There are risks associated with childbirth, which can result in permanent injuries or birth defects. While precautions are typically taken to prevent harm to the infant during delivery, it is also essential to address injuries that may be sustained by the mother. Vaginal lacerations are one type of maternal injury, and doctors and nurses should take precautions to prevent the risk of complications and other serious conditions that can result.
Vaginal lacerations can be extremely painful and can cause a mother to experience long-term health complications. They may also cause irreparable emotional harm and sexual dysfunction. Medical personnel should take precautions to prevent tearing during labor and delivery, and if lacerations do occur, they should be repaired promptly and effectively.
If you experience vaginal tearing or any other birth complications, this can have lasting effects on your health and well-being. At The Villari Firm, our qualified Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer can review your case, determine whether medical negligence contributed to your injury, and help you understand your options for obtaining the family’s ongoing medical care and financial support. Contact our office today to schedule a free consultation.
Why Do I Need a Vaginal Tear Lawyer in Pennsylvania?
If you or a close family member suffered a birth injury during childbirth, you should contact our competent Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer at The Villari Firm as soon as possible. While some birth injuries are unavoidable, others are caused by medical malpractice and staff negligence. Birth injuries can have significant individual repercussions, including physical symptoms that can impair your quality of life, depression, and the dissolution of your relationships, among others.
Grave birth injuries may also result in the mother’s demise or permanent disability. Our skilled Philadelphia birth injury attorney can review the medical records and consult with a medical professional to determine whether the injuries were the result of medical provider negligence.
Birth injury malpractice cases can be complex and require a substantial amount of investigation, so you must contact our personal injury attorney immediately. Call The Villari Firm immediately to receive a complimentary case evaluation.
What is Considered a Vaginal Tear?
A vaginal tear may occur during labor. This is a tear in the tissue (skin and muscle) surrounding the vagina and perineum, also known as a perineal laceration. The perineal area, also known as the perineum, is the region between the vaginal entrance and the anus.
During a typical vaginal delivery, the vaginal skin thins in preparation for childbirth. This portion of your body is designed to stretch to allow the baby’s head and body to pass through without sustaining injury.
What Are the Different Causes of Vaginal Lacerations?
Tissue tearing is a common occurrence during childbirth, but several factors can increase the risk or severity of these injuries, including:
Macrosomia
When moving through the birth canal, a large infant may cause tearing. If the size of the infant is a concern, a Cesarean section may be required to protect the mother from injury.
Malpresentation
Ideally, a child should be delivered with his or her head facing the mother’s back. If delivery is attempted while the infant is in the breech position or facing forward, the risk of vaginal lacerations increases.
Prolonged or Delayed Labor
She is more likely to experience tearing if she is in labor for an extended period or if her pushing is prolonged.
Assisted Delivery
When forceps or vacuum extractors are used to assist the child’s passage through the birth canal, vaginal tissue may be lacerated.
How Dangerous Are Vaginal Tears?
There are several different grades of vaginal tears. The severity of the tear determines these grading categories.
First-Degree Tear
This minor injury involves the first layer of tissue surrounding the vagina and perineum and is the least severe type of tear.
Second-Degree Tear
The second level of this injury is the most frequently observed tear during childbirth. The tear is slightly larger and extends deeper through the skin into the vaginal and perineal muscle tissue.
Third-Degree Tear
A third-degree tear extends from the vagina to the anus. This type of tear involves damage to the skin and muscle of the perineal region, as well as to the muscles of the anal sphincter. These muscles control gastrointestinal function.
Fourth-Degree Tear
This is the rarest type of tear that occurs during childbirth. This is the most severe type of tear, extending from the vagina through the perineal region and anal sphincter muscles and into the rectum.
An experienced obstetrician or healthcare provider must correctly identify and properly treat third-degree and fourth-degree lacerations. If a perineal tear is not properly diagnosed and treated, it may result in chronic pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, fecal or stool incontinence, dyspareunia or painful intercourse, or a recto-vaginal fistula, where there is a passageway from the intestine into the vagina. Among the possible symptoms of a recto-vaginal fistula are:
- Foul-smelling vaginal discharge
- Air coming out from the vagina
- Frequent vaginal infections or vaginitis
- Recurrent or persistent cystitis
- Expulsion of stool or feces from the vagina
- Colonic or fecal incontinence
Women who sustained lacerations of the third or fourth degree during vaginal childbirth or who had improper repairs of the tears may be required to undergo additional surgeries to correct the ongoing problems. If you suffered a perineal tear of the third or fourth degree during delivery and now have fecal incontinence or a recto-vaginal fistula, you may be eligible for compensation.
Please feel free to contact our knowledgeable Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer for a free and strictly confidential consultation.
Who Can Be Held Legally Accountable for My Maternal Birth Injury?
Vaginal tearing is typically the responsibility of the obstetrician, midwife, or other party assisting in the delivery of your baby. However, nurses who participated in your labor or delivery may also be held liable if they fail to recognize the signs and symptoms of perineal tearing complications.
Additionally, the hospital that employs these healthcare providers could also be named in your case, as it is liable for the conduct of its employees. Our skilled Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer will need to examine the specifics of your case to determine who is responsible for your maternal birth injuries.
How to File a Birth Injury Case?
If you believe you have a birth injury case, you should contact our versed Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer immediately. Generally, initial consultations are free of charge. If there is sufficient evidence of medical malpractice, our personal injury attorney may send a letter to the responsible healthcare providers to initiate discussions about a prompt settlement for the injuries caused by the alleged negligence, allowing you to avoid filing a lawsuit.
Honestly, medical malpractice cases are rarely resolved without a lawsuit. In Pennsylvania, pursuing a medical malpractice claim requires the testimony of at least one qualified medical expert. A qualified medical expert must provide opinions that establish the standard of care, explain how a negligent medical provider deviated from the standard of care, and confirm that the defendant’s negligence caused the plaintiff’s injury.
Sometimes birth injury cases can be resolved quickly, but on average they take between two and four years. The best thing you can do to prepare for a birth injury lawsuit is to maintain detailed records of the injury’s symptoms, its impact, and all associated medical expenses.
What Are the Compensations Available for My Vaginal Tear and Laceration Injury?
Inadequate treatment of severe vaginal injuries may result in permanent medical complications and, in extreme cases, wrongful death. Women who have sustained such injuries should seek medical care immediately. The Villari Firm will be by your side throughout the entire process.
Our legal team has the compassion and legal resources necessary to handle cases involving vaginal injuries to women and children. Compensation for your injuries can be determined by a variety of factors.
- Medical expenses, including visits to the emergency room
- Future costs for medical care and rehabilitation
- Loss of alliance (inability to have sexual intercourse)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental trauma, including Post Traumatic Stress from your injuries
Contact The Villari Firm’s legal team if you have any further questions regarding the filing of lawsuits for recovery and compensation.
What is the Statute of Limitations for Vaginal Tear and Laceration Injury Claims?
In the majority of cases involving medical malpractice, the statute of limitations stipulates that a lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of injury. In Pennsylvania birth injury lawsuits, the two-year statute of limitations for a child’s injuries does not begin to run until the child’s eighteenth birthday.
In other words, a child who has been injured typically has until the age of 20 to file a lawsuit. However, parents who have suffered damages due to a birth injury or whose child has died due to medical malpractice must file a lawsuit within two years of the injury or death. Occasionally, the symptoms of a catastrophic injury do not manifest until later in life.
Medical negligence claims are particularly complex. Consequently, pertinent evidence of malpractice must be identified and preserved without delay. The process of gathering evidence may consume the statute of limitations before you have the opportunity to file a claim. Therefore, even though you have a minimum of two years to file a claim, you must speak with our accomplished Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer as soon as you believe you may have a medical malpractice case.
Discuss Your Birth Injury Claim With Us
When vaginal tearing and lacerations are the results of your healthcare provider’s negligence or irresponsibility, you may have grounds to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact our super lawyers at The Villari Firm to discuss your financial recovery options through our free consultation.
When you are ready to get started on your medical malpractice case, you can reach our Philadelphia Vaginal Tear Lawyer by phone or through the contact form on our website. We also offer legal services in various practice areas, such as Camp Lejeune water contamination, catastrophic injuries, sexual abuse, and more. Contact us now!
