If your child suffered a birth injury in Houston due to a medical provider’s negligence, the aftermath can feel devastating and uncertain. You’re likely searching for answers, support, and a path forward while juggling emotional pain and mounting medical bills. In such a difficult time, you need an advocate who understands both the law and the gravity of what your family is facing.
At Hampton & King, our Houston birth injury attorneys combine compassion with courtroom strength to help families like yours seek justice. With more than 70 years of combined experience and a strong focus on medical malpractice law, we bring in-depth knowledge and proven results to every case we handle.
We know that no two birth injury cases are alike. That’s why families across Houston and beyond trust Hampton & King in Texas.
What Makes Hampton & King The Best Choice For Your Case?
Our experienced birth injury lawyers have a combined 70 years of experience handling a broad range of birth injury and medical malpractice cases, and have developed the ability to identify the factors and root causes involved in these cases.
What we offer:
Direct Attorney Access: Work closely with experienced birth injury attorneys who understand the medical and legal complexities of your case.
Extensive Medical Malpractice Experience: Our team has a long history of successful case results, taking on hospitals, OB-GYNs, and negligent providers.
Contingency Fee Representation: You don’t pay anything unless we win your case.
Free, No-Obligation Consultation: Get answers, clarity, and peace of mind with no initial costs.
Our Houston, TX birth injury lawyers can help investigate whether medical negligence played a role in your child’s condition, and guide your family through the legal steps needed to pursue compensation and long-term care.
Don’t wait. Protect your child’s future by contacting our Houston birth injury lawyers today at (713) 658-0231, or click here to schedule your free case evaluation.
Client Testimonial
“I could not have gone through this painful process with anyone else.”
Jami O.
Birth Injury Case Results
Below are a few examples of our successful settlements and verdicts.
Verdict / Settlement
$6.5 Million
Negligent Fetal Heart Monitoring
Resulting in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).
Verdict / Settlement
$6 Million
Post-partum Hemorrhage
Complications resulting in permanent brain damage.
Verdict / Settlement
$4.2 Million
Negligent PACU Monitoring
Post-surgical monitoring failure resulting in brain damage.
Yale Medicine describes a high-risk pregnancy as when a woman and her fetus face a higher-than-normal chance of experiencing complications. Medical staff must respond appropriately to these high-risk pregnancies and other complications during delivery.
However, when they fail to do so, they allow for the possibility of the following, which are all events that could contribute to permanent injury, disability, or death.
Serious birth injuries can have lifelong consequences, requiring extensive medical care, rehabilitation, and specialized support.
A Houston catastrophic injury lawyer can help parents navigate the legal process by investigating whether medical negligence contributed to the injury, gathering expert testimony, and holding responsible parties accountable.
Mishandled Pregnancy Complications
Some pregnancies are inherently high-risk, while other complications do not manifest themselves until labor or delivery. If complications are not handled properly, they can lead to serious and permanent injuries to the mother or child.
When a child is injured during labor or delivery, it can lead to long-term medical conditions, including permanent disability or disfigurement. While some conditions may resemble birth defects, they can result from preventable birth injuries associated with medical negligence.
Intracranial hemorrhage: Brain bleeding that may lead to seizures or long-term neurological impairments.
Spinal cord injuries: Rare but severe injuries that can result in partial or complete paralysis.
Other birth-related injuries and complications include:
Clavicle fractures: Common in difficult deliveries such as shoulder dystocia; typically heal with minimal intervention.
Cephalohematoma and caput succedaneum: Scalp swelling or blood pooling due to delivery pressure; often resolves on its own. Severe cases may lead to anemia or jaundice.
Facial nerve damage: May result from pressure or improper forceps use, causing temporary or permanent facial weakness.
Perinatal asphyxia: Lack of oxygen that can damage the brain and other vital organs.
Shoulder dystocia: A delivery complication that may cause fractures, nerve damage, or oxygen deprivation.
Meconium aspiration syndrome: Breathing complications from inhaling meconium-stained fluid.
Birth trauma from delivery tools: Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors can lead to lacerations, nerve damage, skull fractures, or brain injuries.
What is the Difference Between Birth Injuries and Birth Defects?
Birth defects are different from birth injuries because they typically develop before birth due to genetic, environmental, or unknown factors, rather than being caused by medical negligence during delivery.
While a birth defect affects the baby’s development in the womb, a birth injury occurs during labor or delivery, often as a result of preventable errors such as improper use of forceps, delayed C-section, or lack of oxygen.
A skilled birth injury lawyer can help determine whether a child’s condition was unavoidable or the result of medical malpractice.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Houston Birth Injury Lawsuit?
Determining liability is essential in a birth injury case. Injuries are often caused by medical negligence during prenatal care, labor, or delivery, and multiple parties may be responsible depending on the circumstances.
Potentially liable parties include:
Midwives: May be liable for failing to recognize complications, delaying referrals, or improperly managing labor.
Failing to recognize complications, such as fetal distress or abnormal positioning.
Delaying referral to a higher-level medical provider when the delivery requires advanced intervention.
Improper handling of labor, such as using unsafe delivery techniques or failing to monitor the baby’s vital signs.
OB-GYNs: Can be held accountable for mismanaging high-risk pregnancies, delaying necessary C-sections, misusing delivery tools, or failing to respond to fetal distress.
Mismanagement of high-risk pregnancies, such as failing to monitor maternal health conditions like preeclampsia, high blood pressure, or gestational diabetes.
Failing to perform a timely cesarean section (C-section) when medically necessary.
Misusing delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors, leading to injuries such as fractures, nerve damage, or brain trauma.
Failing to detect or address signs of fetal distress.
Anesthesiologists: Errors in administering epidurals or anesthesia can harm both mother and baby. For instance, improper dosage could lead to complications like oxygen deprivation or maternal injuries.
Neonatologists: These specialists care for newborns, especially those born prematurely or with medical complications. Errors in diagnosing or treating infant health issues can result in further injury.
Pediatricians: Failing to identify or treat injuries or conditions like jaundice, infections, or brain injuries post-delivery may lead to long-term complications.
In many cases, multiple parties, including both providers and the hospital, may share liability for the injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
What damages can be recovered after a birth injury?
Families may recover both economic and non-economic damages after a birth injury. Economic damages include medical expenses (past and future), rehabilitation and therapy costs, specialized equipment and home modifications, and lost wages if a parent must leave work to provide care.
Non-economic damages compensate for pain and suffering, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life. In cases of severe negligence, punitive damages may also be available.
Are birth injuries preventable?
Many birth injuries are preventable with proper prenatal care, monitoring during labor and delivery, and appropriate medical interventions when complications arise.
While some birth injuries occur despite excellent care, others result from medical negligence, such as failure to monitor fetal distress, improper use of delivery instruments, or delayed C-sections.
What is the statute of limitations to file a claim?
In Texas, the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims is generally two years from the date of the injury or when it was discovered.
However, for birth injuries involving minors, the deadline may be extended. The child typically has until their 14th birthday to file a claim, though exceptions apply. It’s crucial to consult an attorney promptly to protect your rights.
What are common signs and symptoms of a birth injury?
Common signs include seizures, difficulty feeding or swallowing, excessive crying or irritability, low Apgar scores, excessive drooling, muscle stiffness or limpness (abnormal muscle tone), breathing problems, delayed developmental milestones, cognitive impairments, and physical abnormalities. Some symptoms may appear immediately, while others become evident as the child grows.
Contact a Birth Injury Lawyer Near Me
Our Houston birth injury attorneys have more than half a century of combined experience to inform every case we handle. This means that we not only understand the law as it currently stands, but we understand its development as well.
With that unique insight, we are able to provide representation that is rooted by the most recent developments in both the law and medical technology. It is just one more way we can help parents and children.
Contact a Houston birth injury attorney at our Texas law firm today for a free consultation: (713) 658-0231. We can provide you with more information about your specific case.
