$550,000 Settlement for Shoulder Injury During Birth

The child suffered nerve damage to his arm known as Erb’s palsy, resulting in a reduction in the arm’s range of motion. “This is a very common medical error where doctors don’t seem to appreciate that the baby’s shoulder is impacted behind the pelvis of the mother; they pull too hard and the damage is done,” says Blume. “There are certain maneuvers that can safely free up the shoulder, but some doctors use ‘traction’; they pull on the baby’s head. The shoulder doesn’t move and something has to give, and what gives are the nerves in the baby’s cervical spine. We have even handled cases where one or more nerves were totally pulled out of the spinal cord.”