Placental abruption happens when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before birth. This can reduce the baby’s oxygen supply and cause serious bleeding for the mother. Quick medical care is essential to prevent severe injuries.
When doctors in Atlanta, Georgia, miss warning signs or delay treatment, medical negligence may be involved. Our Atlanta placental abruption lawyers can review medical records, fetal monitoring, and treatment decisions to determine whether the injuries could have been prevented. Contact Georgia Baby Safety at (404) 995-6033 for a free consultation.
How Can Georgia Baby Safety Help After a Placental Abruption in Atlanta, GA?
At Georgia Baby Safety, our Atlanta personal injury lawyers have 50 years of combined experience and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injured clients and families. We can review your medical records to determine whether delayed treatment or other medical mistakes contributed to your child’s injuries.
Our team can investigate important details, including:
- Changes in the baby’s heart rate before delivery
- Signs of bleeding, abdominal pain, or other complications
- The timing of medical examinations and decisions
- How quickly doctors responded to signs of distress
- The time between the decision to deliver and the baby’s birth
Our Atlanta birth injury lawyers can work with medical experts to identify potential negligence and help your family pursue compensation. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
What Causes Placental Abruption?
Placental abruption can happen without medical negligence. Risk factors can include high blood pressure, preeclampsia, abdominal trauma, and a prior abruption, and some cases occur without a clearly identifiable cause.
Medical negligence becomes a concern when providers fail to recognize or respond appropriately to a developing emergency.
Problems in care may include:
- Failing to investigate symptoms consistent with an abruption
- Inadequate monitoring after concerning changes appear
- Misinterpreting evidence of fetal distress
- Delaying escalation when the mother’s condition worsens
- Waiting too long to perform an emergency delivery when required
The legal issue is not simply why the placenta separated. A claim must connect a departure from appropriate medical care to an injury that timely recognition or treatment could have prevented or reduced.
What Injuries Commonly Occur in Placental Abruption Cases?
A severe abruption can threaten both mother and baby. Reduced placental function can deprive the baby of oxygen, while significant maternal bleeding can require urgent stabilization and delivery.
Possible injuries and complications include:
- Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury caused by inadequate oxygen
- Cerebral palsy associated with serious brain damage
- Developmental or neurological impairment
- Premature birth and related medical complications
- Maternal hemorrhage requiring emergency treatment
The long-term effects depend on the severity and duration of the emergency. Medical and developmental records can help establish the care a child may need and how the injury is expected to affect future functioning.
Who Could Be Liable for a Placental Abruption Injury?
Liability depends on which providers were responsible for monitoring and responding to the pregnancy emergency. An obstetrician may be responsible for a delayed delivery decision, while nursing staff may face scrutiny if significant changes were not recognized or communicated.
A hospital or medical practice may also be involved when its own conduct contributed to the injury or when applicable law makes it responsible for a provider’s negligence. In some cases, more than one person or organization may share responsibility for the same delay.
We determine liability by matching each provider’s role to the decisions and omissions that affected the outcome. That avoids treating every participant in the delivery as responsible simply because they were present.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?
Birth injury cases require careful attention to Georgia’s medical malpractice deadlines because the rules can differ depending on whose injury is being pursued. A medical malpractice action generally must be filed within two years after the injury or death arising from the negligent act or omission, and Georgia also has a five-year statute of repose in many cases.
However, special rules can affect claims involving minors, and other exceptions may change the analysis. We evaluate the deadline from the specific medical events and the injured person’s circumstances rather than assuming that every placental abruption case has the same filing date.
Contact an Atlanta Placental Abruption Lawyer for a Free Consultation
A placental abruption can develop quickly, so the timing of medical decisions may be central to determining whether an injury was preventable. Reviewing the record can show when warning signs appeared and how the care team responded.
We can investigate the medical care and explain the options available to your family. Contact Georgia Baby Safety to schedule a free consultation with our Atlanta placental abruption attorneys.