You might be able to pursue money damages if a doctor’s negligence caused your child’s cerebral palsy. A cerebral palsy lawyer who serves Avondale, Arizona, might be able to help. Your compensation can include things like medical expenses, the cost of your child’s equipment, and other losses.
Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529 for a free case review. When we handle your case, you can focus your attention on your child.
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What Can Cause Cerebral Palsy
The symptoms of cerebral palsy often do not show up until the child is a year or two old. This fact can make it difficult to pinpoint what caused the brain injury that led to the development of cerebral palsy.
Things can happen during the pregnancy, labor, delivery, or shortly after the birth that can cause cerebral palsy. People once thought that oxygen deprivation during labor and delivery was the primary cause of cerebral palsy, but we now know that many other factors can cause this medical condition.
Here are some examples of things that can result in cerebral palsy:
- Harm during the pregnancy: the developing fetus can sustain damage before birth if the mother has an illness, like rubella, or gets hurt in a fall or car accident during the pregnancy.
- Oxygen deprivation: if the baby’s oxygen supply gets cut off for an extended period, his brain cells can start to die. Oxygen deprivation can happen if the umbilical cord gets wrapped around the newborn’s neck or he gets stuck in the birth canal. Also, with a prolonged labor and delivery, the infant might not get enough oxygen.
- Head trauma: a doctor can use forceps or vacuum extraction to help a prolonged labor and delivery to progress. If used improperly, however, these techniques can fracture the baby’s skull and cause brain injury.
- Neonatal injury: shortly after the birth, the infant’s brain can suffer harm from things like seizures or untreated jaundice. This damage can lead to cerebral palsy.
Your lawyer can review your medical records to look for factors that might have caused your child’s cerebral palsy.
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The Four Primary Types of Cerebral Palsy
These four types of cerebral palsy cover the vast majority of instances of the medical condition:
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Most people with cerebral palsy have the spastic type. They cannot keep their muscles from clenching tightly. Their arms and legs draw up into uncomfortable positions. Their fists clench, and they cannot stand flat-footed. They become “locked” into rigid poses against their will.
Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy
A person with the dyskinetic type of cerebral palsy will appear unable to sit still. He will move almost constantly when awake. His arms and legs will move so much that he will struggle to walk and maintain balance. He cannot stop his body from moving.
He will experience involuntary movements of his neck, head, mouth, and tongue. These actions can make it extremely difficult for him to eat or drink. Unable to control the muscles that govern breathing, he might not get enough oxygen to his brain. He is likely to have more respiratory illness as a result of his irregular, shallow breathing.
Athetoid, choreoathetoid, and dystonic cerebral palsy are forms or dyskinetic cerebral palsy. The individual can experience episodes in which his muscles are too tight as well as times when the muscles are too loose.
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
With ataxic cerebral palsy, balance and coordination are a challenge. The person might struggle to write or to walk steadily.
Mixed Cerebral Palsy
A person with more than one kind of cerebral palsy has mixed cerebral palsy.
For a free case review, call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529.
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The Impacts of Cerebral Palsy on Your Child’s Life
If you cannot control your arms, legs, neck, or head, ordinary situations might seem unachievable. Your child might struggle with:
- Communication
- Mobility
- Learning
- Physical exercise and recreation
Daily personal care, like toileting, washing his hands, bathing, dressing, feeding himself, and brushing his teeth
Sleeping difficulties due to chronic pain and being unable to change his position
- Chronic pain
He might not get to live independently as an adult, or he might need appropriate supports to:
- Have a job
- Make his meals
- Manage his finances, like paying bills, following a budget, and saving for retirement
- Cleaning and maintaining a house and yard
The brain injury that causes cerebral palsy is permanent. If your child has functional limitations at age 20, he will likely have those same issues for the rest of his life.
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The Costs of Cerebral Palsy
Since there is no cure yet for cerebral palsy, the expenses will continue throughout the person’s lifetime. Some costs will increase, for example, the expense of caregiving when the child’s parents become elderly and unable to perform the physical work of taking care of the child’s needs.
Thankfully, there are many types of equipment and other items that can improve the quality of life for a person with cerebral palsy. These things can be expensive. Also, the child can outgrow some sizes of equipment, or the item might eventually need replacement from ordinary wear and tear.
Some of the costs of cerebral palsy include:
- Doctors and hospitals
- Operations—many children need multiple surgeries to optimize their mobility and comfort.
- Prescription drugs
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Speech and language therapy
- Respiratory therapy and equipment
- Mobility equipment like wheelchairs
- Splints
- Adapted clothing
- Home modifications, like ramps, lift equipment, and an accessible bathroom
Your child might also need training to learn skills for independent living, social interactions, and job qualifications.
Every situation is unique, so the amount of your money damages will be different from other cases. Your potential compensation will depend on the facts of your claim.
How To Find an Avondale Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
You do not want to delay looking for a cerebral palsy lawyer in Avondale. You have a limited time in which to go after compensation. After the deadline passes, you might not be able to recover your losses.
You need to find out whether you might have a claim for compensation. For a free case review, call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529.
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