BROKEN COLLAR BONE COMPENSATION

A broken collar bone during the birth of a child as a result of Shoulder Dystocia may occur when the baby’s shoulder is trapped behind the mother’s pelvic bone. A deliberate fracture may be unavoidable if the doctor has exhausted every other possible solution to delivering the baby uninjured, however there are cases of Medical Negligence when excessive force has been used unnecessarily.

The problem arises during birth and is unpredictable as the babys shoulder may become caught behind the mother’s pelvic bone with no advance warning in the final stages of delivery. The collar bone may be fractured from excessive force in trying to deliver the baby naturally or the doctor may have to make a controlled breakage in order to effect delivery. Other injuries may also be subsequently evident in a traumatic birth including damage to the brachial plexus nerves leading to possible arm or shoulder paralysis.

As to who is responsible for the broken collar bone and the chances of a successful compensation claim; this depends on previous birth history of the mother and on her physical condition - is she obese - does she have a flat pelvis and so on. There are also accepted protocols the doctor should follow for dealing with shoulder dystocia. Healthcare providers may be responsible, if there was no sign of shoulder dystocia, the birth was natural and a fracture occurred during delivery in any event.

If you think your doctor, midwife or healthcare provider caused an injury to your baby through medical negligence you should take legal advice about the possibility of claiming compensation.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

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