BIRTH INJURIES

Unfortunate incidents can occur in hospitals in Ohio and West Virginia where children are injured before, during, or after birth, turning what should have been a time of great happiness into trauma and lifelong injury.

Birth injuries refer to the harm or damage suffered by infants during the process of labor and delivery. These types of injuries may occur due to negligence or errors made by doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals. When that happens, a parent or legal guardian may be able to recover financial compensation on behalf of the child for those injuries. 

Attorney Ethan Vessels handles birth injury cases in both Ohio and West Virginia. If you believe your child may have been injured during birth, please contact Ethan Vessels for a free, no obligation consultation. He can be reached by calling 740-374-5346 or sending a message from this website.

A birth injury can be any type of harm or damage an infant suffers either before, during or after birth. Some of the most common examples of birth injuries include:

Bone Fractures

Bone fractures may occur during childbirth, especially with an infant’s collarbone.

Brain Injuries

Damage to an infant’s brain during birth can occur due to medical negligence. When an infant is deprived of oxygen it can lead to perinatal asphyxia, which can cause brain damage. Intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding that occurs within the infant’s head which can cause brain damage.

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions that affect movement and posture. It is caused by damage to the developing brain. Some cases of cerebral palsy can be linked to complications experienced during labor and delivery.

Spinal Cord Injury

Misusing medical equipment during delivery can cause damage to an infant’s spinal cord.

Facial Paralysis

Damage to an infant’s facial muscles can occur during delivery if medical equipment such as forceps or vacuum extraction devices are not used properly. Bell’s Palsy is a common form of facial paralysis involving newborn infants.

Brachial Plexus Injury

This occurs when there is damage to the network of nerves controlling the arm and hand, often due to excessive pulling during delivery. 

Birth injuries may happen for any reason. However, some of the most common reasons linked to birth injuries include:

Prolonged Labor

If labor is prolonged, there is an increased risk of complications and potential trauma to the child.

High Birth Weight

Infants with high birth weights may be more difficult to deliver, which can increase the risk of injuries.

Breech Birth

A breech birth or other abnormal type of birth presentation may increase the risk of an injury.

Medical Devices and Equipment

Defective or misused medical equipment such as forceps or vacuum extraction devices may result in birth injuries.

There are ways to identify whether a child sustained a birth injury during pregnancy, delivery or after birth. Some injuries are readily apparent. Other birth injuries may take days, weeks, months or even years to develop. A sign or symptom of a possible birth injury may include, but are not limited to:

• Lethargy.
• Weakness.
• Swelling.
• Significant weight loss.
• Abnormal or irregular heartbeat.
• Breathing problems.
• Feeding difficulties.
• Trouble moving arms or legs.
• Muscle spasms, seizures or tremors.
• Inability of eyes to focus.
  

A birth injury lawsuit is a legal action taken by a parent or legal guardian on behalf of a child who has suffered an injury during birth due to medical negligence. Birth injury lawsuits are specific types of medical malpractice claims. Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional fails to provide the standard of care that is generally accepted within the medical community, resulting in an injury to a patient.

The potential compensation that may be recovered from a birth injury lawsuit includes, but is not limited to the following:

Medical Expenses

A birth injury may require extensive medical treatment, including surgery, stays in the hospital, and even lifelong care. Health insurance may not cover all these costs.

Pain and Suffering

Emotionally, it is devasting for parents to endure the injury of a child and often, they may be forced to deal with their child’s permanent disabilities and limitations. This aspect of a birth injury lawsuit establishes the emotional cost.

Lost Wages and Earning Potential

A birth injury may result in the child never being able to work and generate income to support themselves when they become adults.

There is a limited amount of time to file a birth injury lawsuit. This deadline is known as a statute of limitation. The details, circumstances, and jurisdiction of every medical malpractice case are different, which can change the duration of a statute of limitation and when it begins to run.

For more than sixteen years, people in Ohio and West Virginia have been contacting Ethan Vessels for legal advice, guidance, and representation for different types of medical malpractice cases. These lawsuits can be highly complex and difficult to litigate.



If your child has suffered a birth injury, please contact Ethan Vessels for a free, no obligation consultation. He will answer all your questions and provide you with the feedback you need to decide whether you should pursue a birth injury claim and the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit. The meeting and its details will be kept strictly confidential.

When he accepts birth injury cases in either Ohio or West Virginia, he works on a contingent-fee basis, which means there is no fee for his legal services until and unless a settlement or verdict is reached.