Georgia Birth Injury Malpractice

This page will look at Georgia medical malpractice cases involving birth injuries or negligence by the labor and delivery team. We will discuss some of the relevant laws in Georgia and look at the settlement value of Georgia birth injury lawsuits.

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Grady Memorial Hospital Malpractice

About Birth Injuries

The term “birth injury” refers to injuries that a baby suffers as a result of something that occurs during the process of labor and childbirth. Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that birth injuries are not genetically inherited. Birth injuries are commonly the direct result of medical negligence the health care professionals involved in the labor and delivery.

Common Types of Medical Negligence in Birth Injury Cases

Professional negligence by the doctors, nurses and/or hospital staff during labor and delivery is the most common cause of all birth injuries. Medical negligence during childbirth usually falls into one of several common categories that are most frequently alleged in birth injury cases.

Fetal Monitoring Negligence

Electronic fetal heart monitoring devices give the delivery team a tool to watch out for signs of fetal distress by tracking the baby’s heart rhythms during labor. The singular purpose of these devices is to warn the delivery team when the baby is under stress so that the doctor has time to intervene with an emergency C-section and avoid birth injuries. For this warning system to function properly, however, the delivery team must diligently monitor the fetal heart tracings and the doctor must properly interpret potential warnings. Many birth injury cases involve allegations that the delivery team failed to monitor the fetal heart rate or ignored warning indicators.

Failure to Perform a C-Section

An emergency C-section instead is often the most effective tool that doctors have to avoid harm to the baby and prevent birth injuries when things start to go wrong during labor. As a result, the type of medical negligence most frequently alleged in birth injury malpractice cases is that the doctor negligent in failing to pull the trigger on a C-section delivery (either a scheduled C-section or an emergency C-section).

Forceps and Vacuum Errors

Delivery assistance tools such a vacuum extractors and obstetrical forceps are instruments that doctors will sometimes use to grip a baby’s head and help maneuver it through the birth canal. These tools are only utilized in difficult vaginal deliveries in which the baby is stuck or not progressing through the birth canal normally. These instruments require a high degree of technical skill and technique. If the doctor does not use them carefully and correctly, these tools can easily cause serious injuries to the baby.

Failure to Diagnose and Manage Complications

When doctors fail to diagnose obstetric complications or mishandle them it can result in birth injuries. Complications that can result in birth injuries if not properly diagnosed and managed include prolapsed umbilical cord, fetal macrosomia, and preeclampsia.

Common Birth Injuries in Georgia

Erb’s Palsy: – Paralysis of the arm resulting from trauma the brachial plexus nerve junction at the base of the neck which allows the brain to control movement of the arms and hands.
Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy is a physical disability in which the brain is not able to control the normal movement of muscles in the body. Cerebral palsy is one of the most serious types of birth injuries and it is caused by damage to the baby’s brain from oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery.
Brain Injuries – If the supply of oxygen to the baby is cut of or interrupted for even a short period of time during delivery cells in the brain will die, resulting in permanent brain damage.
Caput Succedaneum – Swelling of the soft tissue of the baby’s scalp caused by pressure on the head as it passes through the birth canal. This can occur when a physician improperly uses a vacuum extraction tool.
Cephalohematoma – bleeding just outside the baby’s skull which often appears as a raised bump several hours after birth. This can occur when physicians improperly use birth assisting tools.

Statute of Limitations for Georgia Birth Injury Claims (Minor Plaintiffs)

In Georgia, the 2-year statute of limitations on a birth injury lawsuit filed on behalf of the injured child does not begin to run until the child turns 5. Therefore, the child’s birth injury claims must be filed before the child’s 7^th birthday.

Georgia Statute of Limitations for Malpractice Lawsuits (Parent Claims)

The claims of the parents in a birth injury case are subject to Georgia’s general 2-year statute of limitations that is applicable to all medical malpractice cases. Ga. Code § 9-3-73.

Experts in Georgia Birth Injury Claims

Expert witnesses play a critical role in birth injury lawsuits in Georgia, as they provide invaluable insights and testimony to help establish liability and prove the elements of a medical malpractice claim.

Proving liability in a birth injury case requires demonstrating that the medical professional breached the standard of care and that this breach directly caused the injury. Expert witnesses play a critical role in establishing liability, as they can provide testimony on the accepted standard of care and how the medical professional deviated from this standard.

Our law firm has spent years developing expert witnesses that have the background and credibility to earn trust from hospitals and insurance companies for settlement purposes and from juries if the case goes all the way to a verdict.

Damages for Birth Injuries in Georgia

Under Georgia law, both the injured child and the parents can seek compensation for a birth injury in the form of damages. Georgia law does not have any maximum limits or caps on the damages that can be recovered in birth injury medical malpractice cases. The categories of recoverable damages in an Georgia birth injury case include:

Economic Damages: economic damages include all past and future medical expenses related to the birth injury, as well as lost future earnings or reduced earnings capacity if the injury leaves the child unable to maintain normal employment as an adult. This can be a big category of damage in birth injury cases involving serious, lifelong injuries like cerebral palsy.
Non-economic Damages: non-economic damages basically refer to damages for mental pain & suffering caused by the birth injury. Both the child and the parents can get damages for pain and suffering.

How to Project Georgia Birth Injury Settlement Amounts

One of the harder things a birth injury lawyer must do is project settlement amounts for a family’s lawsuit. But you need to know what a settlement amount should be to advise the client on their settlement options. Determining the settlement amount in a birth injury lawsuit can be a challenging task for attorneys, as there are many factors that can affect the final settlement amount. Birth injury cases can be particularly complex, and the amount of damages awarded can vary widely depending on the specific circumstances of the case.

Another challenge in projecting settlement amounts in birth injury cases is the complex legal and medical issues involved. Birth injury cases often require extensive medical testimony and expert analysis, and determining liability and the extent of damages can be a complicated and time-consuming process. Additionally, the laws and regulations governing birth injury cases can vary widely depending on the jurisdiction, making it difficult for attorneys to accurately predict the outcome of a case.

Finally, the emotional toll of birth injury cases can make it difficult to accurately project settlement amounts. Birth injury cases can be emotionally charged and highly stressful, and the impact of the injury on the child and their family can be significant. This emotional impact can make it difficult for attorneys to maintain objectivity and accurately project the amount of compensation that will be needed to provide for the child’s long-term needs.

In summary, projecting settlement amounts in birth injury cases can be a complex and challenging task for attorneys. The long-term nature of the injuries, complex legal and medical issues, and emotional toll of these cases can all make it difficult to accurately predict the outcome of a case and the amount of compensation that will be needed to provide for the child’s long-term needs.

There are several factors that may be considered when determining the settlement amount in an Georgia birth injury lawsuit. Some of the key factors include:

The severity of the injury: The extent and severity of the injury suffered by the child will be a major factor in determining the settlement amount. In general, more severe injuries that require ongoing medical care and treatment are likely to result in higher settlements.
The long-term prognosis: The long-term prognosis for the child will also be considered. If the child is likely to require ongoing medical care and treatment for years to come, the settlement amount may be higher. This is the main challenges in projecting settlement amounts in birth injury cases: the long-term nature of the injuries suffered by the child. In many cases, the child may require ongoing medical care and treatment for years to come, and the full extent of the financial and emotional impact of the injury may not be known for some time. This can make it difficult to accurately project the amount of compensation that will be needed to provide for the child’s long-term needs which is why you need to carefully drill down with the economic cost experts to get the number correct. You need to figure out what to ask a jury for… and what a jury is most likely to ultimately find.
The defendant’s liability: You need liability to get any payout at trial. But if liability is extablished, the defendant’s liability and degree of both culpability and “dislikeability” before the jury impact jury payouts which informs expected settlement compensation.
Economic damages: Economic damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, and the cost of ongoing medical care and treatment will also be considered in determining the settlement amount.
Non-economic damages: Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and the loss of enjoyment of life will also be considered in determining the settlement amount.
Punitive damages: In cases where the defendant’s conduct was particularly egregious, punitive damages may also be awarded, which can significantly increase the overall settlement amount. This is not the usual situation. Our birth injury lawyers usually encounter well intentioned doctors who made a devestating but honest mistake. But there are also cases where the doctor simply did not care enough and juries push this with or without the vehicle of punitive damages.

Georgia Birth Injury Verdicts and Settlements

Below are summaries of jury verdicts and publicly reported settlements from recent Georgia birth injury malpractice cases.

$2,750,000 Settlement (Gwinnett County): Infant delivered at 38 and 6/7 weeks gestation, reportedly suffered a hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy due to inadequate oxygenation in utero and a hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, which resulted in cerebral palsy, developmental delays, and speech and motor impairments, during his birth at defendant Houston Medical Center. Lawsuit alleged that the delivery team failed to notify doctor of fetal monitoring warnings.

$30,545,655 Verdict (Gwinnett County): Infant eportedly suffered severe, permanent brain damage at birth, resulting in spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, seizures and developmental delay and requiring 24 hour lifetime medical care. Lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent in failing to order appropriate consults and ensure they were carried out, and failing to timely perform an emergency cesarean section in the face of non-reassuring fetal stats.

$3,500,000 Settlement (Dist. of Ga.): Baby suffered permanent brain damage and developmental delays from loss of oxygen cause by prolapsed umbilical cord. Lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent in failing to intervene with an emergency C-section at earliest signs of fetal distress.

Contact Miller & Zois About Georgia Birth Injury Cases

Contact Miller & Zois today for a free consultation about potential birth injury malpractice cases in Georgia. Call us at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.