Birth Injury Lawyer in Lansing, MI
A birth injury can change a family’s life in a matter of minutes. If your child was harmed during pregnancy, labor, or delivery in the Lansing area, a birth injury lawyer in Lansing at Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. can review what went wrong. The consultation is free; we work on a contingency fee, and our results include a $15.8 million birth injury verdict.
Call – 1-866-MICH-LAW | Schedule a Free Consultation
Few moments are as frightening as learning that a delivery did not go the way it should have. You are caring for a newborn, absorbing medical news you did not expect, and wondering whether anyone could have prevented it. Our job is to answer that question honestly and to protect your child’s future while you focus on their care.
What Is a Birth Injury?
A birth injury is harm a baby suffers because of a medical mistake during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. It is different from a birth defect. A birth defect develops from genetics or events in the womb that no one caused, while a birth injury results from negligent care that fell below accepted medical standards.
Most birth injuries trace back to a few preventable failures: oxygen deprivation during a difficult delivery, improper use of forceps or a vacuum extractor, a delayed emergency C-section, or a failure to monitor and act on signs of fetal distress.
When a provider misses a warning that a careful clinician would have caught, the consequences for a newborn can last a lifetime. Standards for monitoring labor and responding to distress are set by bodies such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and a strong birth injury claim is built on showing how the care your family received departed from them.
Babies in the Lansing region are delivered at hospitals such as Sparrow Hospital and McLaren Greater Lansing, along with surrounding clinics in East Lansing and Ingham County. We have helped Michigan families look closely at what happened inside those delivery rooms and whether a different decision would have changed the outcome.
Types of Birth Injury Cases We Represent in Lansing
Birth injuries are not all alike. Some are diagnosed within hours; others surface as a child misses developmental milestones months later. Below are the case types we handle most often. Because every one of them turns on medical detail, our work is strengthened by attorney Eileen Kroll, whose background as a registered nurse helps our team read the records the way a clinician does. These cases sit within the broader area of medical malpractice law.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy can develop when a baby’s brain is injured or deprived of oxygen around the time of birth. It affects movement, muscle tone, and coordination, and many children need therapy, equipment, and personal care for the rest of their lives.
According to the CDC, about 1 in 345 children is identified with cerebral palsy, making it the most common motor disability in childhood. When the cause is a delivery that was mishandled, a claim can fund the lifelong support a child will need.
Erb’s Palsy and Brachial Plexus Injuries
Erb’s palsy happens when the network of nerves controlling the arm and shoulder is stretched or torn, usually by excessive pulling during a difficult delivery or a shoulder that becomes stuck. Some infants recover with therapy; others are left with lasting weakness or limited use of the arm. The injury frequently points to how force was applied during birth.
Brain Damage From Birth Asphyxia (HIE)
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow during birth. It is often connected to fetal monitoring failures, where signs of distress on the strip went unnoticed or unaddressed for too long. You can read more about it from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. HIE can lead to seizures, developmental delays, and lasting brain injury.
Skull Fractures and Delivery Injuries
Improper use of forceps or a vacuum extractor can fracture a newborn’s skull or cause bleeding inside or around the brain. These injuries call for prompt diagnosis and careful documentation, which is why early review of the delivery records matters so much.
Delayed C-Section Injuries
Every minute is critical when a child experiences distress during delivery. A delayed decision to move to an emergency C-section can leave an infant without enough oxygen and turn a manageable situation into a permanent injury. We look closely at the timeline to see when the team should have acted.
Proven Results in Birth Injury Cases
Experience in this area is measured in outcomes. Our firm secured a $15.8 million verdict for a Monroe, Michigan couple after their son developed cerebral palsy because of an error during the final stage of labor. It remains the largest result we display, and it reflects the lifetime cost of care a birth injury creates.
Our birth injury work also includes a $3.8 million birth trauma settlement for a child who developed cerebral palsy after a loss of oxygen during labor and delivery, and a $2.2 million recovery shared by two families whose children were harmed by birth injuries and medical negligence. In a related misdiagnosis case, we recovered $9 million after a hospital failed to recognize internal bleeding in time. You can review more of our verdicts to see the range of cases we have handled.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is decided on its own facts. What these numbers show is that we are prepared to take serious birth injury cases as far as they need to go.
Why Families in Lansing Choose Cochran, Kroll & Associates
Birth injury claims are among the most demanding cases in personal injury law. They require someone who can read fetal monitoring strips, question expert witnesses, and explain complex medicine to a jury. Families across Michigan choose us for reasons that matter in exactly these cases.
Attorney Eileen Kroll is both a registered nurse and a lawyer. That dual training lets our team spot the moment in the medical record where care went wrong, often before an opposing expert expects us to. You can meet our attorneys and see the credentials behind the firm, including Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent recognition.
We take birth injury cases on a contingency fee, which means there are no upfront costs and no fee unless we win a recovery for you. Our toll-free line is answered 24 hours a day, so you can reach us the moment you have questions.
We are members of the Michigan and American Trial Lawyers Associations, and we have spent decades fighting for injured families in courtrooms across the state. For a family already stretched thin by medical appointments and worry, that combination of medical insight, financial access, and trial experience is what makes the difference.
Michigan Birth Injury Laws You Should Know
Birth injury claims in Michigan are a type of medical malpractice case, and the state has specific rules that decide whether a claim can move forward. The summary below is general information, not legal advice for your situation. The safest way to protect your rights is to call us for a free review while the deadlines are still open. You can also read the statutes directly at the Michigan Legislature website.
Statute of Limitations for Birth Injury Claims
Michigan generally gives a medical malpractice claimant two years from the date of the negligent act, or six months from when the injury reasonably should have been discovered, whichever is later. Children are treated differently.
For a birth injury, a claim can usually be brought up to the child’s tenth birthday if the malpractice occurred before the child turned eight. Even with that extra time, evidence fades, and records can be hard to recover, so acting early protects your case. Birth injuries that end in the loss of a child fall under separate wrongful death rules.
Notice of Intent and Filing Requirements
Before a birth injury lawsuit can be filed in Michigan, the law requires a Notice of Intent to be served on each provider you intend to sue, followed by a waiting period of up to 182 days. During that window, both sides investigate the claim.
The complaint must also be supported by an Affidavit of Merit signed by a qualified medical expert who confirms the care fell below the standard. These steps take time and precision, which is another reason to involve an attorney early.
What Compensation Can Your Family Recover?
A birth injury claim is meant to cover what the injury will truly cost your family, not just today but across your child’s life. Damages generally fall into two groups.
- Economic damages – lifetime medical care, surgeries, therapy, medication, assistive devices, in-home nursing, special education, home and vehicle modifications, and your child’s lost future earning capacity.
- Non-economic damages – the pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life your child will live with, and in many cases the emotional toll on parents.
Michigan places a cap on non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases. The cap is adjusted each year for inflation, and a higher cap applies in the most serious cases, such as permanent brain injury or paralysis that affects a child for life.
We do not promise a specific dollar figure, because the right number depends on your child’s diagnosis, prognosis, and care needs. What we do is build the claim around the full lifetime cost of those needs so nothing is left out.
How Our Lansing Birth Injury Attorneys Build Your Case
From the first call, our goal is to take the weight of the legal process off your shoulders. Here is how we move a birth injury case forward.
- Free, confidential consultation. We listen to what happened, answer your questions, and tell you honestly whether we believe there is a case.
- Medical record review. We gather and read the prenatal, labor, delivery, and newborn records, using our in-house nursing background to flag what others might miss.
- Expert medical analysis. We work with qualified physicians and specialists who can confirm where the standard of care was breached and how it caused your child’s injury.
- Investigation and evidence. We preserve fetal monitoring data, staffing records, and timelines before anything is lost.
- Filing the claim. We prepare the Notice of Intent, the Affidavit of Merit, and the complaint, and we manage every deadline.
- Negotiation and litigation. We pursue a full settlement, and we prepare every case as if it will go to trial. About 95% of our cases settle out of court, but we are ready to try the ones that should be tried.
Throughout, you have a direct line to your legal team. You will never have to guess where your case stands.
Contact Our Birth Injury Lawyers in Lansing
If your child suffered a birth injury, you deserve to know whether medical negligence played a role. Families in Lansing shouldn’t have to carry the financial burden of a preventable injury alone, and we’re here to help you find answers.
Contact us at Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. for a free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and map out the strongest path forward. Remember, we don’t get paid unless you win.
Call us at 1-866-MICH-LAW anytime, 24/7, to schedule a free case evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a birth injury lawyer in Lansing cost?
Nothing upfront. We handle birth injury cases on a contingency fee, so you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for your family. The initial consultation is always free, and if there is no recovery, you owe no fee.
How long do I have to file a birth injury claim in Michigan?
Medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years of the negligence or six months from discovery, whichever is later. For a child injured at birth, the deadline can extend to the tenth birthday in many cases. Because the rules are strict and evidence fades, call as soon as you suspect something went wrong.
What is my birth injury case worth?
It depends on the severity of the injury and the lifetime care your child will need. Cases involving permanent conditions like cerebral palsy can be worth far more than those where a child fully recovers. We value a claim around real, documented future costs rather than guesswork.
How long does a birth injury case take?
Most cases at our firm resolve in roughly 18 to 24 months, though complex medical malpractice claims can take longer. We keep you updated at each stage so the timeline never feels like a black box.
Do I really need a lawyer for a birth injury claim?
Yes. Michigan birth injury claims require a Notice of Intent, an Affidavit of Merit from a medical expert, and detailed proof of how the standard of care was breached. Hospitals and their insurers are represented by experienced defense lawyers, and you should be too.
What if the doctor says the injury was unavoidable?
Get an independent review before you accept that. Providers do not always recognize or admit their own errors. Our nurse-attorney team and outside medical experts examine the records on their own to determine whether the injury truly could not have been prevented.
Can I sue the hospital and not just the doctor?
Often, yes. If a hospital’s nurses, staff, or systems contributed to the injury, the hospital itself may share responsibility. We identify every party whose negligence played a role so the full claim is on the table.
What should I do first after discovering a birth injury?
Make sure your child gets the medical care they need, keep copies of every record and bill, and write down what you remember about the delivery while it is fresh. Then call us for a free consultation so we can preserve evidence and protect your deadlines.Make sure your child gets the medical care they need, keep copies of every record and bill, and write down what you remember about the delivery while it is fresh. Then call us for a free consultation so we can preserve evidence and protect your deadlines.
