Can the improper use of forceps cause permanent damage to an infant?

Unfortunately, the damage that forceps can inflict on a baby’s delicate body isn’t always minor or temporary. Our forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, stand up for families when a negligent doctor’s improper use of equipment in the course of an assisted vaginal delivery leads to brain damage, nerve damage, injury to the spinal cord, or permanent disfigurement.

Can you sue a doctor or hospital for a forceps injury resulting from malpractice at birth?

It may be possible for families to sue doctors and other healthcare providers, and potentially hospitals or other medical facilities, for negligence related to forceps injuries. Our New Jersey forceps injury lawyers can pursue fair compensation in instances in which a provider caused harm by: Using forceps prematurely, unnecessarily, or when risk factors made the use of forceps an unsafe or inappropriate choice Injuring the baby by applying excessive force or placing the forceps improperly on the child’s head Continuing to attempt forceps intervention even after an unsuccessful first attempt rather than using an alternative form of intervention When families believe a healthcare provider has acted negligently in their use of forceps during birth, injuring the baby, they can turn to an experienced attorney for help identifying all potential defendants and any conduct that can constitute medical malpractice.

How do medical malpractice attorneys prove that a doctor’s use of forceps deviated from the standard of care?

Healthcare practitioners have a duty to their patients to provide monitoring and treatment that aligns with the standard of care accepted within the larger medical community. To establish liability for forceps injuries, you need to prove that the provider who harmed your child failed to meet this standard. Whether in regards to using forceps in situations when such usage was not appropriate or applying these tools improperly, you need to establish that this doctor’s actions deviated from what a competent and reasonably careful professional at a similar level of training would have done. Our forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, can establish these elements through in-depth analysis of medical records, close collaboration with expert witnesses in the medical field, and thorough documentation of the impact of forceps injuries on your child.

What compensation can families receive through a forceps injury claim against a negligent medical provider?

Your child deserves full compensation, and that means pursuing monetary damages for all of their economic and non-economic losses. We advocate for settlements and awards that address the full scope of a family’s damages, such as: Medical and rehabilitation costs, including costs of home health services or care in a residential facility Projected future costs of medical care and rehabilitative therapies Lost wages that impact your family due to missing work to care for an injured child The child’s loss of future earning capacity resulting from long-term disability Pain and suffering Permanent disfigurement Loss of quality of life By factoring in the full extent of effects caused by forceps injuries, your attorney can work toward securing a settlement or award that makes your family and your injured child as financially whole as possible.

Andres Berger Tran/

Birth Injury Claims/

Forceps Injury

New Jersey Forceps Injury Lawyers

Forceps Injury Attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ Offering Legal Services for Birth Injury Claims in Camden County, Burlington County, Gloucester County, and Throughout South Jersey

During a challenging birth, the careful and appropriate use of forceps can aid in delivering a baby safely and reduce the risks to both the infant and the mother. Unfortunately, that’s not always how the scenario unfolds. When a provider’s careless or incompetent use of this tool has caused significant damage to the infant, the New Jersey forceps injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran can help families file a claim for compensation for the injured child.

Our team recognizes how severely medical malpractice during birth can impact the injured child and their family. Although life after a birth injury may never be what you envisioned, we’re committed to ensuring your injured child has the means to access the best care and treatment, allowing them to experience the best quality of life possible. Contact us today to explore your legal options at no upfront cost, starting with a free, no-risk consultation.

Forceps Injury Malpractice Claims in New Jersey

Forceps are medical tools that a trained provider can use to intervene in the final stages of childbirth when necessary. Using these tools, a doctor can grasp the baby in the birth canal and pull or guide them out. Doctors typically resort to the use of forceps when prolonged or stalled labor puts the baby’s or mother’s health at risk, and the baby is already halfway (or more) through the birth canal.

Using forceps isn’t without risks. For the baby, some of the more commonplace consequences of forceps delivery include bruising and lacerations that will ultimately go away on their own without causing long-term issues. The risk of temporary, mild damage is generally worth taking when the baby is in danger of much more serious harm if the difficult delivery is allowed to proceed without intervention.

However, forceps injuries can also be much more serious, especially when the provider using these tools acts with negligence. Improper use of forceps can contribute to damage like the following:

Skull fractures
Brain hemorrhage
Traumatic brain injury
Hypoxic or anoxic brain injury resulting from oxygen deprivation
Cerebral palsy
Seizures
Spinal cord injuries
Brachial plexus injuries, which can lead to Erb’s palsy
Eye injuries

Babies who sustain significant injury due to improper use of forceps can face lifelong struggles. The physical damage these medical tools can cause in the wrong hands can lead to permanent disfigurement. Infant brain damage can occur due to both physical trauma and lack of oxygen. When it does, this damage can lead to cognitive impairments, mobility problems, developmental delays, and more. Nerve damage and injury to the spinal cord can result in weakness and paralysis.

With a significant forceps injury, your child could need considerable medical care and rehabilitative therapy. Depending on the circumstances, a baby injured through improper forceps use could need round-the-clock home nursing care or placement in a residential care facility over the course of their life. If the injury leads to permanent, profound disabilities, your child may never be able to engage in gainful employment and provide for themselves.

Your family needs and deserves full compensation for your losses. This includes the financial burdens your family has faced due to medical costs and lost wages, as well as your child’s projected future medical needs and their loss of earning capacity. With experienced New Jersey forceps injury lawyers on your side, you can get your injured child the full amount of compensation they’re entitled to.

How The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran Can Help

Holding doctors accountable for preventable forceps injuries requires legal knowledge and a commitment to serving the injured child’s best interests. The New Jersey forceps injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran assist families by handling all aspects of their claims against medical providers and healthcare facilities.

Families count on our forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, to take on the demands of the claims process, including:

Conducting thorough analyses of medical records and full investigations of the provider’s conduct
Identifying all possible defendants and causes of legal action
Collaborating with expert witnesses in fields like medicine and economics
Gathering evidence and using that information to build strong claims against all defendants
Representing families of injured children in interactions and negotiations with the insurance company as well as legal proceedings
Pursuing maximum compensation through a settlement or trial

We begin each case by conducting a thorough review of the facts to determine, as part of an initial consultation, whether your situation could provide grounds for a claim for financial compensation. If so, we provide legal representation throughout the course of the claims process at no upfront cost.

Why Choose The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran?

Not every attorney is equipped to handle complex medical malpractice claims that require you to prove that a doctor’s use of birthing tools deviated from the standard of care. The New Jersey forceps injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran are ready to face these challenges, with a long history of legal practice, willingness to fight for families in court, and the offer of home and hospital visits to make getting legal help easier.

Extensive Experience

The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran has served families across New Jersey since 1997. With more than 70 years of combined experience and thousands of satisfied clients, we have the experience your claim demands. The lessons we’ve learned throughout our years of legal practice equip us with comprehensive knowledge of legal strategy and effective means of overcoming the obstacles that arise in complex birth injury claims.

Trial-Readiness and Strong Case Preparation

By misusing forceps during delivery, the doctor caused your child significant injury. We’re committed to taking families’ efforts to hold physicians accountable—and pursue full compensation for their injured child—as far as necessary. As an experienced trial firm led by Certified Civil Trial Attorneys, we prepare each case for the possibility of trial from the beginning. The strong foundations we develop for our clients’ claims help families secure maximum compensation through all avenues, from out-of-court settlement negotiations to trials.

Home and Hospital Visits to Accommodate Your Family’s Needs

Depending on the type of damage caused by a doctor’s improper use of forceps, you could face mobility issues and other challenges that can make it difficult to travel or find appropriate childcare. We want all families impacted by birth injuries to have access to the legal help they need, so we’re committed to overcoming the barriers, financial and otherwise, that keep families from retaining an attorney. Our team offers home and hospital visits that allow you to meet with a lawyer when and where it’s most convenient for you.

Contact the New Jersey Forceps Injury Lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran Today for a Free Case Review

With skilled legal assistance available at no upfront cost, there’s nothing standing in the way of getting the representation your family needs. We’re prepared to pursue maximum compensation to help your injured child receive the medical care and rehabilitative therapy that will make a difference in their future.

For help from forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, contact The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran online or call 856-317-6558 today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Forceps Injury Claims in New Jersey

Unfortunately, the damage that forceps can inflict on a baby’s delicate body isn’t always minor or temporary. Our forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, stand up for families when a negligent doctor’s improper use of equipment in the course of an assisted vaginal delivery leads to brain damage, nerve damage, injury to the spinal cord, or permanent disfigurement.
It may be possible for families to sue doctors and other healthcare providers, and potentially hospitals or other medical facilities, for negligence related to forceps injuries. Our New Jersey forceps injury lawyers can pursue fair compensation in instances in which a provider caused harm by:
Using forceps prematurely, unnecessarily, or when risk factors made the use of forceps an unsafe or inappropriate choice
Injuring the baby by applying excessive force or placing the forceps improperly on the child’s head
Continuing to attempt forceps intervention even after an unsuccessful first attempt rather than using an alternative form of intervention
When families believe a healthcare provider has acted negligently in their use of forceps during birth, injuring the baby, they can turn to an experienced attorney for help identifying all potential defendants and any conduct that can constitute medical malpractice.
Healthcare practitioners have a duty to their patients to provide monitoring and treatment that aligns with the standard of care accepted within the larger medical community. To establish liability for forceps injuries, you need to prove that the provider who harmed your child failed to meet this standard. Whether in regards to using forceps in situations when such usage was not appropriate or applying these tools improperly, you need to establish that this doctor’s actions deviated from what a competent and reasonably careful professional at a similar level of training would have done. Our forceps injury attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, can establish these elements through in-depth analysis of medical records, close collaboration with expert witnesses in the medical field, and thorough documentation of the impact of forceps injuries on your child.
Your child deserves full compensation, and that means pursuing monetary damages for all of their economic and non-economic losses. We advocate for settlements and awards that address the full scope of a family’s damages, such as:
Medical and rehabilitation costs, including costs of home health services or care in a residential facility
Projected future costs of medical care and rehabilitative therapies
Lost wages that impact your family due to missing work to care for an injured child
The child’s loss of future earning capacity resulting from long-term disability
Pain and suffering Permanent disfigurement
Loss of quality of life
By factoring in the full extent of effects caused by forceps injuries, your attorney can work toward securing a settlement or award that makes your family and your injured child as financially whole as possible.