Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyer Attorneys

Our Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyers Will Get You Justice

Having a baby should be a joyous occasion. Unfortunately, when medical negligence causes a birth injury, the consequences can be devastating for the entire family. As leading birth injury lawyers in Pittsburgh, Munley Law is dedicated to providing support and representation to families affected during the difficult time following a birth injury. We understand the suffering and loss a family can experience when a child is injured during birth due to medical negligence. Our attorneys are experienced in working with families to seek justice for the wrongs that occurred.

At Munley Law, our Pittsburgh personal injury lawyers are committed to providing personalized representation to each client we serve. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge and experience handling birth injury cases. We can provide you with the resources and legal guidance you need to seek justice. We understand the emotional and financial toll that a birth injury can have on a family, and we are here to help you.

While no amount of compensation can undo the harm caused by a birth injury, an award of financial support from the negligent party can ensure you have the funds to provide the care your child needs throughout his or her lifetime.

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What Is a Birth Injury?

A birth injury is a physical illness or injury caused by a medical professional to an infant or mother at any point during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. When it is the result of negligence, it is a kind of medical malpractice. This is sometimes known as medical negligence. A birth injury can be caused by the negligence of any medical professional involved in the birth of a child. This could include your obstetrician, midwife, nurse, and anesthesiologist.

Birth injuries can occur during labor and delivery, or can be caused by complications during pregnancy and can cause a wide variety of problems for a newborn. Common causes of birth injuries include:

Lack of oxygen. Any action or inaction that causes oxygen not to reach the baby can cause injury. This could include compression or prolapse of the umbilical cord before or during birth.
Physical trauma caused by improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
Failure to monitor. When a mother and her baby are not properly monitored during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, a birth injury can occur. The most common mistakes are related to monitoring the baby’s heart rate during labor and delivery, which can lead to the death of the baby.
Delaying or failing to perform a Cesarean section
Failure to timely perform necessary interventions
Failure to order or perform sufficient prenatal testing
Failure to detect fetal distress
Failure to address other issues during pregnancy or labor that might put the infant in danger
Infection or sepsis after birth

Pittsburgh birth injury lawyer working at her computer

What Are the Types of Birth Injuries?

Birth injuries can result in long-term medical problems for the baby or the mother, or both. The most common consequences of birth injuries include:

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder caused by damage to the brain. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can include difficulty with movement, balance, coordination, and reflexes.
Erb’s palsy is a condition caused by damage to the nerves in the neck. Symptoms of Erb’s palsy can include limited movement or feeling in the arm and hand, as well as weakness in the muscles.
A brachial plexus injury is caused by damage to the nerves in the neck that control the movement of the arm. Symptoms of a brachial plexus injury can include weakness in the arm, as well as a lack of feeling and movement.
Traumatic brain injury during delivery, which could be permanent.
Fracture of the infant’s bones during delivery, in particular the collarbone.
Hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain or other organs. Lack of oxygen can result in cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, developmental issues, and hearing/vision impairments. One common type of hypoxia is Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE).

At Munley Law, our attorneys have extensive experience handling birth injury cases in Pittsburgh. We can help you understand the potential causes of your child’s birth injury and what your rights are. We understand the complexities of birth injury cases and are here to provide you with the legal guidance and support you need.

If you or your child has suffered a birth injury, contact us today to learn more about your legal options. We are here to help you seek justice and compensation for the wrongs your family has suffered. Call us today for a free consultation.

What Are the Consequences of Birth Injuries?

The consequences of birth injuries range from minor to severe. Some, such as bruising, resolve on their own without medical intervention. But others can have long-lasting and life-altering effects. Children injured during birth may experience these consequences:

Paralysis
Physical disabilities
Developmental disabilities
Educational disabilities
Blindness
Lack of coordination
Breathing problems

Because of these consequences, a child who suffered a birth injury may require special care and services throughout life. This could include assistive devices such as wheelchairs or breathing apparatus, surgery, medications, special education services, and personal attendants.

These special services and needs can be costly. That’s one reason why a birth injury case can be so important following a birth injury. No amount of money will undo the harm suffered, but sufficient funds can allow a family to provide the best possible care and life for their child.

Each case is different and no one can tell you what compensation you will receive in a birth injury claim until the facts and circumstances of the injuries have been fully investigated. But there are general categories of compensation that are available in birth injury cases. These include economic damages, such as compensation for medical treatment, occupational therapy, diminished earning power, adaptive technology, home modifications, and in-home care. You may also be entitled to non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, altered quality of life, and more. In rare instances, punitive damages may be imposed.

How Do I Know if I Have Pittsburgh Birth Injury Claim?

Not all birth injuries are caused by medical negligence. Sometimes, complications arise during pregnancy, labor, and delivery even though your medical team does everything they can in a timely manner. And sometimes those complications lead to birth injuries even though there is no negligence. In other words, birth injuries are not always preventable.

But, if you suspect your doctor or other medical professional failed to adequately address your concerns or complications, or otherwise made a decision that adversely affected your or your child’s health, you should speak with an experienced birth injury lawyer.

If you think your baby’s medical problem may have been caused by an injury during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, contact the experienced birth injury lawyers at Munley Law for a free consultation. We can assess your case and help you determine the best course of action.

How Long Do I Have to File a Pittsburgh Birth Injury Claim?

Most claims for medical negligence must be filed within two years. However, this is not true for birth injury cases. It can take time for the consequences of a birth injury to develop. Because of this, you or your child have until your child turns 21 years of age to file a lawsuit for the birth injury.

This is important because only some birth injuries are immediately diagnosed after birth. Others take months or years to identify and may not be diagnosed until a child misses developmental milestones.

If your child has developmental delays that are diagnosed as a form of cerebral palsy or other disorder caused by a birth injury, you may have a claim. A birth injury lawyer can help determine if medical negligence is to blame.

How Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyers Can Help You and Your Family

Like all medical malpractice cases, birth injury cases are complicated. But the experienced birth injury lawyers of Munley Law handle all aspects of your case so you can focus on taking care of your family. We thoroughly investigate what happened. We consult with medical experts. We interview witnesses and review medical reports. With this information, we are able to build the best possible case to prove your child’s injuries were caused by medical negligence so you can receive the compensation you and your family deserve.

We negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf to reach a settlement. And if a settlement cannot be reached, we will advocate for you in court so you receive the maximum compensation available.

How to Prove Negligence in Birth Injury Cases

In order to recover compensation in a birth injury lawsuit, you must prove that medical professionals acted negligently and that negligence caused the birth injury your child suffered.

This means your attorneys will need to prove the following:

Duty – Medical professionals have a legal responsibility to protect their patients from harm. In medical malpractice, including birth injury cases, this is established by showing that a doctor-patient relationship existed. A doctor-patient relationship exists between a patient and any healthcare professional responsible for administering their care. This means your obstetrician, the doctor on call, nurses taking care of you and your baby, midwives, anesthesiologists, and others owe you and your baby a duty of care.
Breach – Medical professionals breach their duty to protect the patient when they do not adhere to the acceptable standard of care in their profession.
Injury – Your attorney will need to show not only that the medical professional was negligent, but that the negligence caused the injury. In other words, you must prove that your child’s injury occurred as a direct result of the actions or inaction of the medical professionals.
Damages – You must also prove that the injury caused physical and financial harm. Your birth injury lawyer will need to show not only that your child was harmed, but that your child and your family suffered specific damages as a result of the injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How Do I Know If I Have a Valid Birth Injury Case?

To determine if you have a valid birth injury case, you should consult with the experienced birth injury lawyers at Munley Law. We will evaluate the facts of your case and advise you on your legal options, in a free, no-obligation consultation. If your baby suffered an injury during the labor and delivery process that was caused by the negligence of a medical professional, you may have a valid birth injury claim.

Q: Do I Need a Lawyer If My Child Suffered a Birth Injury?

Yes. If malpractice caused your child’s birth injury, you and your child deserve compensation for your costs and suffering. And, the negligent doctor or another medical professional should be held accountable. Unfortunately, getting the compensation you deserve can be difficult. It requires investigation, negotiation, and possibly going to court.

Hospitals and medical professionals, as well as their insurance companies, have experienced lawyers who will try to settle for as little money as possible. But because many birth injuries cause life-long and serious disabilities, the costs to care for your child may be enormous. An experienced lawyer will fight the legal battle to get the maximum compensation available so you can focus on giving your newborn child the love and care they deserve.

Q: How Much Does It Cost to Hire Our Pittsburgh Birth Injury Lawyers?

At Munley Law, we understand that medical negligence causes not only physical injuries but financial hardship too. While you and your family are dealing with traumatic injuries, you also may incur expensive medical bills and may be unable to work. The last thing you need is financial stress.

That’s why Munley Law works on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing upfront. We will pay all of the costs of your case upfront out of our own pocket. Our fee will be a percentage of the compensation we are able to recover for you, either in a settlement or a verdict in court. And we won’t be paid a penny if we don’t win for you. And our initial consultation is always free.

Q: How Do I Choose a Birth Injury Lawyer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

When choosing a birth injury lawyer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you should look for an attorney with experience handling birth injury cases, a track record of success, and a commitment to providing personalized attention and compassionate support to their clients. You should also consider their fee structure and whether they offer free consultations or contingency fee arrangements.

Munley Law Can Help

For more than 60 years, our Pittsburgh personal injury lawyer has been successfully helping people throughout the Pittsburgh region get the compensation they deserve after a birth injury. We are committed to providing personal attention and compassionate support to our clients, especially during the difficult time following a birth injury.

Munley Law will fight on your behalf to make sure you and your family get the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries. We want you to be able to focus on getting well, providing for your baby, and moving forward in the best way possible.

Call us for a free, confidential consultation. You can also chat live with us or reach us using our online contact form. There is no fee for our services unless we win your case.

Types of Pittsburgh Personal Injury Claims We Handle

There are many different types of personal injury cases. When choosing a Pittsburgh injury lawyer to represent you, it’s important to find someone who has handled cases like yours. Munley Law has successfully secured compensation for victims of the following types of personal injury cases:

Do I Have A Case?

If you think you may have a personal injury case, contact us now for a FREE consultation.

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys

510 Third Avenue
2nd Floor,
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
+14125345133