Personal Injury Lawyers Serving the Entire U.S.
Every day, women trust doctors and nurses to help deliver their babies. But sometimes mistakes occur, resulting in permanent, life-changing injuries to the baby. These heartbreaking situations may have been avoided with proper care.
Learn more about pursuing compensation for your child’s birth injury by calling (800) 995-1212 or getting a free case review today.
Fill out the form to file a birth injury claim. We will contact you immediately to get started.
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Kristin P. (00:00):
My name is Kristin, and I'm one of the nurses here with Sokolove Law.
Kristin P. (00:10):
Any person who's had a child with a birth related injury, I would talk to them about what happened during their pregnancy, the delivery, and how the child is doing to see if it's something we could assist with.
Kristin P. (00:22):
I've been a nurse for 20 years. And I started in medical surgical nursing. And then, I did some work in the operating room. I was in the Army. And after that I've been working labor and delivery ever since then, maternal child health, NICU, antepartum, postpartum, anything that has to do with having a baby. What I've learned from working in the hospital is what is supposed to happen, or what we would expect to happen during, what somebody would call, a normal delivery. And it helps me be able to differentiate the red flags or the situations that could potentially cause an injury to a child or a mother.
A birth injury is any form of harm that happens to an infant as they are born. Birth injuries are often caused by preventable medical errors made by doctors or other health care professionals, otherwise known as medical malpractice. Sokolove Law handles medical malpractice cases, including preventable birth injuries.
Birth injuries in a newborn can damage the baby’s brain or body and vary in severity. More serious birth injuries can last a lifetime and lead to permanent disabilities that affect your child’s emotional, physical, and cognitive development.
will be injured at birth in the United States.
Families are often unprepared for the emotional as well as financial challenges brought on by birth injuries.
For example, the lifetime cost of care for someone with cerebral palsy, a condition often caused by a brain injury at birth, is 10 times greater than for the average person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These costs can be financially devastating to families.
A birth injury lawyer can help families with filing legal claims to help pay for these tremendous costs and improve the quality of life for their child.
Birth-related injuries generally occur right before, during, or following childbirth. They are often caused by complications or something going wrong during labor and delivery, including medical negligence or malpractice on behalf of doctors, obstetricians, or other health care providers.
Birth defects, however, occur predominantly during the first 3 months of pregnancy, when the baby’s organs are still forming. For most birth defects, the exact cause is unknown but believed to be a mixture of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors, according to the CDC.
Some of the most common birth injuries include:
Identifying a birth injury in your child is no easy task. While some birth injuries are recognized during routine pediatric checkups, others may go unnoticed for months or even years. They may even be mistaken for other conditions or neurological disorders.
Generally, your child may show signs of a birth injury if they:
Although your doctor is ultimately responsible for diagnosing any issues in your child, the more attuned you are to your child’s development, the better you’re able to advocate for their best interests.
Many times we hear from parents who fear their child may be suffering because of a medical mistake that was made during delivery, but they don't know what happened or what they can do about it now. Even if your child hasn’t been diagnosed with anything yet, we still may be able to help with your case.
Sokolove Law has registered nurses on staff who can listen to your story and help you understand what may have happened.
For many families affected by birth traumas, filing a birth injury lawsuit is often the first step on the road toward healing. Legal rights, however, are time-sensitive due to statutes of limitations or state laws that limit how long you have to take legal action.
Given these limitations, it’s important to reach out to one of our nurses as soon as possible to discuss the specifics of your situation.
Birth injuries are often the result of medical malpractice, which refers to a medical mistake by a doctor, health care professional, or hospital.
These kinds of injuries can often be avoided with proper medical care — but if doctors make careless mistakes before, during, or after delivery, the baby is the one who suffers.
While there are many causes of birth injuries, some of the most common events that can result in life-changing disabilities include:
While no one can predict when a birth injury may occur, there are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of an injury occurring at birth, including:
In many cases, proper medical care can help address these risk factors and ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery.
We have registered nurses with labor and delivery experience who can listen to your story and help you understand what may have happened — contact us today.
“Everything seemed fine during my pregnancy, but after hours of labor, my daughter arrived limp and unresponsive, with severe bruising and swelling on the back of her head. Thankfully, Sokolove Law fought for justice and the best care for my child. The compensation they secured for my daughter has been life-changing.”
– New York City Mother & Firm Client
It is the duty of your medical team to keep you and your child as safe as possible. If they did not do this, your child may need long-term care for their condition.
For many families, taking care of a disabled child can be costly. The medical expenses are often unexpected and overwhelming. For instance, the average lifetime cost of care for someone affected by cerebral palsy, a disorder caused by a brain injury during birth, is estimated to be nearly $1 Million, according to the CDC.
Average lifetime cost of care for someone affected by cerebral palsy
Some of the expenses families affected by birth injuries may face include:
By taking legal action, however, many families have been able to recover the money they need to care for their child.
If you believe your child’s birth injury was the result of a medical mistake, an experienced birth injury lawyer can help you understand your legal options.
It’s natural to feel powerless or even hopeless after learning your child may have experienced an injury during birth that could have been prevented. You and your child should not have to endure long-term suffering or health issues due to a medical error that was beyond your control.
If you suspect that your child is the victim of a birth injury, you need to know your legal rights and options.
Birth injuries bring emotional and financial stress to even the most well-prepared families, but settlements from a legal claim may be able to help lessen the burden financially.
When you work with Sokolove Law, a national birth injury law firm, you will have a dedicated team of experienced lawyers, paralegals, investigators, and registered nurses handling the legal process on your behalf.
Your legal team can:
Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form today to get started. It costs nothing to speak with our team, and we’re ready to help 24/7.
“Our daughter's traumatic birth left us devastated. She suffered a brain bleed and spent 2 months in the NICU. Now, almost 4, she faces numerous issues, and I can't work as I need to care for her. Sokolove Law stepped in and helped us fight for justice. With their help, we can breathe a little easier, knowing our daughter's needs will be met.”
– Sokolove Law Birth Injury Client
As an established national law firm, Sokolove Law has decades of experience handling these kinds of birth injury medical malpractice cases. We’ve recovered over $962 Million on behalf of families with children who suffered preventable injuries at birth.
Our lawyers, nurses, and support staff understand the suffering that families affected by birth injuries go through. We will work with you to understand your unique situation and fight for the compensation your family needs during this difficult time.
Learn more about your potential legal options today by calling (800) 995-1212 or getting a free case review. Our registered nurses and case managers are ready to help you understand what happened as well as what you can do about it now.
A birth injury can be any type of injury that occurred during pregnancy, labor, delivery or shortly after birth. Sadly, these injuries are often caused by a medical professional’s error or mistake, which is known as medical malpractice.
For example, if a doctor fractures the clavicle or collarbone during the birthing process, the child may develop brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy.
Similarly, injuries to the child’s brain at this time can cause cerebral palsy, a group of disorders that affect a child’s movement.
If you think your child shows signs of a birth injury, you should consult a doctor or health care provider to learn more about your child’s condition and get the treatment they need.
In the meantime, you can discuss the medical care you were provided with a registered nurse. They have extensive labor and delivery experience and can help you understand what may have happened in your situation.
If medical negligence or malpractice played a role in your child’s injury, you may be entitled to compensation that can help pay for their medical care and more.
The natural contractions and contortions of childbirth can be hard on a small infant, and the potential for a birth injury is always there.
Some births are complicated, and injuries are not always due to medical negligence or improper care. However, medical negligence by a doctor, midwife, or nurse during labor and delivery may often be the cause of a child’s birth injury.
The key is to determine whether the medical professionals provided appropriate medical care to you and your baby during delivery, which our registered nurses can help figure out for you during a free case review.
Pursuing compensation for a birth injury has time limitations, meaning that after a certain period of time passes, you can no longer pursue a birth injury legal claim — whether someone was responsible for your child’s birth injury or not.
This time period varies from state to state, so it’s essential to get birth injury legal help as soon as possible if you wish to pursue compensation for your child’s treatment and care.
It’s a difficult question to answer and one that depends on the specific details of your unique circumstances.
Some birth injuries can cause serious, more permanent damage in a child, potentially leaving them with lifelong mental or physical disabilities, while some less severe situations may improve with time.
Birth injuries in newborns are generally caused by something that went wrong during the delivery of the child.
Birth defects, however, usually involve harm to a baby that arose prior to birth, due to something that happened during or before the pregnancy (e.g., exposure to certain chemicals).
For instance, the water at Camp Lejeune was contaminated with dangerous chemicals that can cause birth defects, infertility, and miscarriages.
Given the broad range of injuries that can happen at birth, the costs of treatments and therapies that are needed in each case can vary greatly.
In the case of more severe birth injuries, taking care of a disabled child can be expensive, with the costs of treatments, therapies, schooling, assistive devices, and more quickly adding up.
For someone affected by cerebral palsy, the average lifetime cost of care is nearly $1 Million, according to the CDC.
A few examples of common costs associated with caring for a child with a birth injury include:
The compassionate and experienced registered nurses at Sokolove Law are here to listen to your story and provide help based on your unique situation. They can answer any questions you may have and help you find any additional information or resources you need. Get in touch with one of our on-staff nurses today.
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect the brain and nervous system. It develops when a child’s brain suffers extreme damage before or during birth. Cerebral palsy has no cure, and its symptoms often need to be managed with the help of professionals.
If your child has received a diagnosis, you may feel frustrated, confused, and scared. You are not alone. Over 17 million people around the world live with cerebral palsy, according to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF).
If a medical professional's mistakes contributed to your child developing CP, you may be able to pursue compensation for your child's treatment through a cerebral palsy lawsuit.
Cerebral palsy is the direct result of brain damage before or during birth. Cerebral palsy causes can be a physical injury before, during, or shortly after delivery or an undetected illness. In these cases, the baby’s brain would have formed normally had this damage not occurred.
By working with a cerebral palsy lawyer, you may be able to pursue compensation that can help cover the costs of your child's treatment. Learn more about your legal options today.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy will vary based on where the baby’s head and brain were affected. This is because the damage is usually contained to one portion of the brain.
Some children with cerebral palsy may only experience mild symptoms, while others may need around-the-clock care.
Common cerebral palsy symptoms include:
The cranial or brain injuries that cause cerebral palsy cannot be cured, so the symptoms will not go away with time. However, some symptoms can be managed through effective treatment.
Erb’s palsy is a form of paralysis (palsy) that affects the bundle of nerves near a baby’s neck called the brachial plexus. Doctors who struggle during delivery may pull on a baby’s neck or limbs, which causes the nerves in the brachial plexus to stretch and tear.
When brachial plexus nerves are damaged, it affects the baby’s ability to control their shoulders, arms, or hands.
Around 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 babies are born with Erb’s palsy, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Erb’s palsy is best treated with therapy as soon as the nerve injury condition is diagnosed.
There are a number of common Erb’s palsy symptoms, like:
In more severe cases, in which the nerves are severed, symptoms may never go away. An Erb's palsy lawyer can help victims pursue financial compensation to help pay for treatment.
Asphyxia refers to a lack of oxygen and blood flowing to the brain. When this abnormality happens during a difficult delivery, it’s referred to as birth asphyxia.
Even mild oxygen deprivation during or after birth can lead to a number of developmental delays and medical conditions, like cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
Ricky A. LeBlanc is the Managing Attorney at Sokolove Law. As Managing Attorney, Ricky is responsible for all communications with prospective clients and, along with his team of paralegals and case managers, review all potential cases.
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