When you learn that your newborn baby has cerebral palsy (CP), it can be an emotional and even scary moment. However, to learn that your baby’s diagnosis is from a negligent doctor’s malpractice can be even more painful and frustrating. As a parent of a medical malpractice victim, you have a legal right to hold the negligent parties accountable. A Georgia cerebral palsy lawyer can help.
Our Georgia birth injury lawyers are ready to assist you in recovering the compensation you and your child need for an easier life. We’ll gather evidence, identify the liable party, and fight for you to receive a fair settlement. Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today for a free initial consultation.
Compassionate Legal Support for Birth Injury Victims and Their Families
We understand the emotional and physical challenges families face when dealing with birth injuries, and we want to help you navigate through the legal process. Since our firm only focuses on birth injury cases, we have in-depth knowledge and experience in this area of law. We provide tailored legal strategies and effective legal guidance.
You can choose a lawyer from the city that’s closest to you from the following:
- Athens-Clarke cerebral palsy lawyer: Helping Athens-Clarke families impacted by cerebral palsy from birth injuries.
- Atlanta cerebral palsy lawyer: Advocating for Atlanta families dealing with cerebral palsy caused by medical negligence.
- Columbus cerebral palsy lawyer: Representing Columbus families whose children suffer from cerebral palsy due to medical negligence.
- Macon cerebral palsy lawyer: Assisting Macon families in seeking justice for cerebral palsy caused by preventable birth injuries.
- Roswell cerebral palsy lawyer: Supporting Roswell families dealing with cerebral palsy due to medical errors.
- Sandy Springs cerebral palsy lawyer: Representing families in Sandy Springs affected by cerebral palsy from birth-related medical mistakes.
- Savannah cerebral palsy lawyer: Fighting for Savannah families seeking justice for cerebral palsy caused by preventable birth injuries.
- South Fulton cerebral palsy lawyer: Helping South Fulton families facing the challenges of cerebral palsy due to medical negligence.
Our legal team serves many cities throughout Georgia, so if your child was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a doctor’s negligence caused it, we can help. We have experience with representing a wide range of claims, so we can easily adapt our strategies to the specific details of your case.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects movement, muscle coordination, and posture. It is caused by damage to the developing brain, typically occurring before or during birth but sometimes during the first few years of life. The extent and nature of the impairment can vary widely, leading to a spectrum of symptoms.
While CP is a lifelong condition, early intervention, and supportive therapies can significantly improve an individual’s quality of life by addressing specific challenges and enhancing overall functionality.
What Are the Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy in Infants?
A cerebral palsy diagnosis may be complicated, especially for infants. However, a Georgia doctor can suspect cerebral palsy if an infant displays poor muscle tone, has slow motor skills development, or has an unusual posture.
In addition, a general movement assessment can help parents determine whether their child might have cerebral palsy. Still, an official diagnosis from a medical professional may take some time, and even an MRI might not adequately indicate the extent of the CP. Symptoms of cerebral palsy differ from patient to patient and depend on the severity of the individual’s case.
Common symptoms of cerebral palsy include:
- Muscle spasms
- Developmental delays
- Shaky hands
- Difficulty walking or crawling
- Difficulty speaking and swallowing
- Learning disabilities
If you notice any of the above symptoms or otherwise suspect that your newborn may have cerebral palsy, seek immediate medical attention for a diagnosis.
Georgia Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me (800) 222-9529
Compensation You Can Recover in Your Child’s Medical Malpractice Case
The financial impact of cerebral palsy extends beyond the emotional and physical challenges faced by individuals with this neurological disorder. Families caring for a child with cerebral palsy often encounter significant financial burdens due to the extensive medical and therapeutic interventions required throughout the individual’s life.
After your child suffers a birth injury as a result of medical negligence, we can help you collect damages so you can secure quality medical care for your child. A birth injury attorney in Georgia can help you recover damages for you and your child.
Damages you could recover in a cerebral palsy case include:
- Medical bills
- Medical equipment
- Ongoing costs of specialized care and therapies your child may need
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of earning capacity
- Lost wages for parents who stop working to care for their child
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
To prove damages, your attorney will examine medical records, consult expert witnesses, and gather evidence to establish a clear link between the medical negligence and the resulting injuries. We may focus on showcasing the extent of your child’s injuries, the associated medical expenses, ongoing healthcare needs, and potential future challenges.
The damages and the compensation amount you receive depend on the severity of your case and how negligent the liable parties were. We can tell you what damages you qualify for when you meet with us in person or on a phone call.
"We know first-hand what you are going through."
How Medical Malpractice Can Cause Cerebral Palsy in Infants
A majority of cerebral palsy diagnoses are a result of brain damage from oxygen deprivation during pregnancy or birth. The lack of oxygen is often caused by a medical staff’s negligence and failure to provide an acceptable standard of care for a mother and her baby.
Common examples of medical malpractice include:
- A doctor failing to diagnose and treat maternal infections
- A doctor failing to notice fetal distress
- Hospital staff’s improper use of vacuum extractors and forceps during the delivery process
- A doctor failing to perform a C-section when necessary
- Insufficient care during labor leads to a lack of oxygen for the baby
If you believe the doctor who helped you deliver your child made a medical error and engaged in medical malpractice, a Georgia cerebral palsy attorney can determine if you have a case.
"Our Birth Injury Lawyers have recovered over $750+ Million on behalf of our clients."
How To Prove Negligence for Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy?
Negligence occurs when a healthcare professional fails to provide the standard of care expected in a given situation, leading to harm. Establishing negligence is essential in pursuing legal action against healthcare providers, as it forms the basis for holding them accountable for the preventable harm caused to your newborn.
To prove negligence, a cerebral palsy lawyer in Georgia will focus on the following key elements:
- Duty of care: Establish that the healthcare provider owed a duty of care to the patient, especially during childbirth.
- Breach of duty: Demonstrate that the healthcare professional failed to meet the standard of care expected in the given circumstances.
- Causation: Connect the doctor’s breach of duty directly to the occurrence of cerebral palsy, showing a cause-and-effect relationship.
- Damages: Present evidence of the harm suffered, including the physical, emotional, and financial impact on the child and their family.
When you work with Birth Injury Lawyers Group, you can expect a close collaboration with your attorney. We want to hear the details of your story, as any seemingly insignificant detail could provide critical insight into your case.
Possible Liable Parties in a Newborn Cerebral Palsy Case
Part of what makes birth injury cases so difficult is that many parties are involved, which makes it more challenging to identify who is at fault. Work with an experienced cerebral palsy attorney in Georgia to build a strong case against the responsible party.
Any of the following parties could be liable in a cerebral palsy case:
- Obstetricians
- Gynecologists
- Nurses
- Midwives
- Hospitals
- Medical staff
- Healthcare providers
By reviewing medical records, consulting with experts, and conducting independent investigations, our attorneys can determine which healthcare professionals may be responsible for the birth injury. Identifying the at-fault party allows the lawyer to pursue the appropriate legal action to seek compensation.
What Is Georgia’s Statute of Limitations for Medical Malpractice?
We understand you feel frustrated after discovering a doctor’s medical malpractice led to your child’s CP diagnosis. You must usually file a medical malpractice claim within two years to get the necessary compensation. However, under certain circumstances, like when the victim is a minor, the deadline can be extended.
If you miss the deadline, you may no longer get fair compensation. Due to this risk, our birth injury attorneys in Georgia recommend that you file your claim as early as you can.
If your case requires more investigation, we’ll inform you and tell you exactly how long you have to file. We’ll gather all the evidence and paperwork we need to support your claim before filing.
How a Georgia Cerebral Palsy Attorney Can Help You in Your Case
Seeking advice and help from a specialized cerebral palsy attorney is the first step in building a medical malpractice case and getting the compensation you and your child need.
Your lawyer will assess the situation, analyze the evidence and documents you provide, establish liability, assign monetary value to your losses, and initiate the legal process so you can obtain compensatory damages. Birth injuries and medical negligence cases are complex and lengthy, so you need legal counsel every step of the way.
We can also help you negotiate with the hospital or doctor’s insurance company. When hospitals make mistakes, their insurance company will do everything to prove it wasn’t their fault. Our cerebral palsy attorneys in Georgia will build a strong case on your behalf.
If you suspect your child might have cerebral palsy and that it may be due to your healthcare provider’s mistake, our Georgia CP lawyers will give you the help you need.
Effects of Living With Cerebral Palsy
In some severe cases, when your child is diagnosed, they may need lifelong care and adaptive equipment, such as physical and speech therapy, to improve their quality of life. As a caregiver, you may have to modify the home or vehicles. You can follow our birth injury caregiver guide to learn more about what to do.
The costs of home modifications can seem overwhelming, so having a Georgia CP attorney on your side may be important if cerebral palsy can be attributed to a doctor’s error. While this can be stressful, and you may worry about your child’s ability to be independent in the future, advancements in the medical industry can help your child succeed.
A Medical Device That Can Help Your Child
Some people with cerebral palsy cannot talk, which is often referred to as non-verbal. Whether it be from a lack of confidence or CP making it difficult for their muscles to move, having a non-verbal child can present challenges.
An Augmented and Alternative Communication device is a tool that can help non-verbal people speak when they are unable to use sign language or communicate in other ways. The tool, which looks like a tablet mounted to a wheelchair, lets children use their eyes to scroll and select words and phrases.
While cerebral palsy may also come with cognitive deficits depending on the injury that caused it, it is a disorder that only affects the physical body. Therefore, tools like an AAC can help someone with cerebral palsy get around their physical issues and express themselves.
Contact Our Georgia Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Today To Discuss Your Case
Our team of Georgia cerebral palsy lawyers at Birth Injury Lawyers Group understands the challenges you’re facing after your baby’s CP diagnosis. And we know dealing with a legal case is the last thing you want to do when your child needs medical attention. That’s why our lawyers are here to relieve you of dealing with the legal responsibility and take on your case.
Contact us to schedule a free case consultation today.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."