When Delayed Diagnosis Turns a Treatable Infection Into a Tragedy
Modern medicine has made most maternal and newborn infections entirely preventable.
Still, every year, babies across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin suffer irreversible brain damage or death because hospitals and obstetricians fail to identify and treat infections in time.
At Petrucelli & Petrucelli, we hold negligent providers accountable for these inexcusable lapses in care — and fight to ensure families have the financial security and justice they deserve.
Understanding Maternal & Neonatal Infections
Maternal Infections
Infections that go untreated during pregnancy or delivery can easily pass from mother to baby.
Common examples include:
- Group B Streptococcus (GBS)
- Chorioamnionitis (infection of the amniotic fluid and membranes)
- Urinary tract or kidney infections
- Influenza and respiratory infections
- Herpes simplex virus (HSV)
- Listeria and toxoplasmosis
When these conditions are overlooked, they can cause premature birth, stillbirth, or neonatal sepsis.
Neonatal Sepsis
Sepsis occurs when infection spreads through a newborn’s bloodstream, triggering inflammation and organ failure. Early detection and antibiotic therapy almost always prevent death — but delay by even a few hours can have catastrophic consequences.
How Medical Negligence Causes Infection-Related Birth Injuries
Negligence often arises when:
- Hospitals fail to screen mothers for GBS between 35 and 37 weeks of pregnancy.
- Doctors ignore maternal fever or elevated white-blood-cell counts during labor.
- Providers delay antibiotic treatment after prolonged rupture of membranes.
- Newborns showing signs of distress — poor feeding, low temperature, or lethargy — are sent home without testing for infection.
- NICU staff miss early sepsis indicators, including rapid heart rate or breathing difficulties.
- Communication breakdowns prevent timely escalation to a neonatal specialist.
These errors violate universally accepted standards for infection control in obstetrics and neonatology.
The Devastating Consequences
Untreated infection or sepsis can cause:
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)
- Cerebral palsy and developmental delays
- Organ failure and circulatory collapse
- Permanent hearing or vision loss
- Stillbirth or neonatal death
For families, the aftermath is life-altering — emotionally, medically, and financially. Our firm ensures that hospitals bear responsibility for the harm their negligence inflicts.
How Petrucelli & Petrucelli Proves Negligence in Infection & Sepsis Cases
Vincent Petrucelli and his legal-medical team use a systematic, evidence-driven process:
- Comprehensive Record Review – We analyze prenatal labs, delivery notes, and NICU charts for missed warning signs.
- Timeline Correlation – We reconstruct the precise window between the first signs of infection and when treatment was initiated — or fatally delayed.
- Expert Consultation – Infectious-disease physicians, obstetric nurses, and neonatologists testify about how timely antibiotics would have prevented harm.
- Laboratory Audit – We review cultures, CBC panels, and CRP levels to show that infection was present but ignored.
- Causation Analysis – Pediatric neurologists connect the untreated infection to resulting brain injury or death.
This level of investigative precision allows our firm to transform complex medical data into compelling legal narratives that win in court and at the negotiating table.
Why Experience Matters in Infection Cases
Proving infection negligence requires both legal expertise and deep medical understanding.
For nearly 50 years, Vincent Petrucelli, Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Super Lawyers® honoree since 2007, and lead counsel in Ferdon v. Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund, has delivered results for families whose children were injured by preventable infections.
Our record includes multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts that have funded lifetime medical care and driven hospitals to improve infection-control protocols across the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin.
A Lifelong Commitment to Families
We know that no verdict can undo the pain of losing a child or caring for one with permanent injury. But accountability brings meaning — and financial resources make the difference between surviving and thriving. At Petrucelli & Petrucelli, every infection case we handle honors that principle. Contact Vincent Petrucelli today at (906) 265-6173 or vincent@truthfinders.com.
Petrucelli & Petrucelli — Fighting for Justice Across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin
