Birth Injury Attorneys in Columbus & Cincinnati
Fighting for Families When a Preventable Delivery Error Changes Everything
A birth injury is one of the most devastating things a family can go through. One moment you’re preparing to bring your baby home, and the next you’re facing a diagnosis no parent expects—cerebral palsy, a brain injury, or a lifetime of medical care your family never planned for. If you suspect your child’s injury could have been prevented, you deserve real answers.
At Cooper Elliott, our birth injury attorneys in Cincinnati and Columbus also represent families in Northern Kentucky. Birth injury cases are among the most complex in medical malpractice law—they often require imaging experts, life care planners, and placental pathologists in addition to labor and delivery specialists. We invest in the experts and the time these cases demand, because your child’s future is worth it.
Types of Birth Injury Cases We Handle
Birth injuries can happen for many reasons, and it isn’t always obvious in the moment that something went wrong. Our birth injury lawyers in Columbus and Cincinnati investigate cases involving:
Cerebral Palsy and Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
When a baby is deprived of oxygen during labor or delivery, it can result in permanent brain injury. Cerebral palsy and HIE are among the most common outcomes of a mismanaged delivery, and they often require a lifetime of specialized care.
Improper Use of Pitocin
Pitocin is used to induce or speed up labor, but overuse can cause dangerously strong or frequent contractions that cut off oxygen to the baby. When medical staff fail to properly monitor a mother on Pitocin, the consequences can be severe.
Forceps Injuries
Forceps are sometimes used to help guide a baby through the birth canal, but improper use can cause serious harm. When forceps are applied with too much force, at the wrong angle, or by someone insufficiently trained, the result can be nerve damage, skull fracture, or facial injury to the baby.
VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)
Attempting a vaginal delivery after a previous cesarean carries a real risk of uterine rupture, and that risk requires close monitoring throughout labor. When a provider fails to properly monitor a mother attempting VBAC or doesn’t respond quickly enough to signs of rupture, the results can be catastrophic for both mother and baby.
Mismanagement of Maternal Diabetes
Whether type one or type two, diabetes during pregnancy requires careful monitoring. When a provider fails to properly manage a mother’s diabetes during labor, it can lead to serious complications for the baby, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a dangerous buildup of acids in the blood that can be life-threatening for both mother and baby if not caught in time.
Infections During Labor and Delivery
Infections like Group B Strep and other bacterial infections can pose serious risks to a baby during labor and delivery, especially when a mother’s water breaks and there’s an extended period before delivery without appropriate antibiotic treatment. Left untreated, these infections can lead to sepsis or meningitis and cause permanent brain damage.
Respiratory Distress and NICU Admission
Babies who experience respiratory distress after delivery (or who require a cooling cap to reduce brain swelling and prevent further brain injury) may be showing signs that something went wrong during labor and delivery.
Injuries to Mothers
Birth injury isn’t limited to the baby. Mothers can also sustain serious, lasting injuries—including, in the most severe cases, death—as a result of complications during labor and delivery. We represent mothers and children separately or together, depending on the circumstances of the case.
Why Choose Cooper Elliott as Your Birth Injury Attorney in Cincinnati and Columbus
Birth injury cases require far more than an OB-GYN’s testimony. We work with imaging experts to evaluate a child’s brain scans, placental pathologists to examine whether something in the mother’s placenta contributed to the injury, and certified life care planners to project the true cost of a child’s future medical needs. That depth of medical understanding is what it takes to prove exactly what went wrong—and what your child will need going forward.
Insurance companies and defense attorneys know which firms are prepared to take a case to trial and which ones will fold. Cooper Elliott prepares every birth injury case as if it’s going in front of a jury, because we know that when a jury sees a child who can’t walk, talk, or feed themselves, they want to protect that child. That preparation changes the conversation at the negotiating table.
Birth injury cases require significant upfront investment—medical records, fetal monitoring strips, and expert reviews all take time and money to gather. We cover those costs so your family never has to pay to find out whether you have a case. If we determine there isn’t one, there’s no cost to you.
Birth complications can leave lasting injuries on both mother and baby. We evaluate claims for both, and we make sure each is represented separately when the facts call for it, so no one’s injuries get overlooked.
These cases can take years, and we know how overwhelming that can feel. You’ll have direct access to your attorney, honest updates throughout the process, and a team that treats your child’s case with the seriousness and compassion it deserves.
Results We’ve Obtained for Our Clients
$750+ Million
Recovered for Our Clients
What to Expect When You Work With Us
When you contact us, you’ll speak with an attorney, not just fill out an intake form. Many parents come to us not entirely sure whether something went wrong. That’s okay. We’ll listen to your story and help you figure it out.
Time matters in these cases. We move quickly to get your labor and delivery records and fetal monitoring strips so the case can be reviewed by our medical experts as soon as possible.
Birth injury cases require careful vetting by multiple specialists before we commit. That review isn’t about doubting your experience—it’s about building a case strong enough to hold up in court. When we take yours, it’s because we’re ready to fight for it all the way.
It often takes time to know the true extent of a child’s injuries, since children reach developmental milestones at different ages. We stay with your family through that process, revisiting the case as your child grows and their needs become clearer.
Because these cases involve a minor child, any settlement or verdict must be processed through probate court. We walk you through every part of that process so you always understand what’s happening and why.
Recognition & Results
The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
Recognition for excellence in trial advocacy and client representation.
Best Lawyers® (U.S. News & World Report)
Attorneys Lindsay Lawrence, Rex Elliott, Bart Keyes, Ben Cooper, and Abby Chin have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs.
Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
Fewer than 1% of lawyers are members of this elite group of attorneys.
30 Years of Experience
Serving clients since 1995 with a track record of holding negligent providers accountable.
Verified Peer Ratings
Research our firm and attorneys on martindale.com and superlawyers.com.
Frequently Asked Questions About Birth Injury Cases
Ohio law gives parents until the child turns 18, plus one additional year, to bring a claim on the child’s behalf, as long as the case doesn’t involve a wrongful death. If the mother was also injured, she generally has one year from the date of delivery to bring her own claim. Even though the deadline for a child’s claim is far off, it’s important to reach out as soon as possible—medical records and fetal monitoring strips are easiest to obtain early, and a thorough case review takes time.
Some of the clearest indicators include a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, seizures after birth, the use of a cooling cap to reduce brain swelling, respiratory distress requiring NICU admission, prolonged rupture of membranes without antibiotic treatment, and any signs of oxygen deprivation during labor. If your child experienced any of these, it’s worth having the case reviewed by an experienced birth injury attorney.
Birth injury cases typically take longer than other medical malpractice claims, in part because it takes time to understand the full extent of a child’s injuries. A baby who is a few months old isn’t yet walking or talking, so certain injuries only become clear as the child reaches (or misses) developmental milestones. Litigation itself is also heavily contested, often involving depositions and extensive discovery before a case resolves.
Absolutely. We evaluate claims for both the mother and the child, and we can represent them separately or together, depending on the circumstances. Mothers can sustain serious injuries during labor and delivery, and those injuries deserve their own attention alongside the child’s case.
Families can pursue both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include medical bills and future medical costs, which are calculated through a life care plan that accounts for the child’s ongoing therapies, equipment, and care needs over their projected lifetime. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering and loss of consortium—the loss of the normal parent-child relationship that comes with a catastrophic injury.
No. We cover the cost of investigating your claim, including obtaining medical records and consulting with our in-house physicians and nurses for an initial review. If we determine that you don’t have a case, there’s no cost to you.
Our attorneys are licensed to handle birth injury cases throughout Ohio and Kentucky. If you’re located elsewhere, we still encourage you to reach out—we have relationships with birth injury attorneys across the country and can help connect you with the right team.
Testimonials
I was involved in a serious car accident after just having welcoming our new son into the world.
When you are at your lowest, you remember with great detail how people treat you. Sean and his team treated me and my family with nothing but compassion, grace and care.
The stress, anxiety, and fear were only mitigated by the EXTRAORDINARY passion, care, and speed this firm operates at.
A huge thank you to Sean Alto with his incredible professionalism. I never once felt that Sean and the team at Cooper Elliot had anything other than my best interest.
Thank you Cooper Elliot for being a light during a very challenging time.
Talk to a Birth Injury Lawyer in Cincinnati and Columbus for Free
If you suspect your child’s injury could have been prevented, you deserve answers.
Contact our birth injury lawyers in Columbus and Cincinnati for a free, confidential consultation. Call (614) 481-6000 or contact us online.
There’s no obligation, no upfront cost, and no risk.