Connecticut Birth Injuries: Cerebral Palsy and Erb's Palsy

Our birth injury lawyers in Connecticut get results

When complications arise during the birth of a baby, the result can be heartbreaking injuries to the infant or the mother. Birth injuries are some of the most devastating personally and financially and are often complicated to prove.

At Silver Golub & Teitell we are committed to helping the people who have suffered the most serious harm as a result of clear cases of negligence. We turn down the vast majority of the cases offered to us, but for the cases we pursue, we commit the full financial, legal, and emotional resources of our firm.

Our attorneys are well-versed in Connecticut birth injury law and represent clients in birth injury cases involving the following:

• Cerebral palsy, which occurs when a baby does not get enough oxygen during delivery
• Erb's palsy, which can be caused when a doctor has trouble delivering a baby’s shoulders
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is brain damage caused by lack of oxygen and lack of blood flow to the brain
• Shoulder dystocia, which can occur when a baby’s head is delivered but shoulders get stuck
• Brain injuries caused by oxygen deprivation
• Twin-to-twin or triplet-to-triplet transfusion syndrome
• Wrongful death of the child or mother
• Other serious injuries

Seeking answers and accountability through Connecticut birth injury law

Birth injuries most often are the result of something that happens in the birth process, such as improper fetal monitoring or improper delivery techniques. However, babies or mothers also may also suffer serious injuries as a result of negligent prenatal care or care they receive after delivery.

At the Connecticut birth injury law firm of Silver Golub & Teitell, we help clients find out why a birth injury happened, and whether it could have been prevented. We have the knowledge and resources to carefully review medical records, fetal monitor strips and x-rays, interview witnesses, and consult with the nation's leading medical authorities to identify doctor and hospital mistakes.

Babies who suffer birth injuries will often need a lifetime of care. Our Connecticut birth injury lawyers seek a financial recovery that provides enough money to cover the essentials of what the child will need to stay alive, be as healthy as possible, and enjoy life to the fullest extent possible. This may involve speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy as the child grows, and trust funds to help meet the child's needs after the parents are gone.

For additional information, read "Preparing a Birth Injury Case" by Richard Silver.

Cerebral Palsy, Erb's Palsy, and Other Birth Injuries in Connecticut

According to estimates, three to five babies in 1,000 are injured during labor and delivery.  Here are some of the most common types of injuries that occur before, during, and after childbirth.

List of Connecticut birth injuries

• Cerebral palsy is term used to describe a variety of chronic conditions that affect body movement and muscle coordination:
  • Ataxic cerebral palsy is characterized by muscle weakness and shaky body movements.  Patients with ataxic cerebral palsy often have poor depth perception and difficultly maintaining their balance.
  • Athetoid cerebral palsy causes people to have uncontrollable movements such as twisting and squirming, especially when they are in emotional distress.
  • Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form of cerebral palsy, characterized by tightness of the muscles that causes a patient to jerk uncontrollably.

• Erb’s palsy (also known as brachial plexus palsy) is caused by damage to a network of nerves in the neck, which results in a loss of movement and feeling in the arms, hands, and fingers.  Brachial plexus injury is usually caused by injuries that occur to a child during labor and delivery.
• Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) occurs when a newborn cannot evolve from receiving oxygen through the mother’s placenta to receiving oxygen through the lungs, which causes a severe strain on the infant’s vital organs.  PPHN may be caused by problems during delivery, by the mother’s use of SSRI medications during pregnancy, or by other unknown factors.
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is damage to the brain and spinal cord caused by oxygen deprivation during childbirth.  HIE may result in developmental delay, mental retardation, or cerebral palsy.

Birth injury lawyers in Connecticut can help you to determine whether your child’s medical problems are the result of medical malpractice, and advise you how to proceed in a birth injury lawsuit.  Connecticut birth injury law is complex, so don’t try to go it alone.

Contact an experienced birth injury law firm

Victims of birth injuries rely on the skill and professionalism of the Connecticut birth injury attorneys at Silver Golub & Teitell LLP.  We take birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Contact us online to find out how we can help.

We represent individuals and businesses in personal injury, wrongful death, and business litigation throughout the state of Connecticut, including Fairfield County, New Haven County, Hartford County, and the following communities: