Most people picture a lawsuit before they picture a phone call about a birth injury. That’s backwards, and it’s probably why so many families wait longer than they need to. The truth is duller and a lot less intimidating. A first call is mostly just a conversation.
Before You Call, You Don’t Need a Case Yet
You don’t need medical records organized in a binder. You don’t need a diagnosis with a name attached, or a theory about which nurse missed which reading. What you usually need is a lot less, a sense that something about the delivery still doesn’t sit right, and a child who’s dealing with something that might trace back to it. Santoro & Gray hears that version more often than the fully-formed one.
What Happens on the First Call
A first conversation about a possible birth injury is mostly listening. What happened during labor, as best you remember it. What the diagnosis is, if there’s one yet. What’s changed since. No fee, no commitment either way.
What the Firm Actually Investigates
Records first, usually.
- Prenatal visits, labor and delivery logs, NICU charts, pediatric follow-ups, all requested and pulled together
- Fetal monitoring strips and delivery notes get reviewed for gaps or delays, the kind that don’t always jump out on a first read
- Independent medical experts weigh in on whether the standard of care held up
- Who was involved gets mapped out, and what each person’s role actually was
- What a child’s future medical and care needs will likely look like, which takes longer to piece together than the rest
Records take time to pull. Experts take longer to review them properly, and there’s no shortcut for either.
Common Questions Families Ask
How long does the legal process usually take?
Depends on the records, and on how contested things get. Some cases wrap in months. Others take a lot longer, especially when a child’s long-term needs are still being figured out.
Is there a deadline to act?
There is, and it matters. Massachusetts generally gives three years from when the injury was discovered, seven years outer limit from when it happened. Miss that window and options start closing.
What if I already talked to the hospital or signed something?
Bring it in anyway. Doesn’t necessarily end things, but a lawyer should look at it sooner than later.
Why Families Choose to Move Forward
Some families look at everything after the investigation and decide there’s nothing more to pursue. That’s a real outcome, not a failure. Others find what looked like bad luck at the time had a clearer explanation once someone who knew what to look for actually looked. Medical experts, life care planners, economic consultants, Santoro & Gray brings all of them in to understand what a child’s future will really require.
The Call Itself Isn’t the Hard Part
Most families spend more time deciding whether to call than the call itself takes. There’s rarely a perfect moment for it, no clean point where the uncertainty resolves on its own first. Usually it’s just a parent who’s tired of wondering, ready to find out one way or the other.
Comments are closed.