San Diego Erb’s Palsy Attorney

When your baby’s birth does not go quite as expected, and a severe birth injury forces you to rethink the plans you had made for your new family, our San Diego Erb’s Palsy attorneys are here to provide the legal guidance and support you require. Commonly caused by shoulder dystocia during delivery, Erb’s Palsy is a condition arising from a birth injury which causes significant damage to the baby’s head, shoulder, and arms, potentially severing the nerves in this region. In milder cases, Erb’s Palsy effects can be repaired with rehabilitation over time, however, more serious instances may mean your child is forced to live with a permanent disability and long-term surgical and rehabilitative treatment requirements.

Although there is no doubting that you love your child just as much as if the birth injury had not occurred, the reality is that life caring for a child with Erb’s Palsy can be both emotionally draining and financially expensive. You may be entitled to recover monetary damages from the medical professionals responsible for your child’s birth injury and, when you hire a Simpson Law Group San Diego attorney to handle your lawsuit, your chances of receiving maximum compensation can be greatly increased.

What is Erb’s Palsy?

Generally caused by the neck being stretched to one side during delivery, Erb’s Palsy currently affects around 2 in every 1,000 babies born across the United States, including those delivered in San Diego healthcare facilities. 20% of these cases involve severe nerve damage with long-term consequences.

The types of nerve damage which can be characteristic of Erb’s Palsy include:

• Eurapraxia – caused where nerves in the shoulder are stretched, but not torn. This form of damage will generally heal within a few months of birth
• Euroma – a more severe stretching-related birth injury, euroma tends to result in scar tissue, which may cause issues with nerves. Recovery is possible in some cases
• Rupture – tears in the nerves which cannot heal by themselves. Some repair may be possible using nerve and tendon transfers
• Avulsion – this most severe form of nerve damage involves the nerve being torn from the spinal cord. Your child is likely to suffer from permanent disability or paralysis when this occurs

Whichever type of nerve damage your child has sustained, an Erb’s Palsy attorney can hold the responsible party accountable for the consequences of the negligence or errors. Common causes of Erb’s palsy include: