If your child has cerebral palsy, know that a medical error may have caused it during the prenatal period or at birth. Whether the doctors or nurses who cared for you before birth failed to diagnose a condition or something went wrong during labor, you could be entitled to compensation. A Naperville cerebral palsy lawyer will help you file a birth injury claim.
At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we have a nationwide team of experienced attorneys ready to help. Our firm has secured more than $750 million for families across the country. Our Illinois cerebral palsy lawyers will help you get the compensation you need. Contact us today for a free consultation and find out how we can help you and your child.
How a Lawyer Can Help if Your Child Has Cerebral Palsy
Receiving a cerebral palsy diagnosis for your child can be overwhelming and emotional. During this challenging time, an experienced cerebral palsy lawyer can help ease your burden by taking on the legal side of things. Our goal is to pursue maximum compensation, which can help provide a better quality of life for both you and your child.
Some ways that a cerebral palsy attorney can help include:
- Documenting how the doctor or other medical professionals may have contributed to your child’s cerebral palsy
- Initiating legal action right away so that your case falls within any relevant statutes of limitation
- Collecting all medical records from your pregnancy and birth and examining them for any signs of negligence
- Alerting the defendant in your case to impending legal action and, if possible, interviewing them for any admission of wrongdoing
- Speaking to other medical professionals to assess the actions, both taken and not taken, of the attending doctor during your pregnancy and labor
- Handling all legal responsibilities necessary to bring your case to a conclusion, whether it is a settlement or a judgment
- Protecting you and your child’s rights throughout the legal process
Proving Fault in a Cerebral Palsy Negligence Case
Illinois’ Medical Patient Rights Act holds doctors responsible for several responsibilities towards their patients. One of these rights is to “care consistent with sound nursing and medical practices.”
To prove that a doctor failed to deliver such care, a cerebral palsy attorney in Naperville will follow a four-step process:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care: Each doctor has a responsibility not to expose the patient (or their child) to an unreasonable risk of harm. All doctors take an oath to this effect.
- The defendant breached this duty of care: They may do this in any number of ways that amount to care that is inconsistent with sound nursing and medical practices.
- Causation: If the defendant in your case acted in a risky or otherwise negligent way, then they may have directly contributed to your child’s condition.
- Damages: This stage requires totaling your losses and showing the court that the losses arose from the defendant’s actions.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a group of neurological conditions that affect movement, muscle tone, and coordination. It happens when the brain is damaged or doesn’t develop properly, usually before or during birth.
Some of the symptoms of cerebral palsy diagnosed during infancy or preschool age include:
- Stiff muscles
- Exaggerated reflexes, also known as spasticity
- Poor balance
- Lack of muscle coordination
- Abnormalities in muscle tone, including being either too rigid or flaccid
- Involuntary muscle movements such as tremors
- Delays in motor skills, including the ability to walk, stand up, support oneself with their arms
- Seizure
- Difficulty speaking
- Difficulty eating or sucking
- Delayed development of fine motor skills
If you sense that something is not right with your child’s development, seek medical advice as to whether cerebral palsy could be the cause. If your child has already received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, consider that a medical error or negligence may be the potential cause.
Possible Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Several risk factors for developing cerebral palsy may arise because of actions or inaction taken (or not taken) by medical professionals before, during, or after the child is born.
Some risk factors for cerebral palsy that may ultimately fall on attending physicians or nurses include:
- Infection of the brain
- Injury to the brain, which can occur during labor if the doctor delivers the baby in an unsafe way
- A lack of blood flow to the brain, which can occur if a doctor fails to spot a complication during pregnancy or errs while delivering the baby
- Certain infertility treatments
If a doctor’s advice, action, or inaction contributed to your child’s cerebral palsy, then they and their employer may be liable to pay you compensation. Consider how an Illinois cerebral palsy attorney can help you pursue financial awards. Call us today for a free consultation.
Naperville Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me (800) 222-9529
Wondering if You Have a Birth Injury Case?
Medical mistakes don’t always cause cerebral palsy, but sometimes, they do. Errors during pregnancy, labor, or delivery can lead to serious, lifelong conditions. The only way to know for sure is to have an experienced birth injury lawyer look into your situation.
A Naperville cerebral palsy attorney can review your medical records, talk to trusted medical experts, and find out if your child’s cerebral palsy was the result of negligence. If it was, you may be able to recover compensation to help cover medical treatment, therapy, special equipment, and other long-term costs.
You don’t have to go through this alone. We can guide you every step of the way and fight for the resources your child needs. Call us today to get started.
"We know first-hand what you are going through."
Available Damages in a Cerebral Palsy Negligence Case
Every birth injury case is unique, and the amount of compensation you may receive depends on the specific details of your situation. Factors like the severity of your child’s condition, the cost of current and future medical care, and how the injury affects your family’s daily life all play a role.
If your case reaches a judgment or settlement in your favor, you could be entitled to compensation covering:
- Pain and suffering for you and your child’s hardship
- Costs of your medical care during pregnancy and labor
- Costs of ongoing treatment for your child’s cerebral palsy
- Costs of transportation to and from rehabilitation appointments
- Costs of any in-home childcare or daycare required because of your child’s cerebral palsy
- Punitive damages against the defendant and possibly their employer
A thorough investigation is needed to understand what happened and what support your child will need moving forward. Only then can a Naperville cerebral palsy lawyer give you a clear picture of what your case may be worth.
"Our Birth Injury Lawyers have recovered over $750+ Million on behalf of our clients."
Finding Who Is Responsible for Your Child’s Birth Injury
A key part of any birth injury case is figuring out who caused your child’s cerebral palsy. This is called identifying the “at-fault party.” It means discovering which doctor, nurse, hospital, or other medical provider made a mistake that led to your child’s injury.
The person or group responsible could be:
- The obstetrician or delivery doctor
- Nurses or medical staff
- The hospital or clinic
- A midwife or birthing center
- Labs or testing centers
Proving who is at fault means carefully examining medical records, consulting experts, and sometimes hearing from specialists. A Naperville cerebral palsy attorney can manage this process and help make sure the right parties are held responsible.
Don’t Wait Too Long to File a Birth Injury Claim in Illinois
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it’s important to act quickly. Contact our team as soon as possible. We’ll go over your case, explain your legal options, and help you move forward before time runs out.
Illinois law gives you a set amount of time to file a birth injury lawsuit. This deadline is called the statute of limitations. If you miss it, you could lose your right to seek compensation, even if your case is strong.
Compassionate Naperville Cerebral Palsy Attorneys Who Understand Your Journey
We know how overwhelming a cerebral palsy diagnosis can be. Our founder experienced it personally in 2002 when his triplets were born early. All three needed feeding tubes, and two were later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Although their condition wasn’t caused by medical negligence, this life-changing experience inspired the creation of the Birth Injury Lawyers Group in 2003. Since then, our mission has been to support families facing the challenges of birth injuries. Our firm focuses only on birth injury cases.
Call an Experienced Naperville Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Today
Raising a child with cerebral palsy can be overwhelming, especially when the condition is caused by medical negligence. A Naperville cerebral palsy attorney will help you seek the financial support your child needs for long-term care.
The sooner you call, the sooner you may begin pursuing the financial relief that you may be entitled to receive. Call Birth Injury Lawyers Group today.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."