(845) 802-0047When expectant parents think about the impending arrival of their new baby, they almost always have big hopes and dreams for the future. Unfortunately, not every family is lucky enough to leave the hospital or maternity center with a healthy baby. Some newborns suffer serious birth injuries that can interfere with their development and growth.
When your infant experiences a birth injury like Klumpke’s palsy, you might be entitled to collect compensation from the medical staff who provided substandard care during your baby’s delivery with help from an experienced birth injury attorney. John Fisher is a Hudson Valley Klumpke’s palsy lawyer who could get your family the justice it deserves.
What Is Klumpke’s Palsy?
Klumpke’s palsy is a type of disability resulting from nerve damage to someone’s wrist, hand, or lower arm. The nerve injury can occur during childbirth when an obstetrician, midwife, or someone else who aids in a baby’s delivery makes a mistake. Klumpke’s palsy occurs when the bundle of nerves along the neck that travels to the arm, known as the brachial plexus, suffers damage. When damage occurs to the nerves connecting the hand, forearm, and wrist, Klumpke’s palsy can develop.
When the nerve damage is minor, a baby can fully heal and regain full arm function with rest and physical therapy. Some babies require extensive surgeries to fix the nerve damage, and others experience permanent impairment to their arm function.
A compassionate Hudson Valley attorney with experience handling Klumpke’s palsy cases could meet with the family of an injured newborn and the baby’s doctors to determine how much of an impact the injury could have on the baby’s future. They could fight for a fair damages award or settlement.
Complications During Labor and Delivery Can Lead to Klumpke’s Palsy
Babies can develop Klumpke’s palsy when complications occur during delivery. Although doctors cannot always predict which babies will have difficult deliveries, they should know that certain conditions lead to an elevated risk of having birth complications, including:
- A baby is in breech position for delivery
- A baby appears to have a high birth weight, as shown in fetal testing
- A mother has gestational diabetes, which can lead to a baby with a high birth weight
When doctors observe these or other risk factors, they should work carefully to minimize the possibility of complications.
Klumpke’s palsy can develop when a medical team fails to take proper precautions before or during delivery. When a medical team fails to treat a mother’s gestational diabetes or does not order a C-section in advance when it appears the baby will be large, the baby could get stuck in the birth canal. Klumpke’s palsy could occur when the medical team tries to get the baby out. When they pull too hard on the baby or misuse a vacuum extractor, forceps, or other delivery tool, they could stretch, tear, or sever the nerves of the baby’s neck.
A skilled lawyer in Hudson Valley could review the medical record and speak with other medical experts to see whether the family received substandard care during the pregnancy, labor, or delivery process that resulted in Klumpke’s palsy.
Contact a Hudson Valley Klumpke’s Palsy Attorney
Parents deserve competent care from the doctors, nurses, and midwives who help bring their baby into the world. A child with Klumpke’s palsy could face lifelong impediments that could affect their future.
Contact a Hudson Valley Klumpke’s palsy lawyer today to schedule a consultation. John Fisher works to protect patients’ rights and could help you fight for a financial recovery that could give you a way to pay for the care your child will need.