these nerves can result in a child not having normal control of their affected arm and hand, as well as their shoulder and a portion of their chest. This often creates a sort of limpness that, while often recoverable with therapy, can be disturbing to parents and, in some cases, does not fully heal.
If your child has been diagnosed with Erb’s palsy or another brachial plexus injury, then you are likely fairly familiar with the effects of the injury. They may include:
- A limpness or slackening of your child’s arm and hand.
- A loss of sensation in the affected parts of your child’s body.
- Weakness in the impacted body parts that persists, even through the early stages of rehabilitation.
What may be more important, and which you may be less familiar with, are the possible causes of the injury that resulted in Erb’s palsy.
Medical Malpractice Is a Possible Cause of Erb’s Palsy
Medical “accidents” can often be seen as medical malpractice when viewed critically, and if an accident by a doctor or nurse led your child to contract Erb’s palsy, then you may have cause to bring a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Some of the ways that a doctor, nurse, or someone else involved in your child’s birth may have caused the brachial plexus injury include:
- Failing to spot any conditions before you went into labor that may have increased the risk of a complicated birth.
- Failing to plan for all possible scenarios and to have a plan of action when those scenarios arise, which can prevent panicking and other actions that may result in Erb’s palsy.
- Pulling on your child in such a way that caused the brachial plexus injury, as tugging on a child’s arm with too much force may be the cause of the damage to your child’s nerves.
- Pulling on the child’s head or torso in a way that caused nerves to separate, leading to Erb’s palsy.
It is your doctor’s responsibility to keep you and your child as safe as possible before, during, and just after birth, and a brachial plexus injury could be an indication that your doctor failed in this responsibility.
A Greeley Erb’s palsy lawyer can help you make heads and tails of the details of your case and will proceed with legal action if the details of your case warrant a lawsuit alleging negligence. Call our team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529 to find out how we can help.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
An Erb’s Palsy Lawyer Will Help You Determine Who Is Liable for Your Child’s Injury
You likely understand that an individual who inflicted physical force on your child—such as a doctor or nurse—is a possible defendant in your case. This person may not be the only defendant named in your case, however.
It is possible that the institution where your child was born failed in some way to protect you from the nerve damage that your child ultimately suffered. A hospital can commit negligence by:
- Hiring or allowing a doctor to operate in their facility who is either unqualified, has personal or professional red flags, or is otherwise not fit to attend to your medical needs.
- Hiring nurses or other staffers who are not fit to work with patients.
- Failing to provide the resources and environment necessary for your delivery to have gone successfully.
- Failing to ensure that the staffers who attended your delivery were in a fit state of mind.
Oftentimes the facility where you gave birth will have some level of responsibility for the actions of those who work inside its walls, if only by association. This may be true of your case, too.
A Lawyer Will See Your Case Through
A birth injury such as Erb’s palsy changes the script that you may have anticipated after giving birth to your child. You have a new set of considerations to adapt to, and a Greeley Erb’s palsy lawyer can handle the entirety of your legal responsibilities so that you can focus on your child’s recovery.
A lawyer can lighten your load by:
- Putting together a case that negligence was somehow to blame for your child’s Erb’s palsy and presenting that case in court if necessary.
- Keeping you abreast of any settlement offers.
- Taking care of all of your legal needs from the first meeting until the conclusion of your lawsuit.
- Defending your rights and your child’s rights while fighting for any compensation that you are entitled to.
If your malpractice lawsuit results in a settlement or judgement in your favor, then you may be entitled to awards that could cover medical costs and other losses related to the Erb’s palsy.
Greeley Erbs Palsy Lawyer Near Me 1-800-222-9529
Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group Today for Legal Assistance
We can help you analyze the details of your case and, if you choose, bring legal action that we decide is warranted. Call our team today at (800) 222-9529 for a free consultation. Do not wait to call, as the statute of limitations plays an important role in your ability to collect any awards that you are owed.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."