Birth Injury & Obstetric Negligence

Protecting Newborns and Families Across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin

Few events are more heartbreaking than learning a preventable medical mistake changed your child’s future. When obstetric or neonatal negligence causes injury, families need a birth injury lawyer who understands both medicine and justice.

For nearly 50 years, Vincent Petrucelli, Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and Super Lawyers honoree since 2007, has helped parents throughout Iron Mountain, Marquette, Escanaba, Menominee, Houghton, and Green Bay hold hospitals accountable and secure resources for lifelong care.

Understanding Birth Injury Malpractice

A birth injury occurs when medical negligence before, during, or immediately after delivery causes harm to a mother or child. Typical examples include:

Failure to monitor fetal distress or respond to abnormal heart-rate tracings
Delayed or denied C-section, resulting in oxygen deprivation (hypoxia)
Improper use of Pitocin (oxytocin) or Cytotec (misoprostol) leading to uterine rupture or fetal distress
Forceps or vacuum-extraction errors causing skull fractures, nerve damage, or brain bleeding
Negligent anesthesia or resuscitation during emergency delivery
Post-delivery failures to diagnose jaundice, infection, or hypoglycemia

When handled correctly, these situations are preventable. When mishandled, they can lead to lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Erb’s palsy, or profound developmental delays.

Common Obstetric Errors We Litigate

Pitocin and Cytotec Misuse

Both drugs stimulate uterine contractions but require vigilant dosing and continuous monitoring. Excessive contractions cut off fetal oxygen, risking hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and permanent brain damage. Our firm has successfully litigated numerous Pitocin- and Cytotec-related cases by demonstrating how poor supervision, over-dosage, or lack of informed consent led to tragedy.

Failure to Perform a Timely Cesarean Section

Every minute counts once fetal distress appears on the monitor. A delay of even ten minutes can mean irreversible brain injury. We prove these timing failures through fetal-strip analysis, expert testimony, and hospital communication logs.

Improper Fetal Monitoring

Continuous electronic monitoring should detect late decelerations, minimal variability, or bradycardia. When hospitals understaff or nurses ignore alarms, children suffer avoidable harm.

Shoulder Dystocia and Erb’s Palsy

When a baby’s shoulders become lodged behind the mother’s pelvic bone, excessive traction can damage the brachial plexus nerves. We show how better prenatal assessment, glucose control, or planned C-section could have prevented the injury.

Kernicterus and Untreated Jaundice

High bilirubin levels are easily detected and treated with phototherapy. When ignored, they can cause kernicterus, resulting in seizures, hearing loss, and cerebral palsy.

Building a Birth Injury Case

Our process mirrors the precision of a medical investigation:

Comprehensive Record Review – We secure labor-and-delivery notes, fetal-monitoring strips, medication logs, and NICU charts.
Expert Collaboration – We partner with maternal-fetal-medicine specialists, neonatologists, and pediatric neurologists to identify departures from accepted care.
Causation Analysis – We link each medical error to the specific injury through expert affidavits and timelines.
Damages Valuation – We retain economists and life-care planners to project lifetime therapy, equipment, and home-modification costs.

This method has produced record-setting recoveries for families throughout the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin.

Emotional and Financial Support for Families

We understand the emotional exhaustion parents endure after a traumatic delivery. Our firm not only litigates but connects clients with trusted medical specialists and support organizations. Every consultation with our birth injury lawyer is handled with compassion and confidentiality.

Learn More About Birth Injury Cases

Understanding Birth Injuries & the Legal Process

Specific Types of Birth Injuries

Obstetric & Delivery-Room Negligence

Aftermath & Family Impact

Start With a Free, Confidential Consultation With a Birth Injury Lawyer

Birth injury cases demand immense resources—medical experts, discovery costs, and time. Petrucelli & Petrucelli advances all expenses and works entirely on a contingency fee. You owe nothing unless we recover compensation for your child’s injuries. Contact Vincent Petrucelli today at (906) 265-6173 or vincent@truthfinders.com.

Where We Serve Clients

Ironwood • Bessemer • Wakefield • Ontonagon • Houghton • Hancock • Calumet • Laurium • L’Anse • Baraga • Marquette • Ishpeming • Negaunee • Gwinn • Republic • Iron River • Crystal Falls • Iron Mountain • Kingsford • Norway • Escanaba • Gladstone • Manistique • Munising • Newberry • St. Ignace • Sault Ste. Marie • Menominee • Cedar River • Watersmeet • Copper Harbor • Eagle Harbor • Trenary • Bark River • Chassell • Florence (WI) • Marinette (WI) • Oconto (WI) • Green Bay (WI) • Door County (WI).

Petrucelli & Petrucelli — Fighting for Justice Across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin