Common Birth Injuries in Boston, MA
No parent should ever experience the trauma of learning their baby has suffered an injury during birth. Making matters even worse is that many of these injuries could have been prevented.
A birth injury refers to any injury that a child suffers before, during, or shortly after delivery. These injuries can vary in severity. More serious birth injuries can lead to permanent disabilities and a lifetime of care.
While it’s difficult to find exact stats since many birth injury cases go undiagnosed, it’s estimated that 1 out of 143 babies will be injured at birth each year in the United States. According to the Massachusetts Center for Birth Defects Research & Prevention, about 1,300 children are born with birth defects across the state each year. In 2015, 575 of those children with defects were born in Boston.
There are many different types of birth injuries, including:
- Cephalohematoma: When blood accumulates between the baby’s scalp and skull
- Cerebral palsy: Refers to a group of disorders that can affect a baby’s nervous system and brain
- Erb’s palsy: Occurs when the brachial plexus nerves near the shoulder are damaged; this is often caused by a doctor forcibly removing a baby whose shoulders are lodged in the birth canal
- Facial nerve injuries or paralysis: Delivery with forceps can often lead to nerve damage, which can lead to a loss of motion on the affected side
- Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): Occurs when the baby’s brain doesn’t get enough blood or oxygen — in many cases because the umbilical cord wraps around the fetus
- Injuries to the brain or brain damage
- Intracranial hemorrhage: Any sort of head injury during birth can lead to intracranial hemorrhage or a “brain bleed," which can damage brain tissue and lead to significant neurological problems as the baby grows
- Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL): Typically affecting babies born prematurely, PVL develops due to sudden changes in the amount of blood that flows through small, fluid-filled parts of the brain known as ventricles
- Skull and/or bone fractures: Instruments used during delivery can result in skull and collarbone fractures
- Spinal cord injuries
- Untreated jaundice
What many parents don’t realize, however, is that the injury their child suffered could have been caused by a medical professional’s error or failure to properly respond to a situation.
Examples of Medical Malpractice & Birth Injuries
Sadly, in many cases, a birth injury occurs due to a medical mistake, which is known as medical malpractice.
When a doctor or health care provider causes a patient harm by not following accepted standards of care, it’s known as medical negligence, another common cause of birth injuries.
Some of the errors medical professionals can make that cause birth injuries include:
- Failing to spot issues prior to delivery, such as a prolapsed or compressed umbilical cord
- Improperly using medical equipment during delivery, like forceps or vacuum extractors
- Not performing a C-section (cesarean section) when the situation calls for the procedure
- Not responding to signs of distress or other complications in a timely manner
- Not spotting the signs of an infection before it leads to complications
At Sokolove Law, we have a team of registered nurses on staff with decades of labor and delivery experience who can help parents understand if medical malpractice or negligence may be responsible for their child’s condition.
Sokolove Law has registered nurses on staff who can listen to your story and help you understand what may have happened.
Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form to speak with our nurses today. There’s no cost to speak with our team.
How Can a Birth Injury Lawyer in Boston Help?
As a national birth injury law firm, Sokolove Law has decades of experience helping parents across the country pursue compensation for the injuries their children suffered.
If you have a case, our birth injury attorneys in Boston can take care of every step of the legal process — at no out-of-pocket cost to you or your family. This includes gathering the evidence needed to prove your case as well as filing the birth injury lawsuit within any state-specific time limits.
During our investigation into your child’s injury, your legal team will work to show that a birth injury led to your child’s current condition and that the injury could have been prevented with proper medical care.
Let us handle the legal legwork for you. Call (800) 995-1212 or fill out our contact form today to get started.
Pursuing Birth Injury Settlements in Boston, MA
At Sokolove Law, our birth injury attorneys have recovered over $962 Million in settlements and verdicts for families affected by birth injuries.
Most birth injury cases are settled, which means that the plaintiffs (your legal team) and the defendants (the hospital, doctors, and insurance company) agreed to an amount of money for the injuries in the case. Settlements usually can allow families to receive compensation more quickly than if the case proceeds to trial in court, where there’s no guarantee of results.
Labor and delivery malpractice settlements are determined by a variety of unique factors in each case, including:
- The severity of the birth injury
- Current and future medical expenses (for medications, hospital or doctor visits, related therapies, etc.)
- Home or car modifications
- Resident care or caregivers
- Related expenses (like mobility aids and other assistive equipment)
If a birth injury settlement can’t be reached, your case may proceed to court, where a judge and jury can hear your case and decide an outcome. Although most cases settle, we’re prepared to fight on your behalf in court as well.
Sokolove Law Has Served Boston & New England as a Birth Injury Law Firm
In 1979, Jim Sokolove founded Sokolove Law in Boston. One of his goals was to help families of children with birth injuries get the justice and compensation they deserve. Sokolove Law has become a nationwide firm because of Jim's determination and vision.
We help people from all walks of life, including those of different races, genders, and economic statuses, pursue birth injury claims. We provide free legal case evaluations to our clients and have a team of dedicated professionals working on your case, including a Boston birth injury attorney, paralegal, and nurse case manager.
You and your family matter to us. Let us fight for you.
Here are some helpful topics on Birth Injuries:
Our Boston Office Location
44 School Street, Suite 400,
Boston, MA 02108
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Sokolove Law Affiliations and Recognition
Our Professional Affiliations
- American Association of Justice
- Massachusetts State Bar Association (Located in Boston, MA)
Recognition
- National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Trial Lawyers
- Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys
- Top 10 Asbestos & Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers
- U.S. News & World Report - 2022 Best Law Firms / Best Lawyers
- Martindale-Hubbell - 2022 Peer-Reviewed for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability
Sokolove Law Local Reviews
- Better Business Bureau® (BBB) - A+ Rating since 2013
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Local Service Areas
Wherever you are, we're ready to work with you and serve you!
- Boston
- Brockton
- Brookline
- Cambridge
- Chicopee
- Fall River
- Framingham
- Haverhill
- Lawrence
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- Lynn
- Malden
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- Newton
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- Plymouth
- Quincy
- Revere
- Somerville
- Springfield
- Taunton
- Waltham
- Weymouth
- Worcester
- And more
List of Boston Hospitals and their Safety Grades
Boston Hospital Safety Ratings
There are 10 major hospitals located in or very near Boston. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a letter grade that scores hospitals based on how well they protect patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
When compared to an A-rated hospital, your chance of dying increases by 35% in a B-rated hospital and 88% in a C-rated hospital. This research was conducted at the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
List of Boston Hospitals and Their Grades
- Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114
Hospital Safety Grade: A
- Tufts Medical Center
800 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111-1552
Hospital Safety Grade: A
- Boston Medical Center
1 Boston Medical Center Place
Boston, MA 02118-2908
Hospital Safety Grade: B
- CHA Cambridge Hospital
1493 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139-1099
Hospital Safety Grade: C
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
330 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA 02215-5491
Hospital Safety Grade: B
- Brigham And Women's Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115-6110
Hospital Safety Grade: A
- CHA Everett Hospital
103 Garland Street
Everett, MA 02149
Hospital Safety Grade: B
- Mount Auburn Hospital
330 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Hospital Safety Grade: A
- St. Elizabeth's Medical Center
736 Cambridge Street
Brighton, MA 02135-2997
Hospital Safety Grade: B
- Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital
1153 Centre Street
Boston, MA 02130-3400
Hospital Safety Grade: A
Boston Neighborhoods We Serve
- Allston-Brighton
- Back Bay
- Beacon Hill/West End
- Charlestown
- Chinatown
- Dorchester
- Downtown Boston
- East Boston
- Fenway-Kenmore
- Hyde Park
- Jamaica Plain
- Mattapan
- Mission Hill
- North End
- Roslindale
- Roxbury
- South Boston
- South End/Bay Village
- West Roxbury
Boston Zip Codes We Serve
- 02108
- 02109
- 02110
- 02111
- 02112
- 02113
- 02114
- 02115
- 02116
- 02117
- 02118
- 02119
- 02120
- 02121
- 02122
- 02123
- 02124
- 02125
- 02126
- 02127
- 02128
- 02129
- 02130
- 02131
- 02132
- 02133
- 02134
- 02135
- 02136
- 02137
- 02163
- 02196
- 02199
- 02201
- 02203
- 02204
- 02205
- 02206
- 02210
- 02211
- 02212
- 02215
- 02217
- 02222
- 02241
- 02283
- 02284
- 02293
- 02297
- 02298
Cities Surrounding Boston
- Arlington, MA
- Belmont, MA
- Brookline, MA
- Cambridge, MA
- Chelsea, MA
- Everett, MA
- Malden, MA
- Medford, MA
- Melrose, MA
- Milton, MA
- Revere, MA
- Somerville, MA
- Watertown, MA
- Winchester, MA
- Winthrop, MA
- Worcester, MA
