If your child was harmed during birth in Laurel, the doctor, nurse, or hospital may be liable when care fell below medical standards. Maryland treats this as medical malpractice — the deadline is the earlier of five years from the injury or three years from discovery, but for a child the clock works differently: it generally doesn’t start until they reach adulthood (Piselli v. 75th Street Medical, 371 Md. 188 (2002)).
At Pinder Plotkin, the initial consultation is free, whether by phone or in person. You have the right to an attorney, and we work on a contingency basis — you do not pay attorney fees up front while dealing with medical bills and lost wages, and our fee comes only after you win.
Not every birth injury is caused by malpractice — but many are preventable. The legal question is whether the provider's care fell below what a reasonably careful provider would have done.
Lifelong disorders of movement, muscle tone, and posture, often from brain damage before, during, or shortly after birth; frequently linked to oxygen deprivation during labor.
Brain injury from lack of oxygen or blood flow around birth; a leading cause of CP. Prompt cooling therapy can reduce damage if started quickly.
When a baby's brain and organs don't get enough oxygen before, during, or just after birth.
White-matter brain damage, common in premature infants, strongly associated with CP.
Bleeding in or around the brain, from delivery trauma or prematurity.
A stroke shortly before, during, or after birth that can cause seizures and lasting injury.
Often a warning sign of an underlying brain injury such as HIE or bleeding.
Bilirubin buildup; common and treatable, but dangerous if not monitored.
Preventable permanent brain damage from untreated severe jaundice; often the result of a missed or delayed diagnosis.
Dangerously low blood sugar that, untreated, can cause brain injury.
Damage to the arm and hand nerve network, often from excessive pulling during a difficult delivery.
An upper-arm brachial plexus injury causing weakness or paralysis. It affects roughly 1 to 2 of every 1,000 births — about 12,000 babies a year (Source: Cleveland Clinic) — commonly linked to shoulder dystocia and improper delivery technique.
Lower-arm and hand brachial plexus injury.
One-sided facial weakness, sometimes from pressure or forceps.
The most common birth fracture, often with difficult deliveries or shoulder dystocia.
From birth trauma or improper instrument use.
Rare but severe, from excessive force or awkward positioning.
Blood collection under the scalp, usually from vacuum or forceps; often resolves but should be monitored.
Bleeding between scalp and skull that can spread and become life-threatening; linked to vacuum deliveries; needs urgent monitoring.
Scalp swelling from delivery pressure; usually minor.
When a shoulder lodges behind the pelvic bone; a true emergency that can cause nerve injuries, fractures, and oxygen deprivation if mishandled.
When a baby inhales meconium and amniotic fluid, causing breathing problems.
The lungs don't adapt to breathing air, reducing oxygen to the body.
When a mother isn't properly screened or a newborn's symptoms are missed, these can cause devastating, preventable harm.
Not every birth injury is caused by malpractice — but many are preventable. The legal question is whether the provider's care fell below what a reasonably careful provider would have done.
Birth defects affect about 1 in 33 babies (roughly 3%) born in the U.S. each year and are the leading cause of infant death — about 1 in 5 infant deaths. There were 3,628,934 births in the U.S. in 2024. Source: CDC / CDC-NCHS.
About 1 in 3 U.S. births (32.4% in 2024) is a cesarean section (Source: CDC/NCHS). The World Health Organization has long held that, at the population level, a C-section rate above roughly 10–15% is not associated with lower maternal or newborn mortality (Source: WHO). WHO now emphasizes providing a C-section to every mother who needs one rather than hitting a target rate, so this is a population-level signal, not a rule for any individual birth.
A C-section can be medically necessary and lifesaving. But timing matters: when a provider waits too long to order an emergency C-section in the face of fetal distress, or performs one carelessly, the delay itself can cause oxygen deprivation and permanent injury. Whether a C-section — or the failure to perform one in time — was appropriate is often the central question in a birth injury case.
A successful case can fund the therapy, equipment, home modifications, and future medical care a child will need for life — costs your family should not have to carry because of someone else's mistake.
Families in the Laurel area deliver at hospitals across Prince George's and Howard counties, including:
Largo, Prince George's County — labor and delivery, and the only Level III NICU in Prince George's County.
Columbia, Howard County — labor and delivery with a Level III+ NICU.
Pinder Plotkin attorney Christian J. Miele, Esq. served in the Maryland House of Delegates (2015–2019) on the Health and Government Operations Committee, which oversees the state's malpractice and insurance laws. He authored Janet's Law (House Bill 957, 2017), which requires Maryland physicians who practice without malpractice insurance to disclose that to their patients — a detail that can matter a great deal in a birth injury case, where a family's ability to recover often depends on the provider's coverage. Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2024–2026.
Note for Laurel families: UM Laurel Medical Center on Contee Road provides emergency and surgical care but has no inpatient beds, so babies are not delivered there.
In Laurel, certain kinds of preventable birth injuries fall within the medical malpractice statutes. Malpractice refers to harm that occurs when a health care provider deviates from the accepted professional standard of care, through either inappropriate action or negligence.
Depending on what went wrong, a claim may be brought against the obstetrician, delivery nurses, the hospital, a midwife, an anesthesiologist, or another provider whose care fell below the accepted standard. Part of our job is identifying every party who may share responsibility.
Birth injury cases are medical malpractice claims in Maryland under Courts & Judicial Proceedings § 5-109. The general deadline is the earlier of five years from when the injury occurred or three years from when it was discovered. For a child, the clock generally does not begin to run until they reach adulthood (see Piselli v. 75th Street Medical, 371 Md. 188 (2002)), which usually gives a family years into the child's life to bring the claim. These rules are strict and fact-specific — contact us to confirm the exact deadline for your child.
Maryland caps non-economic damages (pain and suffering) in medical malpractice cases, tied to the year the injury occurred and rising each year. For injuries arising in 2026, the cap is $920,000; in a wrongful-death case with two or more eligible family members, the combined cap is $1,150,000. There is no cap on economic damages — medical bills, future care, and lost earning capacity.
Browse our library of free guides on Maryland injury claims, insurance, and what to expect after an accident.
You may, if a provider's care fell below the accepted standard and that failure harmed your child. The only way to know is to have the records reviewed. We do that at no cost to you.
Birth injury claims follow Maryland's medical malpractice deadline: the earlier of five years from the injury or three years from discovery. For a child, though, the clock generally does not begin to run until they reach adulthood (see Piselli v. 75th Street Medical, 371 Md. 188 (2002)), so a family often has years into the child's life to file. Deadlines are strict, so contact us to confirm yours.
Nothing up front. At Pinder Plotkin, we only charge you after we recover compensation on your behalf, typically 33% of your insurance settlement. Our fee is increased if a lawsuit is filed. There won't be any charges if we don't win.
No. Some complications happen even with excellent care. A case exists only when a provider failed to do what a reasonably careful provider would have done, and that failure caused the harm.
A birth defect develops during pregnancy, often genetic or from an exposure. A birth injury happens during labor or delivery, often from trauma or oxygen deprivation. Both can involve malpractice, but the legal analysis differs.
Potentially the obstetrician, delivery nurses, a midwife, an anesthesiologist, or the hospital, anyone whose care fell below the standard. We identify every responsible party.
Possibly. Some injuries surface months or years later. Maryland's discovery rule and the special deadlines for children may still allow a claim, but timing is critical, so reach out as soon as you have concerns.
Economic damages such as past and future medical care, therapy, equipment, and lost earning capacity are not capped in Maryland, plus non-economic damages for pain and suffering, which are subject to the state cap for the year of injury.
329 Prince George St, Laurel, MD 20707 · Call (888) 844-5373 to schedule a visit. · View on Google
We review potential birth injury cases for families in the City of Laurel and Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Howard, and Montgomery Counties.
Jason Plotkin does not just take Laurel cases — he shows up in the community. He serves as a Director of the Laurel Board of Trade, hosts Around Town on Laurel TV, and has moderated the Laurel Candidates Forum for the past two election cycles. When you work with our firm, you are working with people who know this city — its roads, its courts, and its neighbors.
Whenever your child and you have been the victim of a preventable birth defect or injury, you need to know what all of your options are. Contact Pinder Plotkin to schedule your free consultation to learn how a Laurel birth injury attorney at our law firm can help ensure that you receive the fair and full compensation that you deserve.
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