We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
After approximately 40 weeks, or nine months, protected and nourished in the mother's womb, in many ways it is surprising there are not more babies who suffer an injury during birth.
In 2008, there were 708, 711 live births in the UK, the highest total since 1972, which means nearly 2,000 babies were born each day, but something like 70 of that daily total suffer a birth-related injury.
Many of these injuries will be short-term and not affect the child physically or mentally once recovered from the initial trauma. These can include shoulder dystocia where the baby's shoulders are twisted during birth or hip displacement.
Unfortunately, some injuries can lead to long-term suffering or permanent disability for a child and if these were caused at birth by the actions or neglect of medical staff, there may be grounds for the child's parents to make a compensation claim on behalf of the baby to ensure some financial security and care for the family's future.
There are a number of conditions which, although rare, comprise many cases of clinical negligence in the UK.
Around ten per cent of cerebral palsy cases arise from a baby being deprived of oxygen during birth, a life-threatening situation which can also lead to other forms of brain damage. One of the causes of asphyxiation can be the umbilical cord twisting around the baby's neck.
Erb's palsy is related to brachial plexus injury, where shoulder nerves are damaged during delivery, and fractures can occur as a result of forceps or ventouse delivery. Although these situations are unlikely to be fatal or completely disabling, they can cause pain and distress to the child for a number or years or, indeed, throughout his or her life.
In the immediate hours and days after a birth, the parents are preoccupied with providing the best care for the new infant and may not consider an injury during birth sufficiently serious to warrant further action, however, if a disability worsens or fails to improve after treatment, they may wish to consult a specialist birth injury lawyer for advice on pursuing a claim.
Making a compensation claim for injury during birth
Having considered the circumstances, if you feel there might be grounds for making a compensation claim over an injury during birth, you can be assured the experienced personal injury solicitors who work with YouClaim will treat you with respect and sensitivity.
We will communicate with you in plain English, keep you up to date with progress on your claim and, because all our birth injury lawyers are supervised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, you can be assured of the highest professional standards.
We will protect you from as much cost as possible, and you will always be warned of those that are unavoidable in good time. In a won case, we will claim these back as part of the final payment.
Whatever payment you receive will go to you; we offer a 100% compensation guarantee that assures you that we will take no cut from any award.
The first step to making a compensation claim for injury during birth is to contact one of our friendly advisers either on the internet through echat or a completing a claim form, alternatively, speak to YouClaim on 0800 10 757 95.
