Birth Injury Lawyers in Reading, PA

Child Birth, Delivery Room Errors, & Birth Defect Claims

During childbirth, inappropriate or delayed reactions to emergencies, failure to follow prescribed procedures, or other mistakes by the physician or delivery room staff can interrupt the flow of oxygen to a baby’s brain. This can result in brain damage, cerebral palsy, or other conditions. Problems with limbs and nerves can occur as well, leaving a child with permanent disabilities. Birth injuries can be life-altering for the child and emotionally and financially devastating for the family.

Liever, Hyman & Potter has handled wrongful injury and death claims, including birth injury and medical malpractice, since 1959. All four of our attorneys practice only wrongful injury and death law, and virtually all of their combined 115-plus years of practice have been devoted to this single area. If you believe your child was harmed by delivery room negligence, contact us as soon as possible. One of our lawyers can be immediately available to protect your case and guide your family through every step of what comes next.

If you think you may have a birth injury case, call us today at (610) 885-1991 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.

Common Birth Injuries & What Causes Them

Not every difficult birth results in a preventable injury, but when delivery room errors cause harm, the consequences are often severe and lasting. Understanding the injuries most commonly linked to medical negligence can help families recognize when something may have gone wrong.

• Oxygen deprivation and cerebral palsy: Delayed delivery, failure to respond to fetal distress, or a prolapsed umbilical cord can cut off oxygen to a baby’s brain, causing permanent damage or cerebral palsy.
• Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): HIE occurs when an infant’s brain is deprived of both oxygen and blood flow, typically during or around the time of labor or delivery. This condition can cause severe developmental impairment and requires early intervention.
• Brachial plexus injuries and Erb’s palsy: These nerve injuries affect the arms and hands and are often caused by excessive pulling or improper handling of shoulder dystocia during delivery.
• Forceps and vacuum extractor misuse: Improper technique with these instruments can cause skull fractures, brain bleeds, nerve damage, or facial paralysis.
• Failure to perform a timely C-section: When physicians don’t recognize signs of fetal distress or delay ordering an emergency cesarean, the resulting oxygen deprivation can cause lasting neurological harm.
• Negligent care of premature infants: Premature and low-birthweight babies require heightened monitoring during delivery. Errors in their care carry an elevated risk of serious injury.

Some birth injuries, particularly neurological conditions like cerebral palsy, don’t become apparent until months or even years after delivery, when a child begins missing developmental milestones. That delayed discovery matters for legal purposes as well as medical ones.

Why Families Choose Liever, Hyman & Potter

Families in Berks County, including those who have delivered at Reading Hospital (Tower Health) and Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, have trusted our firm to pursue birth injury claims for decades. We’re known within the legal community as “The Lawyers’ Lawyers” because a significant portion of our clients come through referrals from other law firms, satisfied former clients, and community members who know our record.

Our documented birth-related and serious injury results include:

• A $2,350,000 settlement for a child who suffered birth trauma after doctors in training improperly allowed labor to proceed while the fetus was deprived of oxygen. An earlier emergency C-section was required. The settlement funded a special needs trust, a handicapped-accessible home, and lifetime care and therapy.
• A $2,000,000 court-approved settlement on behalf of a child delivered at 35 weeks gestation.
• A $1,200,000 court-approved settlement for the children of a mother who died following childbirth after her rare condition went undiagnosed and a timely C-section was not performed.
• A $6,500,000 settlement for a client who suffered a brain bleed resulting in hemiplegia, illustrating our firm’s range of serious brain injury recoveries.

When medical evidence is contested, our attorneys consult with board-certified physicians, often at major medical university settings, for guidance and testimony. Lead attorney John R. Badal has been admitted to the Pennsylvania bar since 1978 and to the U.S. Supreme Court since 1991. He is a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, recognitions tied to documented case results at those thresholds. In a recent three-year period alone, our attorneys recovered more than 500 awards and settlements, including numerous million-dollar and multi-million-dollar results. Since our founding, we’ve won thousands of awards and settlements for victims and their families in Berks and Schuylkill County.

No Fees & No Expenses Until We Recover for You

Pursuing a birth injury claim carries real financial weight. Our fee structure is designed so that no family in Reading has to choose between seeking justice and protecting their finances. You pay us nothing in fees, and nothing toward the case expenses we advance on your behalf, unless and until we recover money for you. Our agreement states that you won’t have to repay advanced expenses if we don’t recover. Our contingent fee is a percentage of the award or settlement, clearly defined in the initial agreement to represent you.

Pennsylvania’s Filing Deadline for Birth Injury Claims

Pennsylvania’s general medical malpractice statute of limitations is two years from the date of injury or from when the injury reasonably should have been discovered. For minor children, state law tolls that deadline until the child turns 18, which means a child injured at birth typically has until their 20th birthday to file a claim. Parents may file on the child’s behalf without waiting for the child to reach adulthood, though parents’ own derivative claims, such as recovery of medical expenses paid on the child’s behalf, are generally subject to a separate two-year deadline from the date of injury.

That extended window isn’t an invitation to wait. Medical records, delivery room documentation, and witness recollections are most reliable soon after the injury. Some neurological birth injuries aren’t identified until a child misses developmental milestones, and Pennsylvania’s discovery rule allows the limitations period to begin when the injury is or reasonably should have been discovered. The specific circumstances of each case determine how these rules apply. Early action protects the evidence and the claim.

Speak with a Birth Injury Lawyer in Reading at No Cost

If you believe your child was harmed by a delivery room error, our attorneys can review your situation and explain your options. We handle everything directly with the doctors, hospital, and insurance companies, so your family can focus on what matters most. There’s no fee for the consultation and no financial risk to you unless we recover.

Contact Liever, Hyman & Potter today at (610) 885-1991. A birth injury lawyer in Reading, PA, can take your call.