Filing Forceps Injury Claims in 2025
Forceps are surgical instruments resembling tongs that can be used to help guide a baby through the birth canal. This assisted vaginal delivery method may be used during difficult labor.
However, some medical professionals may use forceps improperly, which can result in serious injuries to the baby. Families affected by forceps injuries may be able to file a birth injury lawsuit.
Forceps Injury Claims at a Glance
- Forceps are sometimes used if labor isn’t progressing, the baby is positioned abnormally, or the baby is in distress.
- Medical malpractice may occur if forceps are used with excessive force, in the wrong scenario, or placed incorrectly on the baby’s head.
- Forceps injuries often include brachial plexus nerve damage, cerebral palsy, Erb's palsy, skull fractures, and more.
- Families may be able to file a forceps injury claim against negligent health care professionals or hospitals to seek compensation for their child’s care.
- The average birth injury settlement is around $1 Million, though amounts may vary depending on the severity of the injury.
Our on-staff nurses can help determine if malpractice may have caused your child’s injury. By filing a forceps injury lawsuit, you may be able to seek justice and help potentially prevent similar injuries from happening to others in the future.
At Sokolove Law, we’ve secured over $1 Billion for families impacted by birth injuries, including those involving forceps. Contact us now to see if we may be able to fight for your child.
Forceps During Delivery & Medical Malpractice
If a health care provider fails to properly use forceps and causes a preventable injury to the baby, it may be considered medical malpractice.
As C-sections become more common, many doctors now have less hands-on experience with forceps-assisted deliveries, contributing to improper use. In fact, only .5% of vaginal births involve forceps, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Forceps injuries may be considered malpractice if:
- Both a vacuum extractor and forceps are used during delivery
- Excessive pulling or twisting is used in an attempt to free the baby from the birth canal
- Forceps are used even if the mother isn’t fully dilated
- The baby is more than 6 weeks premature
- Their position can’t be determined or it looks like they won’t fit through the birth canal
- The device is incorrectly placed on the child’s head
- Unnecessary force is applied to the baby’s head
Doctors should recognize certain risk factors, like a baby measuring larger than average, that would make it safer to opt for a C-section than attempting a vaginal delivery. Failing to do so may result in preventable injuries caused by forceps.
At Sokolove Law, we have registered nurses on staff who can listen to your story and help determine if medical malpractice may have played a role in your child’s injury.
“We look for red flags, things that might not be what you'd expect as far as the labor or the delivery process. Maybe the labor took a really long time or the pushing stage took longer, or maybe there was both a vacuum and forceps used, which can be concerning.”
– Kristin Proctor, Registered Nurse with Sokolove Law
Types of Forceps Injuries to the Baby
While forceps can assist with difficult deliveries, they require skill and precision — and their misuse can have devastating consequences.
The impact of a forceps injury on a child can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the injury.
Forceps injuries to a baby may include:
- Brachial plexus injuries
- Brain bleeds
- Brain damage
- Bruises and cuts
- Cerebral palsy
- Erb’s palsy
- External eye trauma
- Facial muscle weakness or nerve damage
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Seizures
- Skull fractures
In some cases, forceps have resulted in life-altering birth injuries that cause paralysis, permanent disfigurement, lifelong disabilities, and more.
Call (800) 995-1212 now if your child was harmed by forceps. It costs nothing to speak with us and learn more about your legal options.
"The use of forceps and a loss of oxygen during our child’s delivery led to a diagnosis of CP, and our baby spent over a month in the NICU. Sokolove Law helped us secure vital resources and therapies. Their support has been crucial in improving our child’s quality of life."
– Alabama Parent & Firm Client
Birth Injury Forceps Compensation
At Sokolove Law, we’ve secured more than $1 Billion for families impacted by birth injuries, including those harmed by delivery tools like forceps.
Some of our past birth injury settlements and verdicts include:
- $10.5 Million to a Missouri family impacted by CP
- $9 Million for a family in Alaska that was denied a C-section
- $8 Million to a child in New York injured by an assisted delivery tool
- $7.8 Million for a child in Florida who experienced a birth injury
- $2.8 Million to a Georgia child with cerebral palsy
- $4.5 Million for a child in Illinois with a brachial plexus injury
- $2.75 Million to a Pennsylvania family affected by Erb’s palsy
- $4.15 Million to a child who experienced fetal distress in New Jersey
- $3.3 Million for a family in New Hampshire impacted by CP
- $5 Million to a Massachusetts child who suffered brain damage during delivery
- $9 Million for a child in Colorado with CP
Forceps injury compensation can help pay for your child’s medical care, therapies, future support like educational services, and more.
While there’s never a guarantee of compensation in any case, our forceps injury lawyers will fight hard to get you everything you’re entitled to.
Secure Justice for Your Child
If you believe your child’s injury was the result of a medical mistake, we may be able to help you get compensation before time runs out.
Who Can File a Forceps Injury Lawsuit?
The parents or guardians of a child who was harmed by an assisted delivery device may be able to seek justice and compensation by pursuing legal action.
Forceps injury lawsuit eligibility depends on whether:
- Forceps were used during your child’s delivery
- A health care provider used the forceps improperly
- Your child was injured as a result
Even if you're unsure whether medical malpractice was involved in your child’s injury, our team of nurses and birth injury attorneys can work together to investigate the situation.
We’re standing by to help you figure out the options available to you and pursue compensation that can provide your child with the care they need.
Forceps Injury Statute of Limitations
Laws called birth injury statutes of limitations determine how long you have to take legal action for a forceps injury. These deadlines vary on a state-by-state basis.
In some states, the forceps injury statute of limitations is as short as 1 year after your child has been harmed. It’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible, so you don’t miss your chance for justice.
How to File Forceps Injury Claims
At Sokolove Law, our team understands how overwhelming it can be to navigate the challenges of being a new parent — especially when the beginning of your child’s life is impacted by a serious injury.
If your child has suffered a forceps-related birth injury, our dedicated team is here to help you through every step of the legal process.
Our forceps delivery injury lawyers can:
- Determine if you may be able to take legal action during a free case review
- Collect evidence showing your child’s injury was caused by malpractice
- File your forceps injury claim before any legal deadlines
- Negotiate a birth injury settlement with the defendant(s), like the hospital, doctor, or their insurance provider
If a settlement is unable to be reached, we’re prepared to go to court and seek compensation from a trial verdict on your behalf.
Let us make the legal process as easy and stress-free as possible, so you can focus on caring for your child.
Proving Forceps Birth Medical Malpractice
It can be difficult to understand exactly what’s happening during the birthing process, and even harder to know if something went wrong due to a medical professional’s mistake.
Our on-staff nurses have decades of labor and delivery experience — and know what a safe delivery should look like. They can recognize signs of malpractice that may have played a role in your child’s forceps-assisted birth injury.
We’ll work to prove forceps birth medical malpractice by gathering:
- Medical records that document your baby’s injuries and the details of the delivery process
- Evidence of long-term health issues like developmental delays that may stem from the delivery
- Statements from experts who can evaluate whether the forceps were used appropriately and if the injuries may have been preventable
- Witness testimony from those present during the birth to provide insight into what happened
For over 45 years, Sokolove Law has fought for families impacted by preventable birth injuries. Let us put our knowledge and experience to work for you.
Call (800) 995-1212 now to find out if your family may be able to seek compensation from a forceps injury lawsuit before the deadline.
Forceps Injury Settlements vs. Verdicts
Compensation from a forceps injury lawsuit can provide financial support to families, help cover your child’s medical bills, and improve their quality of life.
Compensation from a forceps birth injury claim can come from:
- Forceps injury settlements: Most birth injury lawsuits are resolved through settlements, where your lawyer negotiates an amount of money to be paid out by the defendant. Settlements can provide families with compensation faster because you likely won’t have to go to court.
- Forceps injury verdicts: If a settlement isn’t reached, your case may go to trial, where a judge or jury will determine if malpractice occurred and how much compensation your family is owed. Verdicts can result in higher payouts — but they may take longer and carry more risk.
In one case, an Iowa child suffered a skull fracture and brain damage when a doctor used forceps to try and pull the baby from the womb. His family was awarded over $97 Million from the jury to help with lifelong medical expenses.
Our forceps injury lawyers are prepared to fight for the compensation your family deserves, whether from a birth injury lawsuit settlement or a trial verdict.
What to Look for in a Forceps Injury Lawyer
Not all attorneys are equipped to handle complex forceps injury lawsuits. It’s important to choose someone who works at a birth injury law firm with the resources needed to pursue the most compensation possible on your behalf.
Qualities of a top forceps injury lawyer include:
- Track Record of Success: We’ve secured over $1 Billion in birth injury compensation for families like yours.
- Decades of Experience: For more than 45 years, our firm has held negligent health care providers accountable and fought to make the delivery process safer for all.
- Nationwide Presence: With attorneys and offices across the country, we can help families in all 50 states seek justice after a forceps birth injury.
- No Upfront Costs: There are no hourly fees or out-of-pocket costs to work with our forceps injury lawyers. We only get paid if you do.
- On-Staff Nurses: Our registered nurses can answer any questions you may have about your child’s condition and work closely with our attorneys to build a strong case on your behalf.
“Our team talks with families to determine what happened. We work closely with our experts who will form opinions on that and then we present that evidence to whoever the defendants are in the case.”
– Ricky LeBlanc, Managing Attorney at Sokolove Law
By choosing the best forceps injury lawyer for your case, you may improve your chances of securing a successful outcome for your child.
Thousands of families have trusted Sokolove Law to seek justice on their behalf. Get a free case review now to see if we may be able to support you.
Cost of Forceps Delivery Injury Attorneys
We believe that the cost of legal representation shouldn’t stand in the way of getting justice for your child. That’s why there are no upfront costs or hourly fees to work with our forceps delivery injury attorneys.
Our team works on a contingency-fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we secure compensation on your behalf from a birth injury claim.
You and your family deserve the compensation you may be entitled to, regardless of your financial situation.
Types of Forceps for Delivery
Forceps are used to help guide a baby out of the birth canal. There are multiple types of forceps, which are designed to address specific situations during delivery.
While forceps all share four key components — blades, handles, a locking mechanism, and shanks — the situations they should be used in vary. Choosing the right type of forceps is crucial for avoiding injuries to both the mother and child.
Common types of forceps used for deliveries include:
- Kielland forceps: If the baby is in an abnormal position and needs to be rotated, these forceps are often used due to their sliding lock and shallow pelvic curve.
- Piper forceps: When a baby is in the breech position and coming out feet-first, Piper forceps are often preferred because of their longer shank and pelvic curve.
- Simpson forceps: When the baby is in a low or mid-position and their head is a cone-like shape from pressure in the birth canal, these forceps may be used.
- Tucker-Mclane or Elliot forceps: These forceps are used when the baby has a round head and is in the head-down position. They can provide extra traction if the delivery is complicated by the baby not coming out.
Rotational forceps, like the Kielland-style forceps, may increase the risk of fetal complications like shoulder dystocia, according to the National Library of Medicine.
When forceps are improperly used, they can lead to long-term complications for both the mother and child. If a health care provider fails to use the correct technique or type of forceps, it may be considered medical malpractice.
Vacuum vs. Forceps Birth
During a difficult vaginal delivery, a medical professional may use assisted delivery tools like a vacuum extractor or forceps to help move the birth along.
The choice between these tools depends on factors like the baby’s position, the stage of labor, and the doctor’s skills.
However, both assisted delivery tools carry risks:
- Forceps are designed to grip the baby’s head to help facilitate their passage through the birth canal. When excessive force is used to pull them or the forceps are in the wrong location, nerve damage, fractures, and brain injuries can occur.
- Vacuum extractors are cups placed on the baby’s head that use suction to help pull them out. These are used more frequently and are considered less invasive than forceps, but vacuum extractors may result in cephalohematomas (blood pooling under the scalp), brain damage, spinal cord injuries, and more.
Babies delivered with forceps are more likely to experience injuries to their face or skull, and mothers also face an increased risk of injury, according to the National Library of Medicine.
In many cases, the use of these assisted delivery tools could’ve been prevented if doctors had recognized the signs of a complicated delivery. Fetal distress, an abnormal heart rate, or concerns about the baby's size or positioning may indicate the need for a C-section instead.
If a health care provider failed to recognize these signs and caused a preventable injury to your baby, you may be able to file a forceps injury claim for medical malpractice.
Sokolove Law: Forceps Birth Delivery Injury Lawyers Nationwide
Dealing with a birth injury can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to face it alone. At Sokolove Law, we may be able to handle every step of the legal process for you and fight for your child.
Our forceps birth delivery injury lawyers can help families in all 50 states seek justice for harm caused by assisted delivery tools.
Over the last 45 years, we’ve secured more than $1 Billion for those impacted by birth injuries.
There are no upfront costs or hourly fees to work with our attorneys and on-staff nurses, so you can get the help you need without facing any financial risk.
Call (800) 995-1212 now or fill out our contact form to get started with a free case review.
Forceps Delivery Complication FAQs
What is a forceps delivery?
Forceps are an assisted delivery tool used in difficult deliveries when labor isn’t progressing properly. These large tongs are placed around the baby’s head to help guide them through the birth canal.
However, if a health care provider uses forceps incorrectly, with excessive force, or in a situation where a C-section would’ve been safer, it may cause injuries to the baby.
If your child was harmed by a forceps delivery, contact us now. You may be eligible for compensation from a forceps injury claim.
What are complications from forceps delivery?
Complications from a forceps delivery can cause serious and potentially permanent injuries for a child.
If the forceps are applied too forcefully or at an incorrect angle, it can cause nerve damage that results in facial paralysis or a brachial plexus injury (arm weakness or paralysis).
Skull fractures and brain damage may also be caused by excessive force during a forceps delivery, which can lead to long-term conditions like cerebral palsy.
How much do forceps injury lawyers cost?
Our forceps injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay any upfront costs or hourly fees.
Instead, we receive a percentage of any compensation we secure for your family from a birth injury settlement or verdict. If your case isn’t successful, you pay nothing.
Are forceps delivery complications caused by medical malpractice?
Yes, potentially. Complications from a forceps delivery may be caused by medical malpractice if a health care provider:
- Applies excessive force or pulls too hard on the baby
- Fails to recognize when a C-section should have been performed instead of attempting a difficult vaginal delivery
- Uses forceps in a situation when they shouldn't be used
- Selects the wrong type of forceps or places them incorrectly
When forceps are misused, it can result in severe, life-altering injuries to the baby. In these cases, you may be able to hold the doctor or hospital accountable for this negligence.
Can forceps delivery cause problems later in life?
In some cases, complications from a forceps delivery can cause problems later in life. This may occur when a severe injury from forceps, like brain damage, impacts the child’s development.
For example, cerebral palsy from a forceps injury can affect a child’s ability to walk, talk, or perform everyday tasks. Forceps delivery complications later in life may require ongoing medical care and therapy, with some children facing lifelong challenges.
Call (800) 995-1212 now to see if we can help you seek birth injury forceps compensation to help pay for your child’s care.
Can forceps cause brain damage?
Yes. When too much pressure is applied to the baby’s head with forceps, it can cause skull fractures and brain damage.
This is one of the most serious concerns associated with forceps-assisted delivery. It can result in conditions like cerebral palsy or cause other life-long impairments.
Can forceps delivery cause cerebral palsy?
A forceps delivery may cause cerebral palsy if a medical professional uses the forceps incorrectly and damages the baby’s brain.
Cerebral palsy may be caused by forceps if:
- Excessive force is applied during delivery
- Oxygen flow to the brain is restricted due to complications like umbilical cord compression
- The forceps are placed on the wrong part of the baby’s head
CP may involve permanent motor or developmental issues. For help affording your child’s care, get a free case review now to see if you may qualify for a forceps injury settlement.
Can forceps delivery cause epilepsy?
Forceps can cause trauma to the head that leads to conditions like cerebral palsy — which is often associated with an increased risk of epilepsy, according to MDPI.
Brain injuries from a forceps delivery may disturb the normal electrical activity of the brain, potentially leading to seizures.
What are forceps used for in delivery?
Doctors may use forceps to assist with delivery if the baby has difficulty passing through the birth canal. This includes if the mother is unable to push effectively, the baby is in distress, or the baby is in an awkward position.
Forceps can provide extra traction and guidance to help make the delivery process more efficient. However, proper technique and skill are needed to potentially prevent injuries.
Can forceps cause permanent damage?
Yes. When used improperly, forceps may cause permanent damage to the baby that requires ongoing medical care and support.
Permanent damage caused by forceps may include:
- Complete or partial paralysis from a spinal cord injury
- Disabilities like cerebral palsy, resulting from brain damage caused by skull fractures or brain bleeds
- Disfigurement of facial features from nerve damage
These injuries can lead to lifelong consequences, severely impacting the child’s quality of life.
Can forceps cause developmental delays?
Yes. Brain damage caused by improper forceps use may disrupt the brain’s ability to form new connections and process information, leading to delays in language development, coordination, or other cognitive functions.
In severe cases, developmental delays caused by forceps delivery complications can impact a child's ability to learn, interact socially, or lead an independent life.
What nerve injury occurs during forceps delivery?
During a forceps delivery, facial nerve palsy is a common nerve injury that may occur in a baby, according to JAMA. This happens when the forceps put pressure on the baby’s face during delivery, which can lead to facial weakness or paralysis.
In some cases, brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy may also occur. This happens when the forceps put excessive force on the baby's head or neck during delivery, stretching or damaging the nerves controlling the arms and hands.
At Sokolove Law, we can help families seek compensation for complications caused by forceps during delivery. Call (800) 995-1212 now to learn more about your options for free.
Can forceps cause spinal injury?
Yes. If a baby is in a difficult position, doctors may use forceps in an attempt to rotate the child. However, this twisting motion may result in traumatic spinal injuries, impacting the child’s ability to move or grow.
If spinal damage occurs due to medical malpractice, families may be entitled to seek justice and compensation for the care their child requires.
Why did they stop using forceps?
Forceps have slowly phased out of childbirth practice and are now used in only .5% of cases in the United States. C-sections are a more common option for difficult births because they qualify under the exact same circumstances and are proven to be safer, according to Science Daily.
Forceps deliveries require a high level of skill and experience, but many doctors don’t have sufficient training with this assisted delivery tool. As a result, their lack of experience can increase the risk of serious injuries to both the mother and baby.
Which complication may occur in the infant after forceps delivery?
Complications that may occur in infants after a forceps delivery include:
- Brain damage, which may cause conditions like cerebral palsy
- Cuts and bruises
- Nerve damage or paralysis, like facial nerve palsy, brachial plexus palsy, and Erb’s palsy
- Skull fractures or brain bleeds
If your child was injured during a forceps delivery, Sokolove Law is here to help your family seek justice and compensation. Contact us now to see if we can fight for everything your child deserves.
