When medical providers fail to meet proper care standards during childbirth, the results can permanently alter your child’s life. Pikesville families facing this reality need immediate legal support to address both the emotional strain and financial burden of birth injuries.

At Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A., our Pikesville birth injury attorneys have secured over $1 billion for families harmed by negligence. While you focus on your child’s care, we handle every aspect of your legal claim with dedication and precision.

What Is a Birth Injury Claim in Pikesville?

Birth injury claims address harm caused during pregnancy, labor, or delivery when healthcare providers deliver substandard care. These specialized medical malpractice cases require attorneys with specific knowledge of both medicine and Maryland law.

Preventable Birth Injuries

When doctors, nurses, or hospitals make mistakes, newborns may suffer:

These conditions typically require immediate medical intervention followed by years of specialized care. For Pikesville families, the resulting medical bills quickly become unmanageable without legal recovery.

The Attorney’s Role in Your Case

A qualified Pikesville birth injury lawyer will:

  • Investigate the circumstances surrounding your child’s injury
  • Consult with medical experts to establish deviations from accepted care standards
  • Identify all responsible parties, including individual providers and healthcare facilities
  • Calculate appropriate compensation, including lifelong care requirements
  • Handle Maryland’s specific medical malpractice procedures
  • Negotiate effectively or present your case in court

This targeted approach helps secure funds that cover both current and future needs.

Maryland Birth Injury Laws

Birth injury claims in Maryland face strict regulations that control everything from filing deadlines to compensation limits.

Filing Deadlines Under Maryland Law

Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 5-109 establishes these deadlines:

  • General Rule: Claims must be filed within the earlier of:
    • Five years from the injury date, or
    • Three years from when the injury was discovered
  • Children’s Claims: For birth injuries, Maryland extends the deadline until a child’s 11th birthday, recognizing that developmental issues may not appear immediately.
  • Wrongful Death: When birth injuries prove fatal, Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-904 requires filing within three years of death.

Generally, missing these deadlines eliminates your right to compensation, regardless of how clear the medical negligence might be.

Maryland’s Damage Limitations

Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings § 3-2A-09 limits non-economic damages (pain and suffering) in medical malpractice cases. For 2025, this cap stands at approximately $905,000, with annual increases tied to inflation.

However, Maryland places no cap on economic damages—the actual financial costs of medical care, therapy, specialized equipment, and lost income. This makes thorough documentation of these expenses vital to your case.

Required Procedures and Documentation

Maryland law mandates specific steps for birth injury claims:

Each requirement involves detailed legal knowledge and precise execution. Missing even one procedural step can derail your entire case.

Medical Negligence and Birth Injuries

Medical malpractice occurs when healthcare providers fail to meet established professional standards. In birth injury cases, this negligence may happen during prenatal care, labor, delivery, or immediate postpartum care.

Proving Medical Negligence

To establish malpractice in a Pikesville birth injury case, four key elements must be proven:

  1. The healthcare provider had a duty to deliver care meeting accepted standards
  2. This duty was breached through action or inaction
  3. The breach directly caused the birth injury
  4. The injury resulted in significant harm requiring compensation

Each element requires specific evidence and expert testimony. Simply showing a bad outcome isn’t enough; you must prove the outcome resulted directly from substandard care.

Common Causes of Birth Injuries

Birth injuries typically result from specific forms of medical negligence that violate established care standards.

Delayed Emergency C-Sections

When complications arise during labor, timely cesarean delivery can prevent serious injuries. Delays frequently lead to oxygen deprivation, causing permanent brain damage.

Medical standards require prompt surgical intervention when monitoring indicates fetal distress, placental abruption occurs, or other emergencies threaten the baby’s oxygen supply. When doctors hesitate despite warning signs or hospitals lack adequate surgical resources, preventable injuries often result.

Misused Delivery Instruments

Forceps and vacuum extractors can help resolve difficult deliveries but require proper training and technique. Misuse can cause:

  • Skull fractures and brain bleeding
  • Facial nerve damage leading to paralysis
  • Intracranial hemorrhages
  • Permanent brain damage

When doctors apply excessive force or use these tools in inappropriate situations, they violate basic standards of obstetrical care.

Inadequate Fetal Monitoring

Continuous electronic monitoring during labor provides vital information about the baby’s condition. Failure to:

  • Recognize abnormal heart rate patterns
  • Communicate concerning findings to physicians
  • Respond appropriately to signs of distress
  • Maintain proper monitoring equipment

These mistakes often lead to preventable oxygen deprivation and permanent neurological damage.

Mismanaged Maternal Conditions

Some birth injuries stem from conditions that develop during pregnancy but could have been addressed through proper prenatal care:

  • Untreated infections transmitted to the baby during delivery
  • Unmanaged gestational diabetes leading to delivery complications
  • Undiagnosed preeclampsia, threatening both mother and baby

When healthcare providers miss these conditions or fail to manage them appropriately, the resulting birth injuries may constitute medical negligence.

Compensation for Birth Injury Victims

Maryland law provides specific compensation categories for families affected by birth injuries.

Economic Damages

These cover quantifiable financial losses with no statutory cap:

Medical and Care Expenses

Birth injuries often require extensive treatment beginning at birth and continuing throughout life, including:

  • Specialized medical care and surgeries
  • Therapy services (physical, occupational, speech)
  • Adaptive equipment and home modifications
  • Nursing care or specialized childcare

For children with permanent disabilities, these costs frequently reach millions of dollars over a lifetime.

Lost Earning Potential

Birth injuries impact both:

  • Parental income when caregivers must reduce work hours
  • The injured child’s future earning capacity due to permanent disabilities

Economists calculate these losses based on the specific nature and severity of the disability.

Non-Economic Damages

These address the human impact of birth injuries:

Pain and Suffering

Physical and emotional distress experienced by both child and family, including:

  • Physical pain from injuries and treatments
  • Emotional trauma and psychological impacts
  • Lost childhood experiences and normal development

While Maryland caps these damages, they represent real consequences deserving compensation.

Notable Maryland Birth Injury Cases

Maryland courts have awarded substantial compensation in cases involving clear medical negligence:

  • Record $229 Million Baltimore Verdict: In 2019, a Baltimore jury awarded this unprecedented sum to a mother whose child suffered brain damage when Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center failed to perform a timely C-section despite clear warning signs.
  • $34 Million Towson Case: A Baltimore County jury awarded this amount to a family whose child suffered permanent brain damage when doctors delayed an emergency cesarean despite monitoring showing clear distress.

These cases demonstrate that Maryland courts recognize the severe impact of preventable birth injuries.

When to Contact a Pikesville Birth Injury Lawyer

If your child suffered a birth injury from preventable mistakes, immediate legal consultation preserves your rights and improves your chances of securing maximum compensation.

Our Pikesville birth injury attorneys offer free consultations to evaluate your case’s strengths and explain your legal options. We work on a contingency fee basis—you pay nothing unless we secure compensation for your family.

Contact our team today to hold negligent medical providers accountable. Your child deserves both justice and the resources needed for the best possible quality of life.