Birth Injury Lawyer Chilliwack

Servicing Chilliwack and all of British Columbia

When an accident happens, we often retrace our steps and wonder how or if it might have been avoided. Was it unavoidable? Were we simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or did we or someone else play a role in the harm caused?

Thinking about these questions following a birth injury can be especially difficult when the harm done to a young life can lead to years of pain, suffering and disability. In some cases, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, these injuries are not preventable. Sometimes, however, the negligent actions or inaction of a medical provider can cause or contribute to a preventable injury or death.

When standards of practice are breached due to negligence and a baby or mother sustains serious harm, it’s called obstetrical malpractice. When the carelessness or incompetence of another person results in significant injury, disability or the death of a loved one, retracing our steps won’t change the situation. But consulting a birth injury lawyer about your options can help you to move forward and heal.

Common Types of Birth Injuries

Birth injuries caused by obstetrical malpractice can occur at any stage of pregnancy, during labour and delivery, and in the period immediately following birth. Some common forms of obstetrical malpractice and birth injury at these various stages include:

Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of a serious condition such as fetal tachycardia (abnormally fast fetal heart rate) or placental insufficiency (damage to the placenta resulting in inadequate oxygen or nutrient delivery to the fetus, or failure to expel waste).
Improper, inaccurate or inadequate prenatal testing that fails to identify abnormalities that suggest conditions such as spina bifida.
Poor management of maternal medications and maternal and fetal health may contribute to birth injuries.
Prolonged labour or traumatic delivery. A difficult delivery may contribute to fetal distress and brain damage from oxygen deprivation or absence (perinatal asphyxia, hypoxia or anoxia). This distress can lead to meconium aspiration (first fecal matter mixed with amniotic fluid ingested in the lungs).
Forced extractions using vacuums, forceps or other tools may cause blunt force trauma leading to spinal cord injuries, nerve damage and broken bones or scarring.
Failure to recognize and appropriately deal with at-risk maternal medical history or situations during labour may also lead to complications. Shoulder dystocia (the baby’s head is delivered through the birth canal but its shoulders are wedged behind the mother’s pelvic bone) can cause brachial plexus (neck and shoulder nerves) injuries.
Poor post-birth care. Failure to monitor and treat kernicterus (severe jaundice) can lead to significant neurotoxicity and permanent brain damage.

When You’ve Been Hurt, We’re Here To Help

Discovering that you or a loved one has sustained a serious birth injury can be overwhelming. You might be feeling angry, sad or confused about what happened, how it could have happened, and what can be done to support your loved one’s health, well-being, rehabilitation and recovery. Howie, Sacks and Henry’s birth injury lawyers are ready to help you in Chilliwack as you begin your journey to healing.

As one of Canada’s top personal injury firms, HSH has developed the skill, knowledge,and experience to assist clients with matters involving obstetrical malpractice. Our team has the expertise needed for this complex and challenging area of law where the stakes for you and your loved one are very high.

An HSH birth injury lawyer will be pleased to meet with you in your own home in the Chilliwack area or at a nearby consultation office to listen to your story and discuss your options. We believe that distance and ability to travel should never be an obstacle to accessing high quality legal representation.

As your advocate, an HSH birth injury lawyer will put your best interests at the heart of everything we do. We will ensure we develop a relationship with you where you know that you are always more than a file to us. Our firm is immensely proud of our reputation for providing our clients with the care, compassion, understanding and support they need in this most difficult of times.

We can’t change the pain and suffering you’ve experienced from a tragic birth injury in the past. But with HSH on your side and by your side in Chilliwack, you can be confident that you will have a strong supporter advocating for the compensation and damages you deserve. Together, we can work to obtain the financial resources that will help you provide care for your loved one as you move forward on the road to recovery and healing.