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Have you experienced a birth injury? We can help. 

Call us at 216.621.2300

When a healthcare provider’s negligence causes a developmental delay, life-long disability, or any other type of birth injury to your baby, you’re devastated. Beyond that, the medical expenses associated with caring for an injured child only add to the cost of having a baby.

You shouldn’t have to take on the emotional and financial hardship of a birth injury alone—especially when it’s the result of someone else’s wrongdoing. An Ohio birth injury attorney at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy can help you get the compensation you need to care for your child.

If you’re worried about missing your chance to take legal action, know that it’s not too late. In Ohio, our “tolling law” means you have until your child turns 19 years old to pursue compensation for your birth injury case.

Call us today at (216) 621-2300 or complete a free consultation form.

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What Our Clients Say

  • “Thanks to you and all your wonderful people in the office. Be assured you will be highly recommended by my family. We appreciate all you did for us.”

    Former Client

  • “They were patient with my questions and explained the legal process when I was in unfamiliar territory. Their empathy and understanding equaled their legal expertise. I cannot imagine a finer team.”

    Former Client

Why File a Birth Injury Claim?

Raising a healthy child is expensive. But, when you’re raising a child who sustained a birth injury, you have additional medical expenses for rehabilitation, therapy, and even life-long, daily care. The cost can be overwhelming.

You shouldn’t be left with the burden of medical expenses when someone else’s actions caused your child’s injuries. The Cleveland birth injury lawyers at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy are here to hold the person responsible for your or your child’s injuries financially accountable.

Available Compensation for Birth Injury Victims

If a doctor or other healthcare provider caused your or your child’s injuries, you may be able to collect damages—or financial compensation—to help cover the costs of:

  • Daily Care
    Your expenses may include medical treatment, nursing care, handicapped vehicles, housing needs, and more.
  • Loss of Earnings Capacity
    Many children who sustain birth injuries are unable to work or will have difficulty working when they become adults.
  • Pain and Suffering
    Children with birth injuries often endure pain and disability.

The Statute of Limitations

Birth injury cases are unique in that their statute of limitations—or allotted time victims have to file for damages after injuries—gives minors and their families a longer time to file a claim than with most personal injury cases involving adults.

You Need an Attorney with Experience in Birth Injury Cases

Birth injury cases are some of the most sensitive and costly legal battles any attorney will face. Evaluating the painstaking details of your doctor’s actions to try and determine who or what is responsible for your child’s condition is challenging.

At Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy, we have several attorneys who have years of experience handling birth injury cases, including Bill JacobsonJonathan MesterPamela Pantages.

Our law firm has been helping injured victims for more than 90 years, and we have the knowledge of the law and the necessary resources to handle your case. The birth injury attorneys at our firm have helped many families like yours, and we can help you, too. Call (216) 621-2300 or complete a free initial consultation form to contact our legal team now.

How Our Cleveland Birth Injury Lawyers Handle These Case

Because birth injury cases are often associated with medical negligence—or a healthcare provider’s failure to exercise reasonable care—it’s important that we carefully prepare and evaluate your medical records before your case is filed.

Even if you think that your actions as a mother were partially responsible for the injury, you shouldn’t feel discouraged—you still have legal rights. Contact an Ohio birth injury lawyer at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy today to find out if you may have a case. Call (216) 621-2300 or complete a free initial consultation form.

Understanding the Birth Injury Claim Process

When the legal team at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy is investigating and preparing your case, we will:

  1. Obtain Medical Records.
    In order for a birth injury lawyer to obtain your and your child’s medical records, you will have to sign a medical authorization form that gives us access to those records
  2. Evaluate the Medical Records.
    Once the medical records are in our possession, we will read and review your prenatal records and your child’s records and look for any evidence that the injuries you or your child suffered could have been prevented.
  3. Consult Experts
    After reviewing the medical records, our law firm will seek the professional opinions of medical experts, such as nurses, obstetricians, pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, economists, life-care planners, and others.

Elements We Look for to Win a Birth Injury Case

If the evidence we collect during the investigation and preparation process shows that you have a strong case, your birth injury attorney will file a claim on your behalf. In order to prove that negligence was a factor in your case, we must show that:

  • The doctor handling the delivery failed to meet the standard of care as another reasonable doctor in that situation would.
  • Because of the doctor’s actions or failure to act, the mother or baby sustained an injury.

Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy has investigated and pursued many birth injury cases, and we know all the factors that can establish whether negligence caused injury to you or your child.

Common Birth Injuries

Some of the most common birth injuries are also the most life-altering and long term. Here are just a few of the most common birth injuries.

Cerebral Palsy

  • brain bleeding,
  • brain infections,
  • head injuries,
  • in-utero exposure to mothers’ infections,
  • or severe jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Symptoms of cerebral palsy include:

  • abnormal gait (limb movement),
  • abnormal motor movements,
  • lack of coordination,
  • lack of intelligence,
  • muscle weakness,
  • seizures,
  • speech problems,
  • tight muscles and joints,
  • tremors,
  • and more.

Erb’s Palsy (Brachial Palsy)

The bundle of nerves surrounding the shoulders is known as the brachial plexus. When these nerves are stretched during birth, it can cause Brachial palsy—or Erb’s palsy. This disorder results from trauma during the birthing process, often as the result of improper treatment of a shoulder dystocia (a condition that occurs when one or both of a baby’s shoulders get stuck inside their mother’s pelvis during labor).

Symptoms of a brachial plexus injury in newborns include:

  • flexed arm, held tight to the affected side of the body,
  • lack of movement in upper or lower arm or hand,
  • no Moro-reflex (startle response) on the affected side of the body,
  • and poor grip on the affected side of the body.

Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)

Often the result of asphyxia during traumatic births, HIE is a life-threatening brain injury that can lead to severe complications, including:

  • low blood pressure,
  • damage to other organs (kidneys, heart, liver) caused by low blood pressure,
  • seizures,
  • coma,
  • stroke,
  • hypotonia and muscle weakness,
  • difficulty feeding,
  • and apnea.

Conditions That Can Cause Birth Injuries

Giving birth is one of life’s most exciting and wonderful moments, but it is also a very delicate and precarious time for mother and baby. If complications arise during delivery, they must be handled carefully to ensure the health and safety of mothers and infants.

  • Uterine Rupture
    When the wall of the uterus tears during childbirth, this condition is known as uterine rupture. If the tear extends through the entire uterine wall, the results can be fatal for both the mother and child. Uterine rupture typically occurs early in the labor process and can be detected and avoided by constant monitoring of the birthing process.
  • Shoulder Dystocia
    If an infant is too large for the mother’s pelvis or is in an abnormal position during birth, one of the shoulders may become caught during delivery. This condition is known as shoulder dystocia and can result in nerve damage, including Erb’s palsy, if not properly managed.

To learn more about even more about these and other birth injury causes, here are some other helpful resources:

If you believe that you or your child is suffering from a birth injury that was caused by the negligence of your healthcare provider, our Cleveland birth injury lawyers can help you get the compensation you need to cover the costs of medical expenses.

Our legal team will consult medical experts, such as nurses, obstetricians, pediatricians, pediatric neurologists, and more, to help you determine what happened and how your child’s life will be affected.

Contact us today—we have more than 90 years of experience fighting for the rights of injured Ohioans, and we’re ready to help you, too.