Philadelphia Shaken Baby Syndrome Lawyer

Identifying Abusive Head Trauma

In recent years, there has been an increase in public awareness about the severity and prevalence of abusive head trauma (AHT), more commonly known as shaken baby syndrome. As the majority of the public now knows, this is a condition characterized by a variety of symptoms and it may result from persistent physical abuse or a severe one-time incident.

Tragically, shaken baby syndrome could be eradicated entirely through the exercise of greater care when holding and carrying infants and toddlers. The situation is made all the more inexcusable when one considers that many of the effects of AHT can linger and cause severe, life-long impairments in the victims. Because the injuries are to the head and neck, all vital systems are threatened.

During the first moments and days of life, an infant is especially susceptible to AHT. Inadequate caution or inappropriate actions on the part of the medical professionals upon whom she is so dependent may cause shaken baby syndrome to develop, although the common perception is that the condition arises only as a result of violent outbursts from parents and caretakers.

Frighteningly, even if a child is fortunate enough to survive an incident that spawns AHT (1 in 3 do not), if symptoms become more present as time passes, an innocent parent could be accused of harming his son or daughter. This is especially the case if a child is prone to inconsolable crying, which has been identified as the primary instigator of incidents of aggression that lead to shaken baby syndrome.

As a result, an already regrettable situation may be made worse, since a child may not only have to cope with the symptoms of her condition, but also with an absent parent or the foster care system – all due to a mistaken conclusion enabled by a birth injury inflicted by a nurse or doctor.

Contact Us

If your child has been afflicted with abusive head trauma by a birth injury that may constitute medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia shaken baby syndrome lawyer of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 215-238-1130.