Claiming For Obstetric Negligence

You could make an obstetric negligence claim if you or your child have suffered an injury during or after childbirth. The medical field of obstetrics refers to the medical field of childbirth and postpartum. Therefore, obstetric negligence refers to injuries related to injuries that are caused by medical negligence during or after giving birth.

If you or your child has been injured due to medical negligence, you could be able to make an obstetric negligence claim.

Contact us today on 0800 342 3206 or through our online form.

About Obstetric Negligence Injuries

There are lots of different types of injuries you could suffer as a result of obstetric negligence. These sorts of claims most commonly focus upon injuries and illnesses that the child has suffered. However, obstetric negligence claims can also be about the injuries that the mother has suffered as a result of poor care and treatment.

You could make an obstetric negligence claim for injuries such as:

• Vaginal birth after a caesarean.
• Improper management of a high-risk pregnancy – such as a pregnancy where the mother has diabetes or epilepsy or a pregnancy where there are multiple babies.
• A haemorrhage during or after birth.
• An eruption of the placenta.
• A uterine rupture.
• The foetus’ head being impacted during birth.
• A vaginal breech during delivery.
• Shoulder dystocia being mishandled.
• Cardiac/vascular complications.
• Failure to properly manage delays in delivery.

You or your child could also suffer a more general complication that can occur in lots of different medical scenarios. These more general complications include:

• Negligent management of anaesthetic, causing the patient to be aware during the medical procedure or causing them to have a severe allergic reaction to the anaesthetic.
• The negligent use of medical instruments, such as forceps.
• A failure to properly sterilise medical instruments.
• A failure to properly clean and prepare the delivery room.

Obstetric Negligence Claim Time Limit

If you or your child has been injured in an obstetric negligence claim, you could be able to claim compensation. However, it is important to note that there is usually a time limit for personal injury claims. For obstetric negligence claims, there is a three-year time limit that begins from the date of birth.

However, if it was your child who was injured, you can make a claim on their behalf until their eighteenth birthday. If you haven’t made a claim on their behalf by the time your child turns eighteen, your child can then make a claim on their own behalf until their twenty-first birthday.

Obstetric Negligence Claim Compensation

The amount of obstetric negligence claim compensation that you can claim will depend upon the specific details of your case. This amount of compensation is calculated by looking at two specific categories: general damages and special damages.

General Damages

The pain and suffering that your injuries have caused is the main factor that is used to determine how much compensation you are owed.

Special Damages

Compensation also takes into account any financial losses that you might have suffered as a result of your injuries, such as a loss of earnings due to being unable to return to work.

Contact Jefferies

At first, we will need some initial details about the specifics of your injuries and how this has impacted your life. Contact us today on 0800 342 3206 or through our online form to get started. A member of our team will quickly be in touch to discuss your case.