Memphis Birth Injury Attorneys Discuss Brachial Plexus Injuries

One type of injury which can happen during childbirth is a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a group of nerves which runs from the spine, through the neck, and into the arm and hand. Sometimes, if medical personnel who are working to deliver a baby pull too hard, in an attempt to aid in delivery, the nerves of the brachial plexus can be stretched.

While it is possible for some brachial plexus injuries to heal fully, others heal partially or not at all. When brachial plexus injuries are severe, they require a great deal of care both immediately after birth, and throughout the life of the injured child. There are a few types of permanent brachial plexus injuries. One type of permanent brachial plexus injury is Erb’s Palsy, a permanent complete or partial paralysis of the arm. Some cases of Erb’s Palsy do not involve paralysis, but do involve a great deal of shoulder pain.

A Missouri girl has been awarded one million dollars’ worth of damages for her brachial plexus injury. Her injury is so severe that there is permanent nerve root damage, as well as limited movement in her left arm. The damage award that was given to the girl by the jury takes into consideration the cost of medical care that she has already had to undergo, past, present, and future disability, past, present, and future pain and suffering, and future medical care.

Brachial plexus injury cases similar to the one mentioned above have also been settled prior to going to trial. The exact circumstances involved in each case vary, as no two births are alike. The use of traction, or pulling, during the delivery of the baby is found in most brachial plexus injury cases. Some cases involving brachial plexus injuries involve a shoulder dystocia, while others do not. Some of the babies who were injured were large, while others were not. In all of the cases, the medical professionals deviated in one or more ways from the standard of care with which other professionals in their same roles deliver the babies whose births they attend.

Since brachial plexus injuries can be caused by force that is exerted on an infant during birth by medical professionals who are delivering the baby, they can be prevented. One way to prevent these injuries is to allow the forces of the laboring mother’s body to do the work of pushing the baby further down the birth canal instead of pulling on the baby’s head or neck. Many brachial plexus injuries could also be avoided by performing a cesarean birth in situations which appear to be headed in the direction of the baby becoming “stuck” in the birth canal.

If your child was injured at birth, it is essential that you get help from a Tennessee Birth Injury Attorney right away. The knowledgeable Memphis Birth Injury Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC are here to help you. We believe that injured children and their families deserve top quality legal representation. To learn more about how we can help you, please call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case.  At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.

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