Can I Sue My Doctor for C-Section Errors in Illinois?

 Posted on October 07, 2024 in Maternal Injuries

While many babies are delivered vaginally, Cesarean sections are sometimes medically necessary. These surgeries usually proceed without error, leaving the mother and child happy and healthy. Unfortunately, some doctors make mistakes during these procedures, often causing significant maternal injuries and harm to newborns.

If you or your child suffered harm from C-section errors, Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd. may be able to help you get compensation through a medical malpractice claim. Our firm focuses on birth injuries that affect babies and their mothers, making us the clear choice to provide competent and effective legal representation. Call today for your free consultation.

What Are Frequent C-Section Errors?

Some mothers plan to deliver their babies by C-section in advance, while others require emergency surgery when normal childbirth is too risky. Doctors must cut through several layers of skin and muscle to open the uterus to lift the baby from the mother’s womb, then suture or staple every layer back together. Several errors may occur before, during, and after the surgery that endanger both mother and child, such as:

• Delaying the decision to perform a C-section
• Failing to monitor the vital signs of the mother and child
• Cutting into other organs in the mother’s body, such as the bladder or intestines
• Using unsterile surgical tools
• Giving the wrong dosage of anesthesia
• Cutting the baby
• Fetal material or amniotic fluid entering the mother’s bloodstream
• Excessive internal bleeding
• Oxygen deprivation to the infant
• Failing to identify and treat infections

Some mothers may be unable to have additional children after a C-section error. Babies may suffer from brain damage and other birth injuries that have long-term or permanent consequences.

Are All C-Section Errors Medical Malpractice?

Doctors, midwives, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare providers must uphold high standards of care. Anybody can make a mistake, but some are more far-reaching than others. To hold someone accountable for medical malpractice, you must prove negligence. In medical cases, negligence is a failure to act like another similarly qualified medical professional would if faced with the same situation. In addition, the C-section error must have directly caused harm to you or your child.

If you qualify, you might receive multiple damages, which are monetary sums that compensate or reimburse you for specific losses. We cannot tell you how much your case is worth until we examine case-specific factors, but you might obtain damages for several losses, including:

• Medical treatment and ongoing care
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Depression

If the mother or child dies as a result of a C-section error, eligible survivors may qualify to bring a wrongful death action.

Call Our Dedicated Chicago, IL C-Section Error Lawyers Today

At Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd., we understand that no amount of money can undo the harm caused by C-section errors. Still, the at-fault parties need to be held fully accountable. Call us at 312-462-4200 for your free consultation with our determined Cook County, IL maternal injuries attorneys.