Birth Injury Lawyer servicing the New York area such as:

Sometimes evidence of malpractice is difficult to obtain. This has not stopped us.

Childbirth should be one of the happiest and most memorable moments in our lives. Unfortunately, in some cases, because of medical negligence, childbirth can be a disaster and a nightmare, that leaves a lifetime of pain and expenses. The process of birth must be carefully managed by the attending medical professionals. Careful monitoring of the baby and the mother should allow for fast action to be taken should the baby be in distress.

When there is a failure to act quickly, or when the management is done in a negligent way, the baby can suffer permanent and sometimes catastrophic damage. If your baby was injured during the birth process resulting in severe injury, mental retardation or a brachial plexus injury, you have legal rights and may be entitled to compensation. Our firm, led by one of the most trusted birth injury attorneys in New York, has enormous experience in handling these difficult birth injury cases.

Two of the most common yet serious birth injuries that may result from medical malpractice are Cerebral palsy and Erb’s palsy.

However, other serious problems can also occur during birth, which can also result in brain damage from other causes. For instance, a baby may be born prematurely where it could have been avoided. The mother may suffer from preeclampsia, of hypertension/high blood pressure, and if this is not attended to properly both the mother and the baby can be severely injured, or even sometimes die. A baby may suffer an avoidable infection, sometimes caused by allowing her pregnancy to progress too long after the membranes are ruptured, or sometimes caused by the failure to treat Strep B. This can result in terrible consequences, including brain damage.

Brachial plexus injury often occurs when the baby is too big for safe delivery and this is not recognized, or when the shoulder becomes lodged at the maternal pelvic outlet, and the doctor, or other health care provider (sometimes a midwife) uses excessive and/or improper traction, or force, in pulling on the baby's head and neck. This can cause paralysis to the baby's arm for life.

The Law Offices of Joseph M. Lichtenstein PC has been seeking and obtaining justice for the victims of this type of malpractice for decades.