Stillborn Birth Lawyers in Phoenix, AZ

Did Your Family Suffer a Stillborn Birth? 

At James Wood Law in Phoenix, we understand the profound heartbreak and grief that comes with the loss of a stillborn child. Such a devastating experience is made even more challenging when medical negligence may have played a role. Our compassionate team is here to provide unwavering support and legal guidance to hold medical providers accountable for inexcusable mistakes that result in stillbirths. We approach each case with sensitivity, professionalism, and a real commitment to helping you uncover the truth and pursue the justice you and your family deserve.

Please call (888) 579-3866 when you’re ready to talk to a stillbirth lawyer. We offer free case reviews.

How Can Medical Malpractice Cause Stillborn Births?

The loss of a stillborn child is heart-wrenching, and when it can be linked to medical malpractice, the devastation is even greater. Medical malpractice occurs when healthcare providers fail to meet the professional standard of care expected in their field, resulting in harm to the patient. One of the most severe and tragic results of medical malpractice is the loss of an unborn child.

Common causes of stillbirth linked to medical malpractice include:

• Failure to monitor fetal health: Regular monitoring of the baby’s development and well-being is a vital part of prenatal care. Medical professionals are trained to recognize signs of fetal distress, such as an abnormal heart rate or decreased fetal movement. When these warning signs are overlooked or ignored, it can lead to a stillbirth.
• Mismanagement of maternal health conditions: Conditions like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, infections, or hypertension in the mother pose serious risks to both mother and baby if not properly managed. A failure to diagnose, monitor, or treat these conditions can jeopardize the baby’s safety.
• Delayed or improper response to complications: Complications can arise suddenly during pregnancy or delivery. Delays in performing emergency interventions, such as a C-section, or improper handling of labor and delivery complications can have fatal outcomes.
• Medication errors: Medications prescribed during pregnancy must be chosen with extreme caution. Errors such as administering dangerous drugs or prescribing incorrect dosages can cause significant harm to the developing baby.
• Failure to address umbilical cord complications: Umbilical cord issues, like cord prolapse, knots, or being wrapped around the baby’s neck, can cut off the baby’s oxygen supply. If these complications aren’t identified and addressed promptly, the baby’s life can be at risk.
• Failure to monitor fetus during labor: Failing to monitor the baby’s heart rate during labor by instead monitoring the mothers can lead to undetected fetal distress resulting in a stillborn upon delivery. 

Who Can Be Liable for Stillbirth Caused by Medical Negligence?

Determining who is responsible for a stillborn birth caused by medical malpractice is an important and painful part of seeking justice. Several parties involved in your prenatal care, delivery, or the medical processes surrounding your pregnancy could be found liable. Allow our Phoenix stillbirth attorneys to look into liability for you, so you do not need to get caught up in the stressful details yourself.

Medical providers and parties that could be found liable for stillbirth include:

• Doctors: Obstetricians and other physicians involved in your care are often the first to be scrutinized. If a doctor failed to diagnose a condition, delayed necessary medical intervention, or provided substandard care, they may be responsible for your loss.
• Nurses and midwives: Nurses and midwives play an important role in hands-on patient care. Their failure to monitor vital signs, respond to complications, or communicate effectively with doctors can have devastating consequences.
• Hospital staff and administrators: Beyond individual providers, hospitals or medical clinics can be held accountable for inadequate training, lack of proper equipment, staffing shortages, or a failure to enforce safety protocols.
• Ultrasound technicians and labs: Misreading or failing to interpret prenatal testing and ultrasound results correctly can lead to missed warnings about potential dangers to the baby.
• Pharmaceutical companies: Medications prescribed during pregnancy must be safe and appropriate. If a pharmaceutical company provides defective drugs or fails to give adequate warnings about potential risks, they may share liability.
• Medical equipment manufacturers: Defective or improperly functioning medical devices, such as fetal monitors or ultrasound machines, can also contribute to medical errors that lead to a stillbirth.

Establishing Liability in a Medical Malpractice Case

To hold a medical provider accountable, we’ll need to prove that negligence occurred. Negligence means the healthcare provider failed in their duty to provide the standard of care expected in their profession, and this failure directly led to your tragic loss.

Key components in proving liability include:

• Medical records: Comprehensive documentation of your pregnancy and the care you received can provide evidence of medical malpractice.
• Expert testimony: Medical experts can analyze the evidence and testify about how your care deviated from accepted standards and how those deviations likely caused the stillbirth.
• Witness accounts: Statements from those involved in your care or present during different moments can shed additional light on the events that unfolded.

What Compensation is Available?

The loss of a stillborn child is an unimaginable tragedy, often leaving families emotionally and financially overwhelmed. While no compensation can truly make up for such a profound loss, pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit can provide some measure of relief by alleviating financial burdens and holding negligent parties accountable. We have a long history of securing major settlements and awards for clients in complex medical malpractice cases. Prior results can’t guarantee future results, but they do show what we’re capable of achieving for people in need of genuine and compassionate legal counsel.

Economic damages that might apply to your case include:

• Medical expenses: Any medical costs related to your pregnancy, prenatal care, or emergency treatments stemming from the negligence could be recovered, such as costs for hospital stays, diagnostic tests, or procedures during delivery.
• Funeral and burial costs: Families often face unexpected expenses for funeral and burial services after the loss of a stillborn child.
• Lost income: If you or your partner needed time away from work to grieve, recover, or attend to other matters resulting from the tragedy, this loss of income may be compensated.

Non-economic damages that we might be able to pursue in your name include:

• Pain and suffering: The physical and emotional pain that arises from losing a child is immeasurable, yet these damages can help recognize the profound impact of your experience.
• Emotional distress: The mental anguish and trauma following a stillbirth are significant. Compensation may reflect the lasting effects on your emotional well-being.
• Loss of companionship and parental bond: Losing the opportunity to build a relationship with your child and the joy of their companionship can be taken into account when seeking justice through a malpractice claim.

Seek Justice & Support with Our Help

Pursuing a lawsuit is not just about financial compensation; it’s about holding negligent parties accountable and striving for meaningful change in the medical system. At James Wood Law, we understand the weight of what you’re going through and are here to guide you with compassion and real-world legal experience. We can work diligently to secure the compensation your family needs to start the healing process, including taking medical providers and healthcare groups to court if necessary.

Your loss deserves recognition, and your family deserves justice. Fight for both with us leading the way. Call (888) 579-3866 now.