" alt="">

Erb's Palsy Claims

Reviewed by

Peter Rigby - Director of Medical Negligence

We've got your Erb's Palsy Claim covered


Erb’s Palsy, also known as ‘Brachial Plexus Palsy’is an injury that can occur during difficult childbirth when there is damage to a network of nerves near the neck that can go on to develop problems in a child’s arms and shoulders, often causing weakness and mobility issues with hands and fingers and, in severe cases, can result in paralysis.

Our medical negligence experts are highly experienced and therefore understand the difficulties of Erb’s Palsy and are here to fight for you and your child in order to attain the best medical care and the right compensation for your needs.

We're the highest-rated No Win No Fee medical negligence solicitors on Trustpilot



What is an Erb’s Palsy claim?

Erb’s Palsy is usually caused by trauma to nerves during childbirth and can result in life-long weaknesses and even paralysis in the shoulder, hand and arm. It is the duty of medical professionals to have identified potential birthing issues beforehand and to recognise issues such as shoulder dystocia to then conduct the recommended procedures during difficult labour in order to reduce the risk of injury.

If your child has been affected by substandard care within a healthcare facility, you could be entitled to an Erb’s Palsy compensation claim. Our medical negligence solicitors can advise if you have a claim and how we can help.

Can I claim compensation for Erb’s Palsy negligence?

If you believe your child has suffered medical negligence, our experienced solicitors can use their expertise to find out for sure if you have an Erb’s Palsy claim. This investigation will include assessing for any evidence of long-term issues due to negligent care from a health professional.

Whether your child is able to recover some movement or if their injuries are lifelong, compensation can be a crucial step to recovery for you, your child and your family. We understand the hardships, be it emotional or financial strain, which is why we believe in the importance of helping you to gain compensation that might make things just that little bit easier.

TYPES OF MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LEADING TO ERB’S PALSY

Negligence within the medical field can occur due to a multitude of mistakes and inadequacies, we have support claims including the following negligent actions:

  • The use of excessive amounts of force around your baby’s head, neck or shoulders during birth.
  • Failure to recognise and advise of potential risks or signs of shoulder dystocia.
  • Failure to recommend a caesarean section when appropriate.
  • Improper usage of birth-assisted tools such as forceps

WHAT CAN ERB’S PALSY COMPENSATION HELP WITH?

From experience, we know that compensation received for Erb’s Palsy can help to make a huge difference. In more severe cases of Erb’s Palsy, children may require specialist care that continues into adulthood. Compensation can help to aid both your child’s development and any financial costs that arise, such as:

  • Physiotherapy and private doctor appointments
  • Home and vehicle adaptations and other specialist equipment
  • Loss of income
  • Private tutoring

To ensure that you are receiving the right compensation amount for your case we will consider factors such as the life-long effects of injury, the emotional and physical pain suffered and your child’s ability to be independent.

  • Your contact details

    Details of your claim

    Don't worry about including all details at this stage. Our experts will ask for any further information they require when they contact you.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Why Choose Patient Claim Line for your Erb's Palsy Claim?


Not just lawyers — medical negligence experts

Patient Claim Line was established in 2014 and consists of a team of medical lawyers specialising in cancer negligence and general medical negligence claims.

At Patient Claim Line we have more than 100 solicitors with a combined experience of over 400 years and they will work on your behalf to achieve the best result possible for you.

It’s not enough to use a solicitor who sometimes covers medical negligence. You need someone who knows this area through and through. That is what the solicitors here at Patient Claim Line do. They deal exclusively in this area of law and are experts in the field.


Frequently asked questions about Erb's Palsy Claims

Our expert legal team answer your questions about making an Erb's Palsy Claim

Paediatricians can usually detect and make a diagnosis of Erb’s Palsy by assessing symptoms and signs such as:

  • Loss of feeling in the baby’s arm.
  • Paralysis of the arm, partial or full.
  • Weakness in one arm.

The time limit for Erb’s Palsy claims can depend on who is making the claim. If you are a parent/guardian claiming on the behalf of your child, you have until your child’s 18th birthday. If you have personally suffered from Erb’s Palsy and have turned 18, you have until your 21st birthday to make a claim.
We advise that you contact our team as soon as possible in order to ensure the most successful outcome and to allow our medical negligence experts enough time to collect evidence.

Erb’s Palsy is most commonly caused at childbirth, typically through a traumatic birth. If your child has developed the condition because of negligent treatment during birth, you may be able to make a medical negligence claim as their parent.

A child aged under the age of 18 is unable raise a claim on their own and should be done by a responsible parent or guardian. A parent, a grandparent or even an older adult sibling, acting in the best interests of the child can bring a medical negligence claim for the child. That responsible person will be known as the Litigation Friend. For more information take a look at our guide tomaking a claim for someone else.


Meet our Erb's Palsy Team

  • Trevor Ward

    Partner, Senior Birth Injury Solicitor

  • Emma Semwayo

    Partner, Head of Medical Negligence

  • Leanne Devine

    Associate & Birth Injury Solicitor

  • Katy Link

    Associate, Chartered Legal Executive


  • Case Study

    Vincent's Story

    "He's always there for us"

    At the age of 2 we noticed our son Vincent had trouble with his hearing. We had this testing over a number of years and were repeatedly told there was nothing wrong.

    Initially we thought this was a speech and language problem, this wasn't the case. It took 4 to 5 years of assessments, with the constant response that there was nothing wrong with his hearing. A different test was them carried on Vincent overnight where it was found he was profoundly deaf.

    After years of frustration we were finally able to provide Vincent with the support he required and received an implant. This has enable Vincent to be able to hear. The support from our solicitors has enabled to to gain access to specialist which have supported Vincent in closing the gap in his speech he lost out on to his peers.