At Munley Law, our Allentown birth injury lawyers are dedicated to advocating for families affected by medical negligence during childbirth. Our team combines in-depth medical knowledge with legal expertise to build strong cases against negligent healthcare providers. We are committed to securing the compensation your family needs to cover ongoing medical care, therapy, and support services.
Munley Law has won over $1 billion in settlements to date, including medical malpractice verdicts worth $5 million, $4.35 million, and $3.5 million. All our birth injury attorneys are members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the American Association for Justice, and have received honors from Best Lawyers, with Marion Munley being named Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law and Personal Injury Litigation. Our partners have also been recognized as Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania, and Caroline Munley has been named one of the Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
Contact the birth injury attorneys at Munley Law today to schedule a free consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case.
What Are The Common Types of Birth Injuries in Allentown?
Many infant birth injuries can be direct results of medical negligence, either during the pregnancy, labor, delivery, or even after the birth itself. For instance, a doctor or medical professional may forget to run important tests, consult with the family, or fail to recognize the signs of fetal distress.
Common injuries sustained by the infant during childbirth include:
Brachial Palsy: Brachial palsy is a common outcome when the mother and infant experience shoulder dystocia during delivery. Brachial palsy occurs when shoulder dystocia damages the nerve bundle called the brachial plexus, which are the nerves that control shoulder, arm, hand, and finger movements. In many cases, brachial palsy is reversible, though in more severe cases, the damage to the infant is permanent.
Cerebral Palsy: Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that can impact a person’s movement, balance, and posture. It often occurs when the baby is stuck in the birth canal or behind the pelvis, which can result in the oxygen supply being cut off. Cerebral palsy has no cure, making this diagnosis a lifelong commitment of care for the parents and children. According to the Centers for Disease Control, around 1 in every 345 children is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, with as many as 8,000 to 10,000 new infants diagnosed each year.
Bone Fractures: The infant can experience bone fractures during delivery and labor. The most commonly affected bones are the collarbone and the clavicle, accounting for up to 3.2% of all neonatal bone fractures. Although the breaks can be painful, infants recover quickly as their bones grow.
Facial Paralysis: When the nerves controlling one side of the baby’s face are damaged as they leave the birth canal, facial paralysis can result. This is often noticed when the baby cries, but only one side of its face moves. If the nerves are bruised, this condition can quickly reverse in weeks. In more severe cases, the child may be paralyzed for life.
Brain Damage: There are a few different brain injuries that infants can sustain during either labor or delivery, and they can range from a brain bleed to cerebral hemorrhages, subarachnoid hemorrhages, and perinatal asphyxia, which can cause permanent damage, like comas, seizures, and cognitive dysfunctions. In the US, birth asphyxia and subsequent brain damage affect between 1 and 3 of every 1,000 live births, and about one-third of infants who suffer from moderate or severe birth asphyxia go on to develop cerebral palsy.
“At Munley Law, our mission is simple: to provide all injury victims equal access to justice, even against the most powerful entities. For more than 65 years, we have been the voice for the injured, the forgotten, and those who need someone to stand beside them in their darkest hour.”
Marion Munley
Call us at (844) 686-5397 Can I Sue For a Birth Injury?
Birth injuries are devastating. You are likely entitled to compensation if you suspect your injury was caused by medical negligence or medical malpractice. Medical bills can add up quickly, so seeking compensation may help alleviate some financial pressure on your family during this difficult time.
If you decide you want to move forward with litigation, it is recommended that you reach out to an experienced birth accident lawyer. Although you may feel that your claim is straightforward, hospitals and insurance companies will put a series of obstacles in your way, making it challenging to receive the compensation you deserve. Hiring an experienced birth injury accident lawyer will help you navigate the claims process and be instrumental in winning you the outcome you deserve.
We invite you to contact us today for a complimentary consultation. Our experienced legal staff will help you develop a tailored strategy for your case. The first step is figuring out on what grounds you will be suing and which party you will be suing. Below are a few common lawsuits our personal injury attorneys in Allentown help our birth accident clients file:
- Compensation for medical expenses
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Disfigurement, specific loss, and scarring
- Disability and lost wages
Regardless of what type of lawsuit you file, the foundation of your case will be proving medical malpractice or medical negligence. To prove this, you’ll need to show the following:
- Duty of care: You must prove that the medical provider owed you, the plaintiff, the duty of care. Essentially, you will need to show that you entered into a doctor-patient relationship with the medical provider on trial.
- Breach of duty of care: After establishing that the medical provider did owe you the duty of care, you will need to show how the duty of care was violated. For medical malpractice cases, this is often demonstrated by showing that the medical provider acted carelessly or negligently.
- Harm as a result of breach: In short, you need to show that the doctor’s negligence negatively affected you or the infant. More than just demonstrating you or your infant was harmed, you need to establish the causal link between the doctor’s actions and your suffering.
It is also important to note that there is a two-year statute of limitations. In most cases, this means that you will have two years from the date of the birth injury to file your lawsuit. Although this may seem like a long time, the claims process can be long and drawn out. It is therefore essential to contact an experienced birth injury lawyer as soon as you can.
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How Often Do Birth Injuries Occur in Allentown?
It’s widely acknowledged that childbirth is one of the most challenging things women face in their lifetimes. Each year, childbirth claims the lives of roughly 800 women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although childbirth is challenging for the mothers, it certainly is not smooth sailing for the infant either. In fact, the Commonwealth Fund’s 2025 Maternal Mortality in the US report found that states with higher maternal death rates tend to have higher infant mortality rates as well.
Infants can be harmed during the labor process if there are complications with the delivery. Some common complications that can arise when an infant is delivered include umbilical cord issues (when the infant is trapped or held improperly by the cord), asphyxiation due to low oxygen levels in the mother’s blood, or even shoulder dystocia, where the infant’s shoulders are trapped in the mother. In fact, the CDC has found that about one in every seven infants suffers from an injury during birth.
As a mother, the last thing you want is for your child to be injured during the delivery process. After nine months of pregnancy, you have cared for your baby as best you could. When it is time for delivery, you just want to cross the finish line; you are so close to having the child join your family. By choosing to deliver your baby in a hospital, you are trusting that the medical professionals managing your care will care for your child to the fullest of their abilities. A birth injury, therefore, is the last thing you may have anticipated.
How Our Allentown Birth Injury Lawyer Can Help
Munley Law has over 250 combined years of experience litigating personal injury claims. Our track record in this field is highly successful. In fact, many of our attorneys have won multi-million-dollar settlement outcomes for our clients. Accordingly, this has won many of our attorneys entry into the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of trial lawyers who have all won, at a minimum, million-dollar outcomes for their clients.
All of our partners have also been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers Association and named to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania list. Additionally, Caroline Munley has been named to the Top 25 Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania and Top 25 Women Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania lists. All five partners hold AV Preeminent Ratings from Martindale-Hubbell and have been featured in the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list, with Marion Munley also named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list. Eight of our attorneys are featured as Super Lawyers, with Marion Munley listed as a Top 10 Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania, a Top 100 Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania, and a Top 50 Women Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania.
Our lawyers have all been honored by Best Lawyers, including Marion Munley named Lawyer of the Year for Product Liability Litigation, Medical Malpractice Law, and Personal Injury Litigation, and our firm named one of the Best Law Firms in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Allentown Birth Injuries
What is The Rate of Birth Injuries in Allentown, PA, in 2025?
While the specific rate of birth injuries in Allentown has not been released, the injury rate across the United States sits at between 6 and 8 out of 1,000 births, affecting as many as 30,000 infants each year.
What Are the Signs of Birth Injuries to Look For?
The Cleveland Clinic recommends looking for signs of birth injuries such as visible issues like swelling, bruising, or discoloration on your newborn’s skin; a lack of movement in certain parts of the face or body; crying and agitation; and hoarseness and loud breathing while crying. If you notice these signs, speak to a neonatal healthcare provider immediately, and contact your birth injury lawyer for advice should an injury be discovered.
What is the Difference Between a Birth Injury and a Birth Defect?
A birth injury is physical harm that occurs during labor, delivery, or shortly after birth, often due to medical negligence or complications during the birthing process. A birth defect, on the other hand, is a condition that develops during pregnancy due to genetic factors, environmental exposures, or unknown causes. While birth defects are typically not preventable by medical staff, many birth injuries are preventable with proper medical care.
Who Can Be Held Liable For a Birth Injury?
Multiple parties may be liable depending on the circumstances, including obstetricians, midwives, nurses, anesthesiologists, pediatricians, hospitals, and birthing centers. Liability requires proving that a healthcare provider deviated from the accepted standard of care and that this deviation directly caused the injury. Pennsylvania allows claims against multiple defendants if more than one party contributed to the harm, such as the obstetrician and the hospital.
How Long Do I Have to File a Birth Injury Lawsuit in Allentown?
Pennsylvania’s statute of limitations for medical malpractice is generally two years from the date of injury. However, for birth injuries to minors, the rules are different. A child typically has until their 20th birthday to file a claim (two years after turning 18). There’s also a discovery rule that may extend the deadline if the injury wasn’t immediately apparent. Because these cases are complex, consulting a birth injury attorney in Allentown as soon as possible is advisable to preserve evidence and witness testimony.
Contact Munley Law’s Allentown Birth Injury Lawyers
Munley Law is proud to call Allentown our home. We are deeply entrenched in the Allentown and Scranton metro areas, and we are proud to be able to serve these communities by representing them in the courts of law. Please reach out to us today for your free consultation. We look forward to using our decades of experience to win you and your family an outcome that you deserve.
Marion Munley
Marion Munley has been practicing personal injury law for nearly 40 years. She is triple board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy for Truck Accident Law, Civil Trial Law, and Civil Practice Advocacy. She currently serves as Vice President of the American Association for Justice, an organization dedicated to safeguarding victims’ rights. Marion has won many multimillion-dollar recoveries for her clients, including one of the largest trucking accident settlements in history. She has been named a Top 10 Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania since 2023, a Best Lawyer in America, and was recently inducted to the Lawdragon Hall of Fame.
Reviewed by Bernadine Munley, Esq., Personal Injury Attorney at Munley Law, on January 12, 2026.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
609 Hamilton St.
Allentown, PA 18101
(610) 857-7424
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