The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain that is responsible for controlling muscle movement. Cerebral palsy is the name given to a range of disorders that are characterized by an individual’s inability to perform certain neuromuscular functions such as controlling the head, speaking, or moving the arms or legs in certain ways.
If your child has missed key development milestones or has trouble controlling his or her head, legs, or arms, this may indicate damage to the cerebral cortex. If your child suffered a birth injury or was delivered in an emergency operation, it is possible that events during birth or soon thereafter caused him or her to suffer brain damage at that time, leading to the signs and symptoms you see today. For more information contact our North Carolina cerebral palsy lawyer.
The Importance of Legal Guidance
There are many laws that have been passed to protect children, the disabled, and the ill from discrimination in accessing education, getting jobs, and pursuing a wide range of other interests. In addition to this, you also have the right to your family’s financial security. This is of particular importance if your child suffered a preventable birth injury. Cerebral palsy is a permanent illness and, depending on how severe the case is, your child may require lifelong care and assistance, from childhood to adulthood.
At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we aim to help families in Durham, NC secure the financial compensation they may be entitled to after receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis. We also work to ensure that the rights of injured or disabled children are not infringed upon in any way.
The legal requirements to prove negligence are stringent when it comes to holding a hospital, a doctor, or a team of caregivers liable for birth injuries.
You most likely will have grounds to sue for damages if it can be proven that your child developed cerebral palsy as a result of the negligence, inexperience, inattention, or distraction of the doctor or medical team. This applies to any time during which your child’s brain was still in development and he or she was under the care of specific individuals or teams, including before birth, during birth, and soon after birth.
In order to evaluate your case and determine whether or not medical negligence potentially played a role in causing your child’s injuries, we can help you with the following:
- We can identify and obtain evidence as to whether or not your child’s doctor or care team failed to diagnose, properly treat, or properly attend to pregnancy complications that contributed to a brain injury. These complications include high blood pressure, infections, or a large fetus.
- We can identify medical errors such as delayed C-sections, a failure to perform a C-section, the improper or unsafe use of assistive devices for birth and delivery such as forceps or vacuum extractors, or the improper administration of labor-inducing drugs.
Any other medical errors, whether clerical, administrative, or otherwise that should not have occurred can also potentially be used as grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Identifying which factors of many caused your child’s injuries and who may be held responsible for them requires the expertise of both medical as well as legal professionals well versed in birth injury cases and malpractice law. At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we charge no upfront fees for our services and will connect you to these professionals while we handle your case on your behalf. Furthermore, we only collect fees once we successfully negotiate a settlement for you or win a payout in court for you.
We can walk you through what you need to know about the merits of your case, the party or parties that may be liable for damages, the kinds of damages that you may be able to seek compensation for, how and when to file, and what to expect if your case goes to trial. Call us today at (800) 222-9529 to get your case assessment underway.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy depend on where and to what extent your baby’s brain sustained damage. Some of the telltale signs of cerebral palsy include poor coordination, abnormal muscle tone (usually characterized by stiff or spastic muscles), an inability to perform certain movements, and problems with hearing, sight, and balance.
Individuals who suffer mild cases of cerebral palsy may overcome the symptoms and disabilities that their illness causes with regular treatment such as muscle strengthening exercises and occupational therapy. Irrespective of this fact, once brain damage occurs, it does not heal, and cerebral palsy is a permanent and life-long condition. Over time, if the patient’s symptoms persist, chronic issues may develop, such as malnutrition, low bone density, and frequent fractures or bone breaks.
Durham Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me (800) 222-9529
Important Next Steps
The most important thing to do after receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis is ensuring that your child receives the treatment and care that he or she needs. Doing this, however, may require you to manage the schedules of caretakers, take on additional work, and pay for expensive treatments, all while seeking justice and compensation in case your child suffered his or her injuries as a result of medical negligence.
The Birth Injury Lawyers Group can help you determine whether or not your child’s injuries and the cerebral palsy that developed, as a result, were caused by medical negligence. To do this, we can help you ascertain who may be held responsible for the injuries in question, calculate the value of your claim, and file a claim with the right courts, within the appropriate jurisdiction, and within the prescribed time frame. Call us today at (800) 222-9529 for a free case evaluation with a member of our team.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."