Ohio Neonatal Injury Lawyer

Learn more about how our Cleveland law firm can help your family

Injuries to newborn children (known as neonatal injuries in the medical field) often occur in hospitals and other medical facilities. In an instant, your newborn baby can sustain a serious injury that can affect them for the rest of their life.

Worst of all, many birth injuries involving infants occur due to negligence. Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals sometimes make mistakes that result in preventable birth injuries. When that happens, families should consider taking steps to hold the at-fault party accountable for their actions. Otherwise, they might be forced to pay for their medical bills and other injury-related expenses out of their own pockets.

If your child sustained an injury soon after they were born, learn more about the legal options available to you. Contact The Lancione Law Firm. We have decades of experience helping families just like you with birth injury claims nationwide.

You can count on us when it matters most

Cleveland birth injury attorney John A. Lancione has a well-earned national reputation for his skillful handling of complex legal cases. He only handles birth injury and malpractice claims. As a result, he has an in-depth understanding of the rules and regulations that apply to such cases.

Other lawyers routinely refer birth injury cases to our law firm. That’s due to our outstanding record of success. In case after case, we consistently obtain sizable settlements and verdicts for injury victims and their families. Since our firm was founded, we have recovered more than $350 million and counting for our clients, including one of Ohio’s largest malpractice verdicts.

We also realize your neonatal injury claim is about more than just money. If your child’s injury occurred due to negligence, the medical professional who caused your injury should be held accountable for their actions. That’s our job. And we’re here to help your family.

What are neonatal injuries?

Neonatal injuries involve newborn infants under 28 days old, who are considered neonates. The risk of injury or illness involving neonates is particularly high. An estimated 75 percent of neonatal fatalities occur due to preventable injuries or illnesses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some of the most common – and most serious – neonatal injuries include:

Brachial Plexus Injury – This type of injury involves nerve damage (either a nerve tear or strain) along the neck and back that can affect an infant’s ability to move their shoulder and to feel sensation in their arms. Such injuries often occur during a newborn’s delivery. There are two common types of Brachial Plexus injuries – Erb’s Palsy and Klumpke’s Palsy.
Postpartum Medical Negligence – A postpartum injury, as the name suggests, occurs after childbirth and can impact the health and well-being of the baby and mother.
NICU Injuries – Babies born prematurely or born with a birth injury often receive additional medical care in a hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Mistakes made in the NICU can cause serious injuries to newborn babies, especially if medical professionals do not follow NICU standards of care.
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy – Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a medical term used to describe brain damage that occurs near the time of birth due to lack of oxygen and blood flow to the fetal brain.
Whole Body Cooling – An emergency medical procedure in which the newborn’s body temperature is lowered to prevent certain types of brain injuries due to oxygen deprivation.
Bilirubin Encephalopathy (Kernicterus) – Serious neurological condition in newborn infants due to a severe case of jaundice.
Seizures – Seizures involving newborn children.
Birth Trauma – A traumatic injury sustained by a newborn shortly before, during or soon after birth.
Epilepsy – Mistakes made by medical professionals soon after a baby’s born often cause epilepsy, a neurological disorder that often causes seizures, loss of awareness and other medical issues.
Infections and Sepsis – Life-threatening infections, including sepsis, are especially common in hospitals and can put your infant’s health and well-being at risk.
Hypoglycemia – Hypoglycemia is a medical term used to describe low blood sugar. Newborn infants with hypoglycemia can experience a wide range of health problems, including seizures, loss of consciousness and nerve damage.

These are just some of the birth injuries that involve newborn babies. In each case, a thorough investigation should be conducted to determine exactly what went wrong and who’s responsible for your child’s injury or illness.

What are common causes?

Neonatal injuries due to medical negligence occur for many different reasons. Common causes of such injuries can include:

Delayed medical procedures, including a delayed C-section.
Failure to diagnose a serious medical issue or illness soon after a baby’s born.
Medication errors, including giving an infant the wrong medication, the wrong dosage amount or not giving a newborn medication prescribed by doctors.
Not carefully monitoring the infant, especially if the baby is in a hospital NICU due to respiratory problems or other serious, life-threatening medical conditions.
Unsanitary conditions, especially in hospitals, that can result in a life-threatening infection.

These are just some of the reasons why neonatal injuries occur, especially in hospitals. Whatever the cause of your child’s injury or illness, we’re here to help you hold the at-fault party responsible and to serve as your legal support during this difficult time in your family’s lives.

What are warning signs?

Many times, there are warning signs that something’s wrong with a newborn infant. Symptoms vary widely from one type of injury or illness, but may include:

Low Apgar Scores
Bruising or swelling, especially on your child’s face, head or another part of their body.
Slower than normal or irregular heartbeat.
Seizures, especially if they occur within the first 48 hours after a baby’s birth.
Not crying or crying excessively.
Newborn’s skin tone is blue.

Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t seem right, seek immediate medical attention. If your child is being treated in a hospital NICU, ask the nurse or doctor on duty what’s wrong. If they can’t help you, keep asking to speak to someone who can diagnose exactly what’s happened. Then talk to us. Our dedicated legal team is here to help your family every step of the way.

Hold medical professionals accountable for their actions. Contact us

While neonatal injuries occur soon after a child’s birth, the legal cases involving them can often take months or sometimes years to resolve. Often, it’s because the at-fault medical professionals deny doing anything wrong. Instead, they hire attorneys to defend their actions and deny legitimate birth injury claims.

We understand how frustrating and upsetting such legal cases can be for families. But we want you to know that we’re prepared to be there for you for the long haul. Cleveland birth injury lawyer John A. Lancione has decades of experience handling such complex cases. He knows how to investigate birth injury claims and find the evidence that matters. Most of all, he’s prepared to wage a legal battle on your behalf, no matter how long it takes.

Discover what our dedicated legal team can do for you. Contact our law firm and schedule a free consultation with attorney Lancione. You can reach us online or call (440) 331-6100 or (877) 515-4369 to schedule an appointment.