Fighting For Birth Injury Victims And Their Families
Are you the parent of a baby who was injured during birth? If so, you may be feeling a range of emotions, including happiness about the birth of your new child and anxiety about how you will adequately care for your child’s special needs.
Founded By An Attorney Who Was Also A Physician
Birth injuries can cause physical and cognitive development problems. Caring for a child who sustained a birth injury can be expensive because of the necessary medical treatment involved.
At The Mahoney Law Firm, P.C., in Denver, our birth injury lawyers are committed to helping parents obtain fair and deserved compensation for injuries that their babies sustained during delivery in Colorado and Wyoming. Our firm was founded more than 30 years ago by Dennis M. Mahoney, M.D., a licensed obstetrician and attorney who practiced law with the warmth and understanding you would expect from a good physician. Today, the firm’s tradition of providing compassionate legal service to injured clients is carried on by his sons Paul Mahoney and Kevin Mahoney.
We help clients who have experienced the following birth injury scenarios gain maximum compensation:
- Negligently inducing labor too early in pregnancy
- Failure to diagnose fetal growth problems
- Failure to diagnose preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension
- Failure to diagnose gestational diabetes in the mother – this can result in difficulty during delivery, which can cause trauma to babies in the form of shoulder dystopia and Erb’s palsy
- Failure to conduct a C-section in a timely manner – this can result in cortical visual impairment, seizures, anoxic brain injury, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), cerebral palsy or mental retardation
- Birth injuries involving vacuum- or forceps-assisted deliveries
- Other gynecology malpractice-related injuries
Would you like to speak with an experienced Denver attorney regarding a birth injury? Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
Standing Up Against Kaiser Permanente In Colorado
Dealing with managed care and HMOs like Kaiser Permanente can be overwhelming for patients. These organizations don’t always make proper referrals and don’t always put the patients’ health concerns ahead of their profit goals. Unfortunately, individuals with health problems are suffering due to Kaiser Permanente.
We have a great deal of experience handling cases against Kaiser Permanente and Kaiser Permanente doctors. Our firm has been involved in many cases against not only Kaiser Permanente but also Colorado Permanente Medical Group and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado.
We represent members of Kaiser Permanente who have suffered the following types of medical negligence injuries and errors:
- Birth injuries
- Failure to do a timely cesarean section
- Births involving forceps- or vacuum-assisted deliveries
- Failure to diagnose cancer
- Failure to diagnose skin cancer
- Surgical errors
- Medication errors
- Nursing errors
We have also arbitrated several cases against Kaiser Permanente doctors. If you are facing a Kaiser arbitration case, you are going to want representation from a lawyer who has experience with jury trials and arbitrations.
What To Know About Taking On Kaiser
Kaiser Permanente has an arbitration provision in its contract. This means that if a client goes to trial over a medical malpractice or other type of case, then an arbitrator will decide the case instead of a jury. Kaiser is self-insured, so you’re not dealing with private insurance – you’re dealing directly with Kaiser. If you sue a doctor who is not a part of Kaiser, they have their own insurance company to represent them. If you sue a Kaiser doctor, that doctor will have his or her malpractice insurance coverage provided by Kaiser.
Injuries In Assisted Delivery Injuries: Vacuums and Forceps
The doctor is responsible for recognizing the signs of a difficult delivery and acting according to a standard of care. Sometimes the obstetrician may use forceps or a vacuum device in an attempt to deliver the baby. If a baby is stuck in the birth canal, a doctor may use forceps to help move the head down through the pelvis. Although forceps can aid in delivery, they can also cause serious birth complications when used improperly.
The vacuum extractor has become more popular in recent years to aid pregnant women in delivery. The vacuum is a tiny suction device that is placed on the baby’s head in the birth canal. Once it is in position on the baby’s head, the vacuum is used to gently pull. In most deliveries, it is safe to pull only two or three times on the baby’s head. In difficult deliveries, doctors may pull more than two or three times. This action can cause bleeding in the brain, which can lead to serious neurological and brain injuries.
Although these devices are helpful in delivery, they are also very dangerous. Use of forceps and vacuums can lead to brain injuries, bleeding in the brain, skull fractures, paralysis and other birth complications. Our legal team is committed to assisting families affected by vacuum-assisted and forceps-assisted birth injuries.
Birth Injuries Leading To Cerebral Palsy
Certain birth injuries cause cerebral palsy. If these birth injuries occurred as a result of a doctor or hospital’s negligence, it is important for you to speak with an attorney who is familiar with this medical field.
Cerebral palsy is determined based on certain factors, including incidents that occurred during the child’s delivery. A couple of factors that can cause cerebral palsy are:
- Delayed delivery in the form of a doctor’s failure to conduct a cesarean section
- Induced labor within 24 hours of a patient’s water breaking
In those cases where a cause can be found, sometimes it is the result of medical error. Doctors who make mistakes or fail to act during the delivery of your child should be held accountable for those errors. We have represented cerebral palsy victims and their families since 1990.
If A Cesarean Section Should Have Been Performed Earlier
Many pregnancies require a cesarean section for the health and safety of the mother and baby. Unfortunately, a delayed C-section can cause great harm to both baby and mother, resulting in potential lifelong effects. Our attorneys have handled hundreds of birth injury cases in Colorado and Wyoming. We are ready to handle yours with compassion and persistence.
When Doctors Fail To Perform C-Sections
During labor and delivery, the mother is connected to an electronic fetal heart rate monitoring device that is used to assess the well-being of the fetus. It tracks any signs of abnormalities in the baby’s heart rate. There are other tests performed to assess fetal well-being, including a biophysical profile and an amniotic fluid index. It is the physician’s responsibility to react to those signs and tests and, if necessary, perform an immediate C-section.
Hypoxia – When An Infant Loses Oxygen During Birth
Hypoxia is a medical term meaning low oxygen. A hypoxic brain injury is an injury caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain. Hypoxia can result when there is pressure on the umbilical cord during contractions or the umbilical cord is wrapped around the child’s neck. If there is any delay in delivery when there are signs of fetal distress, hypoxia can be fatal.
Your child may suffer serious and permanent brain damage as a result of oxygen deficiency. If that injury occurred due to a doctor’s negligence, you need a law firm that understands the medical profession. Our knowledgeable attorneys can assist you in holding that physician responsible. Not every case of hypoxia is the result of a medical error. Our attorneys can give you a professional opinion as to whether your facts present a viable case.
Contact Us For A Free Consultation With An Attorney
Birth injuries can affect mother and baby alike. A birth injury lawyer from our firm can provide complete representation to you and your baby. To schedule a free consultation with a birth injury lawyer, contact us online or call us at 303-800-3168.