Who’S Responsible When A Baby Suffers Harm?

There are far too many instances of babies suffering harm due to negligence involved in medical malpractice. When this happens, parents should recognize who may be considered responsible for the harm their baby has suffered.It’s imperative knowing who you can take legal action against and how the lawsuit can proceed. There may be one party or entity accountable, but there are situations in which multiple parties can be liable for the birth injury. Here’s what you need to know.

Individual Parties Who Can Be Held Accountable

This is a list of the individual parties who can be held liable and the situations that may make them responsible for the birth injury:

The doctor who delivers the baby may be responsible if they do any action that causes trauma to the baby (e.g., waiting too long to perform an emergency C-section)
The hospital if they hire a doctor who was not properly trained or they knew of the dangers presented by a negligent doctor
The nurse responsible for post-delivery care if they don’t properly address the baby’s needs for medical care

What Happens When Multiple Parties are Responsible?

There may be situations in which more than one party can be considered liable for a birth injury. This is when both (or multiple) parties play a role in causing the harm that the baby sustains and joint liability can be established.

For instance, if the doctor fails to monitor the baby and mother, the nurse doesn’t recognize the need for additional care, and there is a delay in labor, liability can fall on those who came in and missed a potential problem. The hospital can also be responsible if they hired untrained and inexperienced medical professionals.

At Brown & Barron, we’re here to work hard on your behalf and help you understand who can be responsible for compensation in your matter. Our Baltimore birth injury lawyers are committed to your family and will be here by your side from start to finish.