Mismanagement of Delivery

The birth of a child should be a moment of hope and celebration. When medical providers fail to respond appropriately during labor and childbirth, however, it can become a time of trauma and uncertainty. Mismanagement of delivery is a leading cause of preventable birth injuries, and when doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals fail to monitor, assess, and intervene with the necessary care during delivery, the results can be devastating. In many cases, such errors give rise to birth injury claims. If you believe your child sustained harm due to the mismanagement of delivery, it is in your best interest to consult with a lawyer regarding your options. The experienced Syracuse medical malpractice DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP, Birth Injury Lawyers, are mindful of the devastation preventable medical errors can cause, and if we represent you, we will help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve. We represent families in birth injury lawsuits throughout Syracuse, Rochester, and Upstate New York who have experienced harm as a result of delivery errors.

Mismanagement of delivery can arise in many forms and may involve both acts and omissions by the medical team. Common errors include the failure to recognize fetal distress, delays in performing an emergency cesarean section, improper use of labor-inducing drugs such as Pitocin, misuse of forceps or vacuum extraction devices, and failure to address complications such as umbilical cord prolapse, shoulder dystocia, or abnormal fetal positioning.

When delivery is mismanaged, the consequences can be immediate and severe. Newborns may suffer oxygen deprivation, also known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, which can result in permanent brain damage, developmental delays, or cerebral palsy. Physical injuries such as brachial plexus damage, skull fractures, or spinal cord trauma may also occur due to excessive traction or improper handling. Mothers, too, are placed at risk and may experience hemorrhage, uterine rupture, infection, or long-term complications from improperly managed labor. These outcomes can have a profound impact on a family’s emotional and financial well-being.

When mismanagement of delivery leads to avoidable injury, families have the right to pursue a legal remedy. Generally, such claims are grounded in negligence and require the plaintiff to prove the four essential elements of negligence: duty, breach, causation, and damages.

Duty refers to the obligation imposed on all healthcare providers to care for patients in a manner consistent with accepted medical practices. A breach of that duty occurs when a healthcare provider fails to act as a reasonably skilled professional would under similar circumstances. For example, if a provider ignores signs of fetal distress or delays a necessary cesarean section without justification, that failure may constitute a breach. The next element, causation, requires a showing that the breach directly caused the harm suffered by the mother or child. In birth injury cases, this may involve proving that, had proper steps been taken, the injury would likely have been avoided. Expert testimony is usually essential in this context to establish the standard of care and explain how deviations from it caused the injuries in question.

Damages in these cases can be substantial and often reflect a lifetime of care and support needs. Economic damages may include medical bills, future healthcare costs, the cost of in-home care, specialized equipment, physical and occupational therapy, and lost income or earning capacity. Non-economic damages encompass pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and the trauma associated with a complicated or traumatic birth. In especially tragic cases, such as when a newborn dies as a result of mismanagement of delivery, surviving family members may also bring a wrongful death claim to recover funeral expenses and the loss of future companionship and support.

Families trust medical professionals to safeguard their health during childbirth. When that trust is broken through mismanagement of delivery, the consequences can be catastrophic and permanent. If your child suffered a birth injury or if you experienced complications during labor due to delivery errors, you may be owed damages, and you should talk to an attorney. The trusted Syracuse medical malpractice attorneys of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano, LLP Birth Injury Lawyers, are committed to helping families obtain the resources they need for the road ahead, and if you engage our services, we will diligently pursue any compensation available on your behalf. Our primary office is located in Syracuse, and we serve clients in Syracuse, Rochester, and throughout Upstate New York. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call us at 833-200-2000 or contact us online today.