The most common birth injury is a brachial plexus injury, a condition that affects the network of nerves controlling the arm and shoulder. It is often caused by stretching or trauma during delivery.
While birth injuries like this one can be minor and heal with time, some instances can lead to permanent weakness, nerve damage, or limited mobility in the affected limb.
Birth injuries can occur even in well-managed deliveries, but when they happen due to medical mistakes or improper technique, families deserve answers.
If your child has been diagnosed with any form of injury following birth, consulting a Glastonbury birth injury lawyer can help you understand your rights and whether negligence played a role.
How Claggett, Sykes & Garza Trial Lawyers Supports Families Facing Birth Trauma
At Claggett, Sykes & Garza Trial Lawyers, we represent families in Connecticut whose newborns have suffered preventable injuries at birth. Our team investigates to determine:
- What went wrong
- Whether proper standards of care were followed
- What can be done to help your family recover physically, emotionally, and financially
As Connecticut birth injury lawyers, we know how devastating it is to learn your child has been harmed during delivery. We are here to provide clarity and legal guidance at a time when answers are hard to find.
Our Glastonbury medical malpractice lawyers‘ approach is centered on building strong, evidence-based claims. The goal is to support both immediate medical needs and long-term care planning.
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Understanding Brachial Plexus, the Most Common Birth Injury
Brachial plexus injuries occur when the group of nerves running from the neck to the arm is stretched, compressed, or torn during birth. This is most common in difficult or prolonged deliveries, especially those involving:
- Shoulder dystocia, where the baby’s shoulder becomes stuck behind the mother’s pelvic bone
- Breech presentations occur when the baby is not head-first during delivery
- Excessive pulling or twisting by medical staff during vaginal birth
- Large birth weight or disproportion between the size of the baby and the birth canal
In some cases, these injuries are unavoidable. But in many instances, they result from preventable medical errors, such as failing to anticipate complications, improperly using forceps or vacuum devices, or delaying a necessary C-section.
Types of Brachial Plexus Injuries
There are several levels of severity in brachial plexus injuries:
- Neuropraxia: This is the most common and mildest form. The nerves are stretched but not torn, and most infants recover within weeks.
- Neuroma: Scar tissue forms on the damaged nerve, often limiting a full recovery.
- Rupture: The nerve is torn but not at the spinal attachment point. Surgery may be required.
- Avulsion: This is the most severe, where the nerve is torn from the spinal cord. It usually causes permanent disability.
Each type of injury carries different risks, treatments, and outcomes. Our Glastonbury personal injury lawyers work with medical experts to determine what happened and whether proper care was provided throughout labor and delivery.
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Other Common Birth Injuries to Know
While brachial plexus injuries are the most frequently reported, they are not the only birth injuries we see in legal claims. Other conditions include:
- Cerebral palsy: Often caused by oxygen deprivation during birth, this condition can lead to lifelong motor and developmental challenges.
- Facial nerve damage: This may occur from pressure or improper instrument use, leading to asymmetry or weakness.
- Fractures (clavicle or collarbone): Typically caused by difficult deliveries, these may or may not indicate negligence.
- Intracranial hemorrhage: Bleeding in the brain can result from excessive force or delayed C-section decisions.
- Spinal cord injuries: Rare but extremely serious, these are often caused by excessive traction or mishandled breech deliveries.
When any of these injuries occur, the question becomes whether they could have been prevented with appropriate medical attention. That’s where legal review comes in.
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How We Evaluate Birth Injury Cases
When families come to us, they’re often overwhelmed with medical terms, unknown prognoses, and a fear of what the future holds. Our role is to investigate the facts and identify whether medical negligence contributed to the outcome.
This involves:
- Reviewing medical records from prenatal care through delivery
- Consulting with obstetric and neonatal experts
- Analyzing the actions or omissions of healthcare providers
- Estimating current and future financial costs related to care, therapy, and assistive devices
We aim to build a clear, well-supported case that shows the full impact the injury has had—and will have—on your child’s life and your family’s well-being.
Why Legal Help Matters for Connecticut Families
Hospitals and providers are often quick to say that birth injuries are natural or unavoidable. And in some cases, they are. But in others, providers fail to monitor fetal distress, delay necessary interventions, or use excessive force. Without legal representation, families are often left without answers or compensation for their child’s care.
As your Connecticut birth injury lawyers, we make sure your child’s future is not left to chance. We fight for settlements or verdicts that include the cost of:
- Long-term medical care
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Special education resources
- Medical equipment or in-home assistance
- Pain and suffering for both the child and the family
Even when no one intended harm, the law still allows for accountability when a medical provider’s decisions fall below the accepted standard of care.
Contact a Connecticut Birth Injury Lawyer Today
If your child suffered a brachial plexus injury or any other common birth-related trauma, you deserve to know what happened and why. At Claggett, Sykes & Garza Trial Lawyers, our motto is Big Hearts. Big Data. Big Justice.
We are not billboard lawyers. We care about the community and aim to do everything in our power to secure the outcome your family needs and deserves.
Our team is committed to helping Connecticut families pursue justice after a birth injury. Contact us today for a free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and guide you every step of the way.
Your child’s future matters, and you shouldn’t have to face this alone.
