Birth Injury Lawyer Fort Lauderdale

The birth of a child should be one of the happiest moments of your life. When something goes wrong because a doctor, nurse, or hospital made a preventable mistake, that joy can turn into fear, grief, and uncertainty. You may suddenly face surgeries, therapies, medical bills, and questions no parent should ever have to ask.

At the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato, our Fort Lauderdale birth injury lawyers understand how overwhelming this moment is for your family. This page gives you clear, honest information about your legal rights, the medical errors that cause birth injuries, the compensation Florida law allows, and the steps you can take to protect your child’s future. You are not alone, and you do not have to figure this out by yourself.

Trusted Birth Injury Attorneys Serving Fort Lauderdale Families

Our firm has called South Florida home for decades. From our Fort Lauderdale office, we represent families across Broward County, including residents of Coral Springs, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Sunrise, Davie, Hollywood, Weston, and the surrounding communities. We know the local hospitals, the local courts, and the local medical experts who help us prove these cases.

Birth injury claims in Fort Lauderdale are typically filed in the Broward County Circuit Court, which handles complex medical malpractice litigation. Because we have practiced in this courthouse for many years, our attorneys understand how these cases move through the system and what local judges and juries expect to see. When you choose a local Fort Lauderdale birth injury attorney, you get someone who can meet with you in person, visit your child’s treating providers, and respond quickly when questions arise.

Birth Injuries in Fort Lauderdale: A Local Overview

Fort Lauderdale is served by several large hospitals and women’s health centers that deliver thousands of babies each year. While most deliveries are safe, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that thousands of birth complications occur annually in the United States, and a meaningful number of them are linked to preventable medical errors.

Florida hospitals and healthcare facilities are regulated by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), which oversees licensing, patient safety, and complaint investigations. When a Fort Lauderdale family experiences a serious birth injury, the consequences are not only medical — they are financial and emotional. Long-term therapies, specialized schools, and in-home care can cost millions of dollars over a child’s lifetime, which is why getting the right legal team involved early matters.

Common Causes of Birth Injuries

Not every birth complication is the fault of a medical provider. Some injuries result from natural factors such as premature labor, breech positioning, or unusual fetal size. However, doctors and hospitals are required to follow accepted medical standards designed to protect mother and baby. When those standards are ignored, preventable injuries happen. Common causes our Fort Lauderdale attorneys investigate include:

• Failure to identify and manage high-risk pregnancies
• Delayed or improperly performed emergency C-sections
• Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
• Failure to monitor or respond to fetal distress on the heart monitor
• Mismanagement of umbilical cord problems
• Medication errors during labor
• Failure to control maternal hemorrhage
• Poorly supervised nursing or resident staff

If any of these failures contributed to your child’s injury, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim under Florida law.

Types of Birth Injury Cases We Handle

Our Fort Lauderdale birth injury lawyers represent families in a wide range of cases, including:

• OB-GYN malpractice — negligent prenatal care, missed warning signs, or delayed intervention.
• Labor and delivery errors — improper use of delivery tools, failure to perform a timely C-section, unsafe pushing techniques.
• Hospital negligence — understaffing, communication failures, or systemic safety problems.
• Anesthesia errors — complications from epidurals or general anesthesia during delivery.
• Neonatal care errors — mistakes in the NICU after birth.
• Wrongful death claims — when negligence results in the loss of a mother or baby.

Common Birth Injuries Caused by Medical Negligence

Birth injuries range from temporary bruising to lifelong disabilities. The most serious cases we see in Fort Lauderdale include:

• Cerebral palsy — a neurological disorder often linked to oxygen deprivation during delivery.
• Erb’s palsy and brachial plexus injuries — nerve damage to the shoulder and arm caused by excessive pulling.
• Birth asphyxia and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) — brain injury caused by lack of oxygen.
• Cephalohematoma and skull fractures — trauma to the baby’s head during delivery.
• Spinal cord injuries — sometimes resulting in partial or full paralysis.
• Facial nerve damage — from forceps or pressure during delivery.

Mothers can also suffer serious injuries during childbirth, including severe perineal tearing, pelvic floor injuries, postpartum hemorrhage, infections, and surgical errors during C-sections. National research and statistics on maternal and infant outcomes are tracked by the National Institutes of Health.

Florida Birth Injury Laws You Should Know

Florida has specific rules that apply to medical malpractice and birth injury claims. Three of the most important are:

• Florida Statutes Chapter 766 — governs medical negligence claims, including the pre-suit investigation process and the requirement to obtain a medical expert opinion before filing.
• Florida Statutes §95.11 — sets the statute of limitations. Most medical malpractice cases must be filed within two years of when the injury is discovered, with special rules that can extend the deadline for injuries to minors.
• The Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Plan (NICA) — a state program that may apply to certain severe neurological injuries at birth. Whether NICA or a traditional malpractice lawsuit applies is an important legal question your attorney must answer early.

Because these rules are strict, missing a deadline or filing the wrong type of claim can permanently eliminate your right to compensation. For broader Florida personal injury claim guidance, see our statewide resource. A qualified Fort Lauderdale birth injury lawyer can make sure your case is filed correctly and on time.

Compensation Available in Birth Injury Cases

Birth injuries often require a lifetime of care. Florida law allows families to seek compensation for the full range of losses caused by medical negligence, including:

• Past and future medical expenses, including surgeries, hospital stays, and medications
• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
• Specialized medical equipment and home modifications
• In-home nursing and long-term care
• Special education and learning support
• Lost wages for parents who must reduce work hours to provide care
• Loss of future earning capacity for the child
• Pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of quality of life

Because the impact of a serious birth injury can last a lifetime, our attorneys work with medical and financial experts to calculate the true long-term cost of care — not just what the family is paying today.

What To Do After a Suspected Birth Injury

If you believe your child or your own injury was caused by medical negligence, these steps can protect both your child’s health and your legal rights:

1. Focus on medical care first. Make sure your baby and you are receiving the treatment, evaluations, and follow-ups that are needed.
2. Request complete medical records. You have the right to copies of prenatal records, labor and delivery notes, fetal monitoring strips, and hospital charts.
3. Write down what you remember. Note conversations with doctors and nurses, timing of events, and any changes in the baby’s condition.
4. Do not sign anything from the hospital or insurance company without legal review. Releases and quick settlement offers can permanently limit your rights.
5. Talk to a Fort Lauderdale birth injury lawyer early. Florida deadlines and pre-suit requirements move quickly, and evidence is easier to preserve when an attorney is involved from the start.

How a Fort Lauderdale Birth Injury Lawyer Can Help

Birth injury cases are among the most complex in personal injury law. Because they often overlap with broader medical negligence claims, our Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice attorney team brings the medical, legal, and investigative resources these cases require. A dedicated birth injury attorney helps your family by:

• Investigating what went wrong and identifying every responsible party
• Hiring board-certified medical experts to review the records and testify
• Handling all communication with hospitals, insurers, and defense lawyers
• Calculating the full lifetime cost of your child’s care
• Negotiating settlements that reflect the true value of the case
• Taking your case to trial in Broward County Circuit Court if a fair settlement cannot be reached

You should never feel pressured to navigate the medical and legal system alone. Our team handles the legal heavy lifting so your family can focus on your child.

Common Insurance Issues in Birth Injury Claims

Hospitals and doctors are typically insured by large medical malpractice carriers. These insurance companies have experienced defense lawyers and one main goal: to pay as little as possible. Common tactics families face include:

• Quick, low settlement offers before the family understands the true cost of care
• Requests for recorded statements that can be used against you later
• Blaming the injury on a pre-existing condition or natural complication
• Delaying responses in hopes that families will give up
• Disputing medical bills and the need for future treatment

Our Fort Lauderdale birth injury attorneys know these tactics and prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That preparation, combined with strong medical evidence, often leads to better settlements.

Insurance Coverage Limits and Excess Medical Costs

In car accident cases, families often rely on uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage when the at-fault driver does not have enough insurance. Birth injury cases work differently, but a similar problem can arise: the responsible doctor or hospital may not carry enough malpractice insurance to fully cover a lifetime of care. When that happens, our attorneys look for additional sources of recovery, which may include:

• Hospital policies that cover employed physicians, nurses, and residents
• Separate policies for OB-GYN groups, anesthesiologists, and other specialists
• Umbrella or excess malpractice coverage
• Eligibility under the Florida NICA program for qualifying severe neurological injuries
• Other negligent parties who may share responsibility

If your family has private health insurance or Medicaid, we also help coordinate liens and reimbursements so more of any settlement stays with your child.

Why Choose the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato

Choosing the right law firm can change the outcome of your case. Families across Fort Lauderdale trust the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato because of our:

• Experience — decades of representing seriously injured clients across Florida, including complex birth injury and medical malpractice claims.
• Expertise — we work with leading OB-GYN, neonatology, neurology, and life-care planning experts to build strong, evidence-based cases.
• Authority — our firm is well known in the Broward County legal community and is regularly trusted with serious, high-value injury cases.
• Trustworthiness — we take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for your family.
• Personal attention — you will work directly with attorneys who know your case, not a call center.

What Our Clients Say

Families across South Florida have shared what working with our team has meant to them:

“They treated us like family from day one. They explained everything in plain English and fought for our son’s future when we did not know where to turn.” — Former client, Broward County

“After our daughter’s injury, we felt lost. Wolf & Pravato gave us answers, brought in the right medical experts, and stayed with us until the case was resolved.” — Former client, Fort Lauderdale

“Professional, compassionate, and relentless when it came to dealing with the hospital’s insurance company. We are deeply grateful.” — Former client, Coral Springs

Testimonials reflect the experience of individual clients and do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.

Meet Attorney Richard Paul Pravato

Richard Paul Pravato is a founding attorney at the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato and has dedicated his career to representing injury victims and their families throughout Florida. He has handled a wide range of catastrophic injury and medical negligence matters, with a focus on protecting clients whose lives have been changed by preventable harm.

Attorney Pravato is licensed by The Florida Bar and is well respected in the Broward County legal community.

Florida Bar Number: 86150

Verify credentials: https://www.floridabar.org/

Speak With a Fort Lauderdale Birth Injury Lawyer Today

If your child or your own body was harmed by what you believe was medical negligence during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, do not wait to get answers. Florida’s deadlines are strict, and key medical evidence can be lost over time.

The Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato offers a free, confidential case evaluation. There is no cost to talk with us, and no fee unless we recover compensation for you. You can request a free case evaluation online anytime.

Call our personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale today at (954) 633-8270 to schedule your free consultation. Let our team review your child’s case, explain your rights, and fight for the compensation your family deserves.

FAQs

What hospitals in Fort Lauderdale handle childbirth deliveries?

Major hospitals and women’s health centers throughout Broward County deliver thousands of babies each year. All Florida hospitals are regulated by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees licensing, patient safety, and complaint investigations.

How common are birth injuries in Florida?

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thousands of birth complications occur each year in the United States. While not every complication is caused by negligence, a meaningful portion are linked to preventable medical errors.

Where are birth injury lawsuits filed in Fort Lauderdale?

Birth injury lawsuits involving Fort Lauderdale hospitals are typically filed in the Broward County Circuit Court, which handles complex medical malpractice litigation.

How long do families in Fort Lauderdale have to file a birth injury claim?

Most medical malpractice claims must be filed within two years under Florida Statutes §95.11, with special rules that can extend the deadline for injuries involving minors. Because the rules are technical, you should speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.

Can parents sue a hospital in Fort Lauderdale for a birth injury?

Yes. If a doctor, nurse, or hospital staff member caused the injury through medical negligence, families can pursue a medical malpractice claim against the responsible providers and the hospital that employed them.

How much does it cost to hire a Fort Lauderdale birth injury lawyer?

Our firm handles birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney fees up front, and we only get paid if we recover compensation for your family.

What if my child’s injury was diagnosed years after birth?

Some birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy, are not diagnosed until a child misses developmental milestones. Florida law includes exceptions that may allow families to file a claim even when an injury is discovered later, but these rules are complex and time-sensitive.