Cerebral palsy is a serious neurological disorder that affects the ability of a patient to move in certain ways. It has a very high incidence rate–roughly three cases per 1,000 live births–and depending on its severity and type, it can cause issues with balance, coordination, gross motor functions, muscle development, posture, learning, vision, and more.
Cerebral palsy has no cure. Once damage occurs to the centers of the brain responsible for movement, the damage cannot be undone. At best, the patient can learn to cope with and get around within the limitations imposed by his or her injuries. If your child or that of a loved one suffered a birth injury or was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a Sugar Land cerebral palsy attorney can help. Call the legal team at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529 for a free consultation.
For a free legal consultation with Sugar Land Cerebral Palsy lawyer, call 1-800-222-9529
Types, Causes, and Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy
There are three main types of cerebral palsy. Spastic, the most common type, affects eight in ten patients and causes muscle stiffness. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy causes uncontrollable movements that make it hard for the patient to walk. Ataxic cerebral palsy leads to issues with balance and coordination.
Most cases of cerebral palsy occur before a baby is born, and the cause is generally unknown. Anything from abnormal brain cell migration, genetic mutations, and blood toxins to blood incompatibility issues between the mother and her baby, maternal health issues, and environmental factors such as radiation can affect normal brain development.
Beyond the unknown, many known risk factors have a high positive correlation with cerebral palsy. These risk factors include:
- Low birth weight: Babies who weigh 5 ½ pounds or less at birth have a higher chance of developing cerebral palsy.
- Multiple births: Babies born in pairs or more tend to develop cerebral palsy at higher rates than babies born in a single birth.
- Premature birth: Babies born early–at least before week 37 of the mother’s pregnancy–are at a higher risk of developing cerebral palsy than full-term babies.
- Maternal obesity, high blood pressure, or mental issues: Various health indicators in the mother correlate positively with cerebral palsy in the child.
- Doctor errors and negligence: Simple human errors such as misreading reports or test results or not performing important tests or administering an incorrect dosage of certain medications can all lead to birth complications, emergency deliveries, traumatic births, and birth injuries along the way.
If any of these factors apply to you, call a Sugar Land cerebral palsy lawyer at (800) 222-9529 for a free cerebral palsy case evaluation and to discuss your rights and responsibilities in terms of seeking the damages that the law may entitle you to.
Sugar Land Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Near Me 1-800-222-9529
Cerebral Palsy Symptoms
Cerebral palsy is measured on a scale from one to five, with five being the most severe form of the disorder.
Patients with level one cerebral palsy can walk on their own and they can even run and jump but they may do so in a somewhat awkward fashion. They can get around on their own within the community and have no real limitations except when it comes to traveling long distances, in which case they may require an assistive device. They can climb stairs, feed and change themselves, and have no real learning, vision, or motor disabilities other than unnatural or jerky movements.
At the other end of the spectrum are patients with level five cerebral palsy. These patients cannot hold their heads upright, cannot feed or bathe themselves, and require constant care and supervision. They can only get around on a manual wheelchair propelled by a caregiver, and they can suffer a wide range of health issues including malnutrition, mouth ulcers, weakness, bedsores, misaligned joints, and more.
Few illnesses are as devastating and as complete in their impact on the life of the patient and his or her family as cerebral palsy. From infancy right through to adulthood, the patient can suffer issues with eating, swallowing, learning, seeing, hearing, performing very basic tasks, getting around on their own, communicating, and connecting with others. It is a truly traumatic illness that can quickly sap your mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
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Seeking Damages for Your Child’s Birth Injuries
There is no reason you should have to bear the monetary burden of paying for the treatments your child needs if it can be proven that the injuries that caused your child’s cerebral palsy were the result of doctor error or negligence. If delivery room errors were made, if tests that should have been conducted were not, or if tests were conducted but were incorrectly interpreted or acted upon, we will investigate the case. We can connect injuries to specific treatments and actions, or inactions, of the care team to pursue malpractice.
To do this, we will:
- Interview the delivery team.
- Present our findings to a medical malpractice expert who will attest that negligence was, in fact, involved in your child’s case.
- Issue a letter of intent to sue to the at-fault parties identified in your claim. Doing this is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions.
- Quantify the damages and losses that your child’s condition led to.
- Connect you to the care and treatment centers that can help rehabilitate your child.
- Negotiate with the at-fault parties and their representatives.
- Help you navigate the complex landscape of malpractice law and insurance rules.
- Represent you in court if a fair and amicable settlement cannot be arrived at.
The Birth Injury Lawyers Group has years of experience handling birth injury cases–including cerebral palsy cases–for families unfairly left to deal with the disorder on their own. Please call us and let us help you. You can reach us at (800) 222-9529. We charge no fees for our services and only collect if you win your claim. A Sugar Land cerebral palsy lawyer from our team is here to help you make the most of the situation and will stand by your side from your initial claim filing all the way through to case resolution.
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