Erb’s palsy is a condition that affects the muscles, movement, and sensation of one of the arms. At its root, it is a nervous system injury caused by direct trauma to the nerves in the neck, called the brachial plexus. These nerves control movement and sensation in the shoulders and arms. Injuries to these nerves can lead to an inability to move, feel, or control parts of or all of the arm.
Although the prognosis and long-term outlook of Erb’s palsy are generally positive, some patients require extensive therapy or surgery to repair the nerve damage they sustained in a birth injury. If you live in Coral Springs, we recommend you call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group for guidance and assistance with handling your child’s case. Call (800) 222-9529 now for a free case evaluation and to learn more about your legal rights.
Understanding Erb’s Palsy
The word brachial refers to the arm, and plexus refers to a network or system. As such, Erb’s palsy is a disorder characterized by issues with movement and sensation, and it stems from damage to the network of nerves that control the arm. These nerves, if they are stretched, torn, or become completely detached from the spinal cord, can cause the symptoms and disabilities exhibited by Erb’s palsy patients.
In terms of numbers, most babies born with a brachial plexus injury make a full recovery several months after birth, but only if the damage sustained by the brachial plexus is minor. Long-term or even permanent paralysis of the arm can develop if serious or extensive nerve damage occurs. Stretched and torn nerves can lead to excruciating pain and other health complications, such as an inability to move, walk, or perform simple tasks independently.
Part of the rehabilitative process involves initiating treatments as soon as possible. Any delay in facilitating the recovery of your child’s damaged nerves can lead to irreparable harm, and your child may require expensive treatment and therapy, not to mention specialized care, the help of assistive devices, and round-the-clock monitoring. There is no reason you should have to pay for such treatment if your child’s injuries were the result of medical negligence, were preventable, and should not have occurred in the first place.
For a free case consultation, call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group at (800) 222-9529 today.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
How a Coral Springs Erb’s Palsy Lawyer Will Help
After receiving an Erb’s palsy diagnosis, you must make sure that your child receives the care and treatment that he or she needs. Other considerations that are just as important but are sometimes overlooked include arranging the finances to pay for treatment, setting up meetings with specialists for a second opinion, working out schedules for caregivers, and learning more about how Erb’s palsy occurs and what to do in the aftermath of being diagnosed with it.
Legal assistance in this regard can be quite helpful, especially if your child’s injuries were the result of medical negligence or malpractice. The effects of Erb’s palsy can last for months or years. You should not have to pay for treating it if someone was guilty of negligence and caused injury to your child. At the same time, filing a malpractice claim, dealing with insurance agents, and quantifying the damages you may be entitled to receive can be difficult, especially while caring for an injured child.
You may want to seek professional assistance for handling your child’s birth injury case. As soon as you confirm or suspect that your child suffers from Erb’s palsy, the Coral Springs Erb’s palsy lawyers from the Birth Injury Lawyers Group will help you:
- Obtain your child’s medical history
- Assess his or her condition
- Determine the location, cause, and extent of your child’s injuries
- Obtain the medical testimony needed to verify that your child’s injuries were, in fact, a result of negligence, which is a legal requirement in some states
- Identify and quantify the various damages and compensation amounts you may be entitled to receive
- Fight a case in court on your behalf if your claim goes all the way to trial
We will do this so that you have answers to your questions and gauge the likelihood of malpractice being a cause or contributing to your child’s injuries.
These questions are:
- How a birth-related emergency arose
- Whether or not a doctor or care team owed a duty of care to the child
- Whether or not the doctor or care team inadvertently caused the child injuries of some sort or came up short in provisioning competent, professional medical services
- That the mistakes or lack of competence of the doctor or the care team led to bodily injury or some other form of harm
- That the harm has led to financial damages to the child and his or her family
There are many ways that medical practitioners, despite all their training, can come up short in providing patients with the care they deserve. For example, a failure to screen an expectant mother for risk factors or to act on the results of diagnostic tests can be tantamount to negligence.
The same applies to incorrectly acting on the results of tests, improperly using medical devices, a lack of training on the part of hospital staff, or a lack of the supplies and equipment needed to safely perform a delivery. Depending on the case at hand, a doctor, a member of the delivery team, or even the hospital or care facility itself may be held liable for damages that result from delivery errors.
Depending on your case’s specifics, your attorneys will present you with multiple legal options and opportunities so you can receive fair and satisfactory compensation. While most such cases settle outside the court as parties negotiate and reach agreements, sometimes an Erb’s palsy lawsuit is your best alternative to finding justice and receiving compensatory damages. Your lawyers will explain everything a trial involves and will be there every step of the way.
Coral Springs Erbs Palsy Lawyer Near Me (800) 222-9529
Initiate a Birth Injury Case Evaluation Today
Developmental disorders involving the nerves need time to heal, but they also require medical attention if the patient is to make a quick and complete recovery. You must have your child diagnosed and assessed as soon as possible so that a treatment plan can be initiated. Some cases of Erb’s palsy improve with physical therapy. Others require surgery. Understanding your child’s illness is the first step in getting the treatment he or she needs.
As mentioned earlier, treatments can be expensive. If medical negligence caused your child’s birth injuries, a case evaluation will help you determine whether or not you have grounds to file a malpractice claim against any parties that may be at fault for those injuries.
We are here to help, so call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529. There are specific time limits, known as statutes of limitations, within which you need to file a claim. These statutes vary from state to state. Missing a legally established deadline can be the difference between having a case accepted in court and losing out on the opportunity to pursue damages for your child’s injuries.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."