Birth Injuries & The Role of Medication Errors in Obstetrics
Preparing for childbirth and the postnatal period is an exciting, if not overwhelming, experience for parents. Expectant parents rely on obstetricians to provide the highest standard of care and attention to ensure that both the mother and newborn are safe and healthy. Unfortunately, when an obstetrician fails to perform his or her duties, particularly when it comes to prescription medications, the results can be devastating. Newborns are especially vulnerable and an overdose or wrong medication can cause permanent injuries or death.
If you or your baby has suffered a serious injury or worse due to pharmaceutical errors, the experienced and compassionate NY obstetric drug error lawyers at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP can help you find the answers and compensation you need and deserve. Our law firm specializes in complicated birth injury and medical malpractice cases and will use our experience and resources to protect your rights. Call (212) 986-7353 to schedule a free, comprehensive case evaluation.
How Do OB/GYN Medication Errors Occur?
From the first appointment to the period after a child has been born, obstetricians are responsible for prescribing and administering appropriate medications to the mother and the baby. However, medication errors are surprisingly common in all fields of medicine.
In many cases, medication errors are the result of an obstetrician or healthcare provider failing to exercise reasonable caution or competence when prescribing or administering medications. These errors commonly occur when a physician:
- Prescribes off-label or "sound alike" medication that may be dangerous to the baby or causes birth defects;
- Prescribes the wrong dosage amount during pregnancy or labor;
- Improperly administers medication, such as an epidural inserted into the wrong place in the mother’s spine;
- Administers wrong medication due to an inability to read another’s handwriting.
What Are the Dangers of Medication Errors?
No matter how a physician makes an error when prescribing or administering medication to a pregnant mother or newborn, the dangers are very real and potentially deadly. For example, some anti-depressants, antibiotics, acne medications, and anti-seizure medications have been linked to birth injuries, such as:
- Uterine Rupture
- Fetal Distress
- Premature Birth
- Death
- Seizures
- Brain and/or Heart Damage
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn
- Hearing Disabilities
Hospitals, pharmacies, and physicians are legally obligated to ensure that the medications they give patients are safe. This obligation is especially important when the victims are newborn babies or pregnant mothers. When medical professionals hurt these patients and their families due to carelessness, time constraints, or exhaustion, the victims are legally entitled to file a New York medication error claim.
NY Obstetric Medication Error Attorneys Fighting on Behalf of Injured Victims
If you have been injured or believe your child has suffered injury due to medication errors, contact New York birth injury attorneys at WRSMH at (212) 986-7353 for a free consultation. You and your loved ones may be eligible for financial reimbursement for the extraordinary expenses associated with a birth injury or death in the family. Do not wait to speak with an experienced lawyer today to learn more about your legal rights and options.
Our Birth Injury Case Results
$10 Million - Suit Alleging Failure to Timely Perform C-Section
WRSMH attorney Philip Russotti obtained a $10 Million mediation settlement for failure to timely perform a Cesarean Section. The case was venued in Orange County, NY.
Philip Russotti
$6 Million - New York Birth Injury
WRSMH attorney, Phil Russotti, obtained a $6 million settlement for our client whose child suffered severe brain damage during birth.
Philip Russotti
$4.75 Million - New York Fetal Distress
We claimed that the baby should have been delivered by emergency C-Section or forceps delivery. He was ultimately diagnosed with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriparesis.
WRSMH LLP
$3.9 Million - New York Birth Injury Case
Attorney Philip Russotti argued that as a result of this negligence, the child suffered hypoxia which resulted in mild retardation, severe ADHD and social isolation as well as difficulties with fine motor skills.
Philip Russotti
$1.3 Million - Infant-Plaintiff Suffered Brachial Plexus Injury at Birth
WRSMH obtained a $1,300,000 jury verdict, after a three week medical malpractice trial in Staten Island, on behalf of a 6-year-old girl who suffered a brachial plexus injury known as Erb's palsy.
WRSMH LLP
$1.08 Million - Injuries Sustained by Baby Girl at Birth
We claimed that the hospital was negligent for not intervening and performing a cesarean section in light of the mother's failure to adequately progress in labor.
Clifford Shapiro