Few illnesses affect so many aspects of an individual’s life as cerebral palsy. Nine out of 10 cerebral palsy cases develop during the mother’s pregnancy, but the symptoms and health issues it can lead to can affect a person from right after birth to adulthood. It can affect speech, balance, motor control, vision, hearing, intellectual development, work opportunities, and independence. It is the most common childhood motor disorder in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and has no known cure.
If your child suffered birth injuries or was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, we can help. At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we help families deal with the diagnoses they are given after their loved one’s birth injuries. We also help them file for the various damages that the law may entitle them to given the specifics of their case. Call a Pearland cerebral palsy lawyer on our team today for a no-obligation case evaluation at (800) 222-9529. We provide services on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay if you win.
For a free legal consultation with Pearland Cerebral Palsy lawyer, call 1-800-222-9529
Causes and Diagnosis
There are no known causes of cerebral palsy. All we know is that it involves damage to—or the abnormal development of—the parts of the brain that control movement and various motor functions. Most cases develop during gestation as a result of:
- Maternal blood pressure issues
- Maternal obesity
- Maternal intellectual disorders
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
- Ingestion of toxic substances during pregnancy
- The use of assistive devices during delivery
- Doctor inexperience leading to head trauma
Anything that affects how a baby’s developing brain grows can cause the issues that are characterized as cerebral palsy, and anything that physically damages the physical makeup or structure of the brain can also cause the same issues. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the gray matter of the brain. Gray matter is mostly found in the outer layers of the brain nearest the skull.
Birth trauma or delivery errors can lead to brain damage, and the child will have to live with the results of those delivery errors forever. The same can be said about screenings for various illnesses and potential sources of complications. If a delivery team fails to identify the size, weight, position, or blood type of a baby as a potential source of a birth complication and does not prepare for such an eventuality, the care team may be at fault if a baby is born and suffers bodily injuries because of any of those issues.
In general, if a risk factor or source of physical damage to the brain was preventable, the doctor or their care team may be liable for all damages that result. If those factors were not preventable, then you may not have a case for malpractice. You should speak to an experienced birth injury lawyer you determine the best course of action for you and your family. Contact the Birth Injury Lawyers Group now at (800) 222-9529.
Pearland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me 1-800-222-9529
Treatment and the Duty of Care
Treating and diagnosing cerebral palsy involves determining when and how brain damage or abnormal brain development occurred, identifying who, if anyone, was responsible for specific instances of negligence or errors that caused those issues, and determining the best course of action for rehabilitation based on the type, location, and extent of the patient’s brain injuries. A Pearland cerebral palsy lawyer can help you handle this stage of the investigation.
Next, although it can be costly to diagnose cerebral palsy, doing so has two benefits. First, it will allow you to initiate whatever treatments are best suited to helping your child recover from or at least overcome the health issues and disabilities that he or she faces. Second, a formal diagnosis regarding your child’s condition can help you prove negligence and seek damages for the injuries that your child should never have sustained in the first place.
The way it works is as follows. If a child suffers a birth injury or develops an illness, you can only sue for damages if you can prove that specific errors or negligence were the root causes of those injuries or illnesses and that you suffered losses of some sort—whether financial, physical, mental or otherwise—because of those injuries or illnesses. Your child’s medical diagnosis can help you build a case for malpractice if malpractice or negligence caused or led to your child’s condition.
Doing that will require us to prove that:
- Your child’s doctor or care team owed you a duty of care.
- The duty of care was not met or was breached via doctor inattention, distraction, incompetence, or negligence.
- The breach in the duty of care led to bodily injury to your child.
- Your child’s bodily injuries resulted in losses to you or your family.
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How Our Attorneys Will Help
Establishing the link between a doctor or care team’s errors or negligence, the injuries and illnesses your child suffered, and the costs that you have had to bear, which is significant, according to a study from the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities, is what an experienced cerebral palsy lawyer can do for you. A Pearland cerebral palsy lawyer on our team will help you:
- Collect the evidence needed to prove your claims
- Interview the delivery team for first-hand accounts of the delivery procedure
- Handle and negotiate with insurance agents and hospital staff on your behalf
- File a claim for you with the right courts and within the predefined statutes of limitations
In addition to the above, our team of economic and medical malpractice experts can help you quantify the damages and financial losses you are unfairly made to suffer, including:
- Lost income
- Treatment, diagnostic testing, and medication costs
- Surgery costs
- Assistive device costs
- Therapy and specialist consultation costs
You are not on your own, and there is no reason you should have to bear the burden of paying for treatments and testing if it can be proven that a doctor or other caregiver made errors before, during, or soon after your child’s birth, that led to injury to the brain and cerebral palsy.
Contact the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today by calling (800) 222-9529. We charge no upfront fees and only collect if you win a settlement or a compensation payout.
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