Birth Injury Attorney
Fort Lauderdale Vacuum Extractor Injury Attorneys
Birth Injury Claims Involving Unsafe Vacuum Extractor Usage
Vacuum extractors can be a useful tool in difficult births, but when used improperly or negligently, they can lead to severe injuries to the newborn. The aftermath of such injuries can be emotionally and financially devastating for families and may indefinitely impact the child’s well-being in unexpected ways.
In the face of such adversity, it is crucial to stand up for your rights and seek justice. At Schlesinger Law Offices, P.A., we understand the heart-wrenching reality of birth injuries caused by vacuum extractor use during delivery. If your child has been injured due to the negligent use of a vacuum extractor during birth in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, our skilled team of attorneys would like to hear from you as soon as possible. We are committed to helping you navigate the legal process from start to finish. With our expertise in vacuum extractor injury cases, we are ready to fight to secure fair compensation and justice for your family.
What is a Vacuum Extractor?
A vacuum extractor is a medical device used during childbirth when labor has stalled or there are concerns about the baby’s health. It consists of a suction cup that is placed on the baby’s head and a handle that is used by the doctor to gently pull while the mother pushes during contractions. This helps guide the baby out of the birth canal.
Medical professionals usually decide to use a vacuum extractor when labor is not progressing despite the mother’s effort, if there’s a need for a rapid delivery due to fetal distress, or when the mother is unable to push effectively due to certain health conditions. However, its use should be approached with caution as improper use can lead to birth injuries.
OUR Birth Injury results
$32.8 Million
BIRTH INJURY
An unborn baby was in distress with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. His doctor and hospital medical team ignored signals and tests, which ultimately resulted in severe brain damage including cerebral palsy, spastic legs and arms, mental retardation, kidney failure and other conditions.
$32.8 Million
BIRTH INJURY
An expectant mother went into the hospital with complications. Attending physicians did not properly communicate with each other, leading to the baby being born under duress with a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy.
$32.8 Million
BIRTH INJURY
A Palm Beach County jury has awarded $4 million on behalf of a child suffering from severe mental retardation that the family blamed on a delayed delivery in a West Palm Beach hospital more than 11 years ago.
Common Vacuum Extractor Birth Injuries
Our Fort Lauderdale vacuum extractor injury lawyers can work with an extensive network of medical experts who assist with understanding and analyzing the nature and cause of a newborn’s injuries. Our well-established reputation and abundant resources make it possible for us to work closely with these professionals, ensuring a thorough investigation into why and how these injuries occurred. We believe in leaving no stone unturned when advocating for our clients, and our synergy with medical experts is one of the ways we ensure an efficient and effective investigation while building your case.
Common vacuum extractor birth injuries include:
- Cephalohematoma: This condition involves bleeding underneath one of the cranial bones. It often appears as a raised lump on your baby’s head a few hours after birth.
- Retinal hemorrhage: This is bleeding into the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It can lead to vision problems and, in severe cases, blindness.
- Skull fractures: The pressure exerted by a vacuum extractor can sometimes be so intense that it leads to fractures in the baby’s skull. This is a serious injury that can lead to long-term neurological issues.
- Facial lacerations: These are cuts or tears on the baby’s face. While some lacerations are minor, others can be deep and may require surgical treatment and leave a permanent scar.
Each of these injuries can have significant, long-lasting impacts on a child’s health and development, making it crucial to secure legal representation from a firm with the resources and experience to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Causes of Vacuum Extractor Injuries
We like to start each case with a meticulous investigation, so we can figure out without a doubt what caused the vacuum extractor injury. Our attorneys are known for their attention to detail and ability to find detailed pieces of evidence that can strengthen your claim. With our decades of experience and in-depth understanding of medical malpractice law, we can identify and leverage crucial pieces of information that others may miss or overlook. This comprehensive approach to case investigation allows us to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
Common causes of vacuum extractor injuries include:
- Improper use: Vacuum extractors must be used with extreme care. If the suction cup is not placed correctly on the baby’s head, or if excessive force is used during extraction, it can lead to serious injuries.
- Lack of experience: The use of a vacuum extractor requires specific training and experience. If a healthcare provider lacks the necessary skill and knowledge, their attempts at vacuum-assisted delivery can result in harm to the baby.
- Negligence: This could involve a range of scenarios, such as failure to monitor the baby’s condition adequately during labor, opting for vacuum extraction when it isn’t medically advisable, or delaying a necessary cesarean section in favor of continued vacuum usage.
In each of these situations, the healthcare provider’s actions may constitute medical negligence, providing grounds for a legal claim. Our team at Schlesinger Law Offices, P.A. is ready to dig deep into the facts of your case and fight for your rights.
Grounds for Filing a Vacuum Extractor Injury Claim
Filing a vacuum extractor injury claim is based on the legal principle of medical malpractice, asserting that a healthcare provider acted negligently and, as a result, caused harm to a patient. In the context of childbirth and vacuum extractor use, negligence could manifest in several ways.
Grounds for filing a vacuum extractor injury claim include:
- Standard of care owed to the patient: The medical professional must have owed the patient care that met accepted medical standards, or a doctor-patient relationship must have existed.
- Violation of standard of care: Every medical professional is expected to adhere to a certain standard of care, which represents what a reasonably competent practitioner would do under similar circumstances. If it can be proven that the healthcare provider deviated from this standard, such as using the vacuum extractor improperly or without sufficient training, it may form the basis of a claim.
- Negligence led to injury: It must be shown that the healthcare provider’s negligent actions resulted in the newborn’s injuries. This could involve demonstrating that the injuries wouldn’t have occurred if the provider had acted differently, or that their actions significantly contributed to the injury.
- Damages and injuries: Finally, to justify a claim, the injuries must have caused damages, such as physical pain, emotional distress, additional medical expenses for treatment, or long-term disabilities requiring ongoing care.
How Our Vacuum Extractor Lawyers Can Help
Our Fort Lauderdale vacuum extractor injury attorneys at Schlesinger Law Offices, P.A., with extensive experience and a tradition of excellent service, can research, build, and file a claim related to vacuum extractor injuries on your behalf. Leveraging our 70-year tradition of fighting for families, we can investigate the circumstances of the birth injury, gather critical evidence, and identify any instances of medical negligence or violations of standard care. Our team is equipped to collaborate with medical experts to fully understand the nature and cause of the injuries, and our comprehensive approach ensures no crucial detail is overlooked. We offer free consultations, too, providing an opportunity to discuss your case and understand your legal options without reaching for your wallet first.
You should trust your vacuum extractor injury claim to our team because:
- We have recovered more than $165 million in recent settlements and verdicts for product liability clients.
- We have brought successful product liability claims against major defendants, including automakers and Big Tobacco.
- We are a legacy law firm with more than 70 years of practice experience handling all types of injury claims and class action lawsuits.
- We are trial attorneys who are committed to seeing every case to its conclusion, which means litigating and appealing when necessary.
Get More Information from Our Lawyers – Call Today
With an unwavering commitment to justice and a long-standing tradition of excellence, our team of Fort Lauderdale vacuum extractor injury attorneys is ready to stand up for you and your newborn. We are dedicated to ensuring that those responsible for such a serious birth injury are held liable for the damage that they have caused, physically, emotionally, and financially. Let us fight tirelessly to secure the compensation you deserve while you focus on taking care of yourself and your child during this challenging time.
