(845) 303-1000Even if you have the best possible medical care and maintain your own physical health to the fullest extent possible, pregnancy and childbirth can still be exceptionally stressful processes to go through. Unfortunately, sometimes the biological stressors associated with gestation and labor lead to potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications, not all of which are problems physicians can prevent in advance or completely nullify once they arise.
Placental abruption is an example of one such complication that may occur with or without diligent medical care, as experienced birth injury attorneys know all too well. However, if your doctors allowed you to suffer avoidable harm because they failed to treat this complication properly, you may have grounds for legal action, which a Schenectady placental abruption lawyer from our firm could help you pursue.
What Are Placental Abruptions and How Do They Occur?
Normally, a pregnant woman’s placenta—an organ inside the womb which provides oxygen and nutrients to a fetus in utero—detaches from her uterine wall naturally and safely sometime after she gives birth. Sometimes, though, the placenta partially or fully detaches before an expecting mother has given birth, which can potentially cause severe bleeding for the mother as well as life-threatening deprivation of oxygen and nutrients for her baby.
While no definitive answer explains why placental abruptions occur, several factors increase the likelihood of this complication, including high blood pressure, advanced maternal age, and a history of smoking or drug use. Doctors who fail to account for these risks, overlook the symptoms of an abruption, or otherwise fall short of the standard of care they owe their patients may face liability for the losses their malpractice causes, as our Schenectady attorneys could explain in more detail.
Obtaining an Affidavit of Merit for a Placental Abruption Lawsuit
Support from skilled legal counsel can be crucial not just to determining whether you may have valid grounds for a malpractice lawsuit, but also to establishing those valid grounds to the satisfaction of the civil court system. More specifically, we can help you seek, obtain, and properly file an affidavit of merit for your placental abruption lawsuit in Schenectady, as required under New York Civil Practice Law & Rules §3012-A.
In a nutshell, this statute requires your legal representative to consult with at least one qualified medical expert about your case and affirm that the expert believes your case has merit, or to make good-faith attempts to consult with at least three such experts. Your lawyer will then need to submit this affidavit either alongside your initial complaint or no more than 90 days after initially filing suit, or else a court will likely refuse to hear the case.
Consider Working with a Schenectady Placental Abruption Attorney
While placental abruptions are always serious, qualified medical personnel can often resolve them without harm to mother or child if they diagnose and treat the condition quickly. Accordingly, if your doctor failed to address your placental abruption in time and you or your child suffered harm as a result, you may have legal standing to sue under New York’s medical malpractice laws.
Our team can provide the custom-tailored and compassionate assistance you may need to enforce your rights and obtain the best possible result from your lawsuit or settlement demand. Call today to discuss your options with a Schenectady placental abruption lawyer from our team.