Our Bend/Portland Birth Injury Lawyers Discuss a Fractured Bone From Oregon Birth Injuries
While the birth of a child is a happy time, it can quickly become a frantic and scared time. This is because birth injuries could result in many extreme fear and anxiety for a family. This is particularly true if the birth injury is caused by Oregon birth injuries from the reckless, careless, and negligent care of a healthcare provider. One common type of birth injury is a fractured bone. This injury could be incredibly painful for a baby who does not understand the injury. Fractures bones could also damage growth plates and even poise a risk of injury to other vital structures like organs, nerves, vessels, and other tissue. Learn about a fractured bone as a type of birth injury from our Bend/Portland birth injury lawyers available here.
What is a Fractured Bone?
A fractured bone, or broken bone, is when a bone succumbs to the pressure exerted on it and breaks. There are several different types of fractures which include a comminuted fractures when the bone breaks into little pieces, transverse fracture that breaks across the bone, an oblique fracture which breaks at an angle, and a compound fracture which is when the bone breaks and exits through the skin.
Newborns with Bone Fractures
A fractured bone in a newborn is not a common injury absent potential negligence. This is because a baby’s bones are considered to be softer and more flexible than an adults. This means the bones are harder to damage and break. Thus, when a baby’s bones do fracture, it is usually due to conduct which is improper by the healthcare providers. This includes the OB/GYN and nursing staff.
The most common bone broken in a baby is a clavicle or collarbone. This is because the shoulders could get stuck or wedged in the birth canal and result in a break to the collarbone which is crunched to fit through. An overly aggressive OB/GYN could also cause the collarbone to break due to excessive pulling and yanking on the baby with forceps, vacuum extraction, or even his or her hands.
Liability for Infant Bone Fractures
While some bone fractures may appear that they are complications due to a difficult birth, there is more to factor in than just this. Physicians and other healthcare providers are usually able to predict when a birth may be more complicated. This is usually due to the larger size and weight of the baby, smaller frame of the mother, the position of the baby, and other factors. Even during the labor process, a competent healthcare provider needs to realize when a natural birth is not possible and a c-section is necessary to prevent injury to the baby. This means that a healthcare provider needs to manage and mitigate risk of harm to the baby and to the mother. The failure to do so could result in serious birth injuries such as fractured bones.
Ask Our Bend/Portland Birth Injury Lawyers for Help if Your Baby Has a Fractured Bone
Although a fractured bone could be the product of a difficult labor, potential complications should be identified and evaluated well before the labor and delivery process. When healthcare providers fail to do this an a newborn suffers a fractured bone, it could be the result in Oregon medical malpractice. Fractured bones for newborns could result in significant complications including growth plate damage, nerve and blood vessel damage, and even damaged to other parts of the body.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.
