Waldorf Erb's Palsy Attorney

Erb’s palsy is an injury affecting the brachial plexus, a network of nerves between the neck and shoulders that control movement in the arms, hands, and shoulders. Specifically, Erb’s palsy involves the upper portion of the brachial plexus that controls the shoulder and biceps.

According to Boston Children’s Hospital, brachial plexus injuries occur in around one to three of every 1,000 live births. Erb’s palsy and other brachial plexus injuries usually happen during difficult or prolonged labor or delivery when the nerve system becomes compressed, stretched, or torn. Symptoms of Erb’s palsy include:

• Pain
• Numbness or weakness
• Lack of movement or feeling
• Full or partial paralysis in the shoulder or arm

Erb’s palsy generally affects only one side of the body, but severe injuries may cause harm to both sides. Some babies who suffer a brachial plexus injury also sustain a clavicle or upper arm fracture during birth.

Other Brachial Plexus Injuries

Our Erb’s palsy attorneys can assist with other types of brachial plexus injuries, including:

• Horner’s syndrome
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Injuries involving the total brachial plexus

Our law firm only represents clients injured by medical malpractice and nursing home abuse and neglect. However, if your child suffered any birth injury at a medical facility in Waldorf, we can help you seek justice.

Treatment for Erb’s Palsy

Your child’s Erb’s palsy treatment and long-term prognosis depend on their injury type. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, there are four types of nerve injuries:

• Neuropraxia – This is the most common and least severe type of injury. When the nerves suffer a “shock,” but are not torn or stretched. These injuries usually heal on their own within three months of birth.
• Neuroma – This is a stretch injury that can result in permanent scar tissue that presses on the brachial plexus nerves. Children who sustain this type of injury may need physical therapy and experience partial but not total recovery.
• Rupture – This is a more severe stretch injury involving tearing the brachial plexus nerves. Treatment may require surgery to “splice” a donor nerve graft onto the torn brachial plexus.
• Avulsion – This is the most severe type of brachial plexus injury. An avulsion occurs when the nerves become torn from the spinal cord. It is impossible to repair an avulsion, but surgery may restore some function to the injured nerves.

Our Lawyers Can Secure the Financial Resources Required for Your Child’s Care

You should not have to pay for expensive medical treatment and other financial losses due to an injury caused by medical malpractice. Our lawyers can identify and calculate damages related to your child’s injury and pursue the compensation you need to provide them with care. Compensation may include:

• Medical bills. We can recover the cost of emergency treatment received at birth, doctor and hospital fees, physical therapy, medications, medical devices, follow-up care, and any other expenses related to your child’s Erb’s palsy.
• Lost income. You may have to miss work to take your child to appointments and care for them while recovering from their injury. We can seek compensation for your lost income and future lost earnings. If your child suffered a permanent and disabling Erb’s palsy injury, they may qualify for awards for loss of their future earning capacity.
• Non-economic damages. These awards compensate victims for physical, mental, and emotional suffering. In general, the more severe and permanent your child’s Erb’s palsy injury, the more compensation they may receive. However, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 3-2A-09 caps non-economic damages for medical malpractice. For injuries occurring in 2022, the cap is $860,000. Our attorneys can tell you more about how this statute may affect your case.
• Damages for maternal injuries. If the baby’s mother also suffered injuries during labor and delivery, we can file a medical malpractice case on their behalf. Compensation may include the awards listed above and any other losses connected with their injury, recovery, or pain and suffering.

Contact Brown & Barron online today to schedule a free case review with a with a birth injury lawyer serving Waldorf.