Maryland Attorney for Nurse Birth Injury Negligence
When a mother is preparing to give birth, she expects that the nurses and other medical staff helping with the delivery will exercise caution. If a nurse is not careful, they could cause a mother or newborn to suffer a birth injury that could cause severe health complications. If you were a victim of medical negligence at the hands of a nurse, you should consult with an experienced Maryland attorney for nurse birth injury negligence.
Rice, Murtha & Psoras is here to offer you skilled legal representation that is tailored to your unique situation. Our firm is here to help you seek the compensation you deserve if you or your child was injured during delivery. To schedule a free legal consultation to discuss your medical malpractice claim, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291. You can also contact the firm online.
Birth Injuries Caused by Nurse Negligence in Maryland
A severe birth injury can affect a newborn or a mother for weeks or months after delivery. In extreme cases, a victim of a birth injury will suffer an injury that will cause lifelong medical issues. A nurse is expected to uphold the standard of care when helping with the delivery of an infant. Unfortunately, some nurses may make a serious mistake that would amount to medical negligence, and that could severely injure a mother or child.
The following are birth injuries that may occur due to nurse negligence.
Incorrect Administration of Medication
Nurses at a hospital are typically tasked with administering medications to patients that were ordered by a doctor. However, if a nurse is not careful, there are many ways that the administration of medication could go wrong. For example, a nurse could administer too much medication to a mother in labor.
Cytotec, also referred to as Pitocin, is one drug that must be administered carefully. This drug is used to increase the number of contractions a mother experiences in order to speed up the delivery process. However, if too much Pitocin is given to a mother, her contractions could become violent. As a result, the fragile newborn could suffer injuries when passing through the birth canal.
Additionally, a nurse should be sure they are giving a patient the correct medication. If miscommunication occurs between a doctor and a nurse, a mother could be given medication that will trigger adverse effects that could harm her or her child. A nurse should also never administer drugs that were declined by a patient. If your nurse committed any of these mistakes, they could be liable for medical negligence.
Malfunction of a Medical Device
Nurses are required to understand how to operate medical equipment that is being used to treat a patient. As a result, when a medical device malfunctions, a nurse could be held responsible for the injuries, it causes to a mother or newborn. For example, if a nurse incorrectly programmed a machine to give the wrong dose of medication, the nurse would be liable if the patient is injured.
Mishandling a Newborn Infant
It is vital to handle a newborn infant with care as they are extremely fragile at the time of birth. This means that a nurse should not be helping a doctor aggressively pull an infant from the birth canal as it could lead to bruising and other serious injuries. If your nurse handled your newborn with excessive force, you could pursue them for medical negligence.
There are other circumstances that can result in a nurse injuring a mother or child during delivery due to medical negligence. To learn more about who can be held liable for birth injury negligence committed by a nurse, you should continue reading and speak with an experienced Maryland medical malpractice attorney today.
Liability for Nurse Birth Injury Negligence in Maryland
If you were scheduled to give birth at a Maryland hospital and you or your child were injured due to the negligence of a nurse, you could file a lawsuit to recover damages for those injuries. When pursuing a nurse birth injury lawsuit, you should be aware of the parties that can be held liable for the injuries you or your newborn sustained.
A nurse that acted negligently can be held responsible in a malpractice lawsuit. Note, however, that it may be prudent to pursue a lawsuit against the nurse’s employer instead. Nurses are typically hired at hospitals as employees and not independent contractors. This means that the hospital could be held liable for their negligent actions under the doctrine of respondeat superior.
The doctrine of respondeat superior permits a victim of negligence to hold an employer vicariously liable for the negligent actions of an employee. For example, if a nurse gave a mother the incorrect medication during delivery, and the mother’s newborn was injured, this negligent act could be attributed to the employer.
It is also important to note that nurses often act under the direction of a doctor. If a doctor asked the nurse to perform an action that would result in a birth injury, the doctor might also be liable for negligence.
Contact Our Experienced Maryland Lawyer for Nurse Birth Injury Negligence Today
If your child was a victim of a birth injury due to the negligence of a nurse, you should consult with an experienced Maryland lawyer for nurse birth injury negligence as soon as possible. Rice, Murtha & Psoras is here to help you pursue your medical negligence case against a nurse that caused your child’s injuries. To schedule a free legal consultation to discuss your potential case, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291. You can also schedule your consultation online.
