Birth Injury Statistics That May Surprise You

Giving birth to a child should be one of the most enjoyable, and memorable, experiences of your life. That excitement can be quickly ruined when you find out that something is wrong with your baby. Your joy can quickly turn into fear and concern for your child, and you may eventually wonder what went wrong.

Birth injuries can sometimes be an act of medical malpractice. Mistakes during labor and delivery can lead to a lifelong disability.

Florida Birth Injury Statistics

Here are a few birth injury statistics to know:

• Approximately 6-8 out of 1,000 newborns today are born with an injury.
• This translates to about one injured newborn every 20 minutes.
• The average maternal injury rate is 2.5 times higher for African Americans.
• The highest age rate of mothers with injured babies is between 25-34 years.

Both the mother and the newborn baby are at risk of injuries during childbirth. While certain medical conditions can make childbirth riskier, medical mistakes or negligence can also lead to an increased rate of injured babies.

Common Causes of Birth Injuries

Birth injuries can occur from a variety of issues, including medical conditions or lack of labor and delivery training. A few common causes of birth injuries include failure to follow labor and delivery protocols, failing to monitor the mother or baby’s vitals, failing to take action at the first sign of distress, or improper administration of medications during labor and delivery.

These mistakes can lead to common birth injuries like temporary or permanent paralysis, hypoxia, brain injury, or spinal cord injury. When these types of injuries occur, they can leave the mother and baby in a difficult place. The injured person may need medical care to recover. They may also require assistive services for life.

If the baby is left with developmental disabilities, the parent may become a primary caregiver and may not be able to return to work. There’s also the pain and suffering that comes with a mistake changing the expected outcome of life.

Collecting Compensation for a Birth Injury

There’s no doubt that there are many costs involved with a birth injury. If a medical care team member is responsible for you or your baby’s injury, then it’s only right that the hospital covers your costs. Birth injuries are included in medical malpractice, but there are a few differences from a traditional medical malpractice case.

It’s important that you take action to collect the funds you need as soon as possible because Florida has a time limit on birth injury cases. Florida typically places a statute of limitation of two years from the date of birth. This timeline may also extend to the date on which you should have realistically discovered a birth injury. Regardless of the details of the injury, however, the state limits all cases to a maximum of four years after the date of birth.

Investigation into medical malpractice cases can be time-consuming and in-depth, meaning it’s important to take action soon. A lawsuit can’t take away the birth injury, but it can help provide you and your family with the resources you need to accommodate it.

Contact A Medical Malpractice Attorney for a Consultation About Your Birth Injury Case in Florida

Were you or a loved one injured due to medical malpractice in Florida? Then you need to talk to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible for guidance on how to proceed. The Coconut Creek birth injury attorneys at Lawlor, White & Murphey are prepared to assist you with your legal claim. We represent victims of negligent surgeons, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists throughout Florida, including Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Plantation, and Weston. Call us today at (954) 525-2345 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation. Our main office is located at 2211 Davie Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and we also have offices in Pembroke Pines, Weston, Coconut Creek, Plantation, and Pompano Beach, FL.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.