Birth Injury Caused by OB/GYN Negligence
Pregnancy and birth happen every day all around the world. While most pregnancies and deliveries go smoothly and result in the birth of health babies and mothers; tragic birth injuries do happen. Data from the birthinjuryguide.org shows that of every 1,000 infants born in the United States, six to eight will suffer a birth injury that occurred during gestation or the delivery process. The sad reality is that the United States is the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth (except for California). The maternal mortality rate has more than doubled in the U.S. over the last 30 years, despite medical advances in other fields and decreasing maternal mortality rates in other developed countries. In 2015, the U.S. maternal birth injury rate was 26.4 per 100,000 births. In 2006 alone, 157,700 mothers and infants were injured during birth and experts estimate that about 50 percent of these birth injuries could have been avoided with better obstetrical care.
Seek the help of a birth injury lawyer
When a birth injury is caused by the negligence of a health care provider, the injured person may be entitled to a settlement to recover damages. Damages include pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses, long-term care, emotional trauma, loss of consortium, and more. An experienced birth injury lawyer can discuss your legal rights and calculate the value of your claim.
California OB-GYN accused of negligence when mother died hours after giving birth in his care
According to a story on people.com, the California Medical Board is trying to revoke the medical license of California OB/GYN Dr. Arthur Park. The lawsuit claims that the woman – who was in his care during childbirth in September, 2016 – died seven hours after giving birth. According to the Medical Board’s executive director, Park made avoidable errors and ignored pain medication protocol while attempting to remove the woman’s placenta. During the removal, Park “inadvertently perforated the uterus,” which caused her blood pressure to drop. Nurses repeatedly called on the doctor to examine the woman who was losing consciousness but he did not believe that anything was wrong and did not order appropriate tests, treatments or other life-saving measures. Another doctor came in to examine the woman as her health faltered. That doctor had the patient moved to the intensive care unit where she suffered two heart attacks and later died. The autopsy revealed that she died of postpartum hemorrhaging from a traumatic laceration.
Park has not yet been criminally tried in this case. His medical license was suspended for three years for negligence during two deliveries in the 1990s.
Seek the help of a birth injury attorney
If you or your infant sustained a birth injury because of medical negligence or you lost a loved one due to a preventable medical error during birth, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced birth injury attorney fight for justice on your behalf. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a medical negligence lawyer. Call the most experienced practicing medical malpractice attorneys Bellingham has at Tario & Associates, P.S. today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing people injured by medical negligence in Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
