More than 4 million babies are born in the United States every year. With 86,000 births in Washington State alone! Unfortunately, many risks and adverse events can occur during the birthing process, both during the prenatal period and during the birth itself.
Medical conditions affecting the health of the mother and baby may be undiagnosed – including gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension (pre-eclampsia), and genetic problems. The baby’s well-being may be impacted by undiagnosed deficiencies in the placenta or a lack of adequate amniotic fluid.
During the birthing process there may be negligent care, such as delaying a cesarean section too long or not picking up on ominous fetal heart-rate patterns, which can result in the baby suffering a loss of oxygen and cerebral palsy due to brain damage. Sometimes there is a failure to recognize the risk of the baby getting stuck in the birth canal, which can result in a brachial plexus injury to the baby (shoulder dystocia or Erb’s palsy) and a lifetime of disabilities for the child.
If you think you have a birth injury case in Washington State then get in touch with CMG Law, Washington State Birth Injury Attorneys Seattle
Mary was 37 weeks pregnant when her membranes ruptured shortly before midnight. She was taken to the hospital for the delivery of her first child. Her physician, whose practice included obstetrics but not cesarean deliveries, was notified and gave routine orders for her care.
At about 5 a.m., Mary was given an epidural for pain. As a result, she became hypotensive with her blood pressure dropping from 124/63 down to 69/26, a condition that persisted for an hour unnoticed and untreated. During this time, her fetus developed heart-rate decelerations, which required that her physician be informed. Her physician testified that had he been informed, he would have ordered a fetal scalp electrode to monitor the fetal heart rate pattern and then would have asked the on-call obstetrician to meet him at the hospital to evaluate Mary. But by the time the physician was actually notified and able to call in an obstetrician to perform a cesarean section, her baby had suffered brain damage and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
CMG Law – Malpractice Attorneys in Seattle, filed a lawsuit, conducted extensive discovery, and secured favorable testimony from experts in nursing, obstetrics, neurology, developmental pediatrics, life-care planning, and economics. We were successful in obtaining a large settlement that will provide funds necessary for the child’s care over the course of his lifetime and compensate his parents for the loss of what should have been a normal parent-child relationship.
If you think you have a birth injury case in Washington State then get in touch with CMG Law, Washington State Birth Injury Attorneys Seattle
“Two years ago, we were looking forward to the birth of our first child, a boy, and it was a perfect pregnancy. But after being in labor for 41 hours, Jessi had an emergency Cesarean section and the baby was airlifted to Seattle Children’s Hospital, where the doctors found he was brain-dead from a lack of oxygen. Three days later, his body shut down.
We were referred to Paul Chemnick, and he was just awesome. We had a good feeling about working with him from the first moment we talked with him. We completely trusted him with all the details. He was straightforward and a great advocate. We decided to settle because Jessi was in the late stages of another pregnancy, and we wanted to focus on our new baby girl.
We couldn’t be happier with the settlement. It allowed us to move to a new community and start over with our lives.”
Jessica and Andrew S.
East Wenatchee, WA
“While doing our research, we were impressed that Pat was recognized in both the nursing and legal fields. Pat was phenomenal: easy to talk to, personable, responsive, and always ahead of the game. Medically, she knew her stuff, often more than the doctors.
We had a unique case. Autumn was pregnant and a blood test at nine weeks showed a result that needed immediate treatment. But because it was overlooked, we were devastated to lose the baby at 25 weeks. Pat supported our decision to settle rather than putting our family through the trauma of a trial, and we were extremely happy with the result. We now have two healthy sons and have been able to move on with our lives.”
Tim and Autumn R.
Kennewick, WA
If you think you have a birth injury case in Washington State then get in touch with CMG Law, Washington State Birth Injury Attorneys Seattle
It is a common misconception that doctors lose their licenses when they settle malpractice claims with injured patients. The truth is doctors continue to practice, sometimes after settling many claims.
In spite of our apparent prosperity, mothers die in childbirth at greater rates in the United States than in any other developed nation.
A recent article in HealthDay News described a study that showed wide disparities in the rates of obstetrical complications in hospital across the U.S.
