If doctor negligence caused your child’s cerebral palsy during prenatal care or delivery, they may be liable for the costs of your child’s treatments, and more, in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
The Birth Injury Lawyers Group helps Irving families in medical malpractice cases. While you concentrate on your child’s wellbeing, an Dallas cerebral palsy lawyer from our firm may be able to manage your case from settlement negotiations to trial.
Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group for a free, no-obligation consultation. We provide services on contingency-fee basis, where we do not collect payment for our legal services unless and until our clients recover compensation.
Medical Negligence Can Cause Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy in newborns has a variety of causes. When it is caused by genetic mutations or a premature birth, it can be considered nonpreventable, meaning there was nothing a doctor could have done to change the outcome.
Other times, medical negligence can lead to a case of cerebral palsy that did not need to happen. This can occur if the doctor directly causes injury to the child or fails to take an available measure that would have prevented the condition.
This can occur if a doctor:
- Does not screen for a complicated birth, which could allow for C-section as a safer delivery method
- Does not discover and treat an infection in the pregnant mother that spreads to the womb
- Allows the baby’s oxygen supply to be cut off during delivery
- Injures the baby with excessive manual force, by dropping the baby, or by the incorrect use of forceps or a vacuum extraction device
If any of these scenarios occurred in your pregnancy or delivery, you may want to monitor your baby for signs of cerebral palsy. If a doctor’s negligence caused your child to develop this condition, they may be liable for your damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
To learn more about this type of legal action, call our Texas cerebral palsy lawyer.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
Identifying and Diagnosing Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is not always apparent at birth. Parents may be the first ones to recognize some form of health issue in their child. For example, small babies with cerebral palsy may be slow in holding their heads up. They may also have trouble crawling or holding objects. Learning and intellectual disabilities may also exist but are usually only identified later.
If you suspect that your child is showing symptoms of cerebral palsy, or if you are concerned that they have missed a developmental milestone, bring them to a doctor to for an evaluation. A doctor may use the following techniques to screen your baby for cerebral palsy:
Developmental Monitoring
The first step in the diagnosis process is monitoring the child by tracking his or her pace or rate of growth, development, and intellectual advancement. This process is also called surveillance.
Developmental Screening
This involves administering a test to gauge whether or not the child suffers from developmental delays such as sensory, motor, or movement issues. Your child’s doctor may refer your child for further evaluation if the results of this screening give cause for concern.
Medical Evaluations
This step of the process aims to diagnose a specific disability or disorder that a child may have. CT scans, MRIs, and other diagnostic tests may be used to give your child’s care team a clearer picture of the type, location, severity, and effects of the brain damage your child suffers from.
Irving Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me (800) 222-9529
Cerebral Palsy Treatments
There is no known cure for cerebral palsy. Most treatments for cerebral palsy revolve around helping the affected individual better adapt to his or her disabilities so that they can live as independently as possible.
Your child’s doctor—along with health and learning specialists from a variety of fields—may recommend surgery, the use of braces, therapy, or other interventions to help your child cope with and potentially overcome the issues his or her cerebral palsy causes.
Treatments such as injections to relieve stiff muscles may be needed regularly. Therapy and training sessions can be required up to several times a week for months or years at a stretch. A child with cerebral palsy may require physical, occupational, and speech therapy to gain independence and self-sufficiency.
There is no single treatment that works best across the board for everyone. Every patient is unique, has individual needs, and may respond in different ways to treatment.
"We know first-hand what you are going through."
How an Irving Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Can Help You
An Irving cerebral palsy lawyer from the Birth Injury Lawyers Group may be able to handle your case in full. This would allow us to:
- Manage all communications, deadlines, and paperwork in your case
- Investigate your case for malpractice
- Identify the liable party
- Gather evidence of their liability, including testimony from medical expert witnesses
- Negotiate with the at-fault parties that injured your child
- Represent you before a judge if your case goes to trial
We can also estimate your financial losses that accrue from:
- Lost income from days missed at work while you care for your child
- Treatment, testing, and medical costs
- Surgery and assistive device costs
- Therapy and specialist services fees
- Home improvements required for accessibility
- And other damages
We may be able to use this evidence to negotiate a fair settlement offer or demonstrate your damages to a judge or jury.
"Our Birth Injury Lawyers have recovered over $750+ Million on behalf of our clients."
Call Us to Get Started Today
An Irving cerebral palsy lawyer from the Birth Injury Lawyers Group may be able to coordinate your case and pursue compensation on your behalf while you focus on your child’s wellbeing.
Do not wait long if you are considering legal actions for your child’s injuries. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 74.251 puts a two-year statute of limitations on most medical malpractice lawsuits in Texas, but there is an exception when the victim is a child under the age of 12. In this case, the family may have until the child’s 14th birthday, but not more than 10 years from the date the injuries occurred, or, to file a medical malpractice lawsuit.
We can discuss how this law pertains to your case when you call (800) 222-9529 for a free consultation with a member of our team.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."