Cerebral Palsy Attorney
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of motor coordination conditions caused by an injury to the developing brain. It is not a progressive disease or a genetic disorder. Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that has no cure. Medical care for a child born with cerebral palsy may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime, including a lifetime of lost wages.
Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy most commonly develops during pregnancy, labor or delivery. The condition has been attributed to prenatal damage (injury prior to birth), perinatal damage (injury during birth), or postnatal damage (injury after birth). In many cases, the birth injury is caused by medical mistakes or delivery procedure errors that could have been prevented.
In about 20% of cases, cerebral palsy is acquired after birth due to a head injury, bacterial meningitis, internal bleeding, oxygen starvation or other brain damage or brain infection at a young age. Doctors will use various specialized test to diagnose cerebral palsy in an infant, including CT scans and MRIs. Doctors will test a young child’s motor skills, look for low or underdeveloped muscle tone, and abnormal or unusual posture.
Types of Cerebral Palsy
Thousands of babies and toddlers each year are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a broad term that refers to various types of motor coordination disorders. There are three main types of cerebral palsy:
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Spastic Cerebral palsy
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Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
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Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
More than 70% of cerebral palsy cases are classified as spastic. Spastic cerebral palsy makes control of movement difficult. The limbs may be drawn in and stiff. Depending on the region of the body affected, spastic cerebral palsy may be classified as:
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Spastic hemiplegia (one side of the body is affected)
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Spastic diplegia (the lower side of the body is more affected)
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Spastic quadriplegia (all four limbs of the body are equally affected)
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
Damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia may cause athetoid cerebral palsy. These parts of the brain coordinate movements and maintain a person’s posture. A child with athetoid cerebral palsy may have difficulty sitting and walking, and may experience involuntary movements that make speaking, eating, grasping and reaching difficult.
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Children with ataxic cerebral palsy typically have low muscle tone and poor coordination. Ataxic cerebral palsy is rare, and affects less than 10% of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Palsy Caused by Medical Errors
Unfortunately, many medical errors associated with childbirth cause conditions such as cerebral palsy and Erb’s Palsy. Although medical negligence and malpractice can be extremely difficult to prove, attorneys at Estey & Bomberger, LLP have successfully helped many other families recover compensation for serious birth injuries.
Some medical errors that cause cerebral palsy or other birth injuries include:
Our attorneys understand the difficulties and financially debilitating medical treatment associated with lifelong disorders caused by birth injuries. If your child’s birth injury is caused by a medical error, we may be able to help you get financial justice for you and your child. Your compensation may include pain and suffering on behalf of your child and lifelong compensation for your child’s medical treatment and care expenses.
Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Attorney Case Evaluation
If your child has been born with cerebral palsy, contact a birth injury lawyer at Estey & Bomberger, LLP for a free consultation. If medical negligence or malpractice was a factor in your child’s cerebral palsy, you may be entitled to financial recovery for your child’s lifelong disorder. We are available to discuss your legal rights and answer your questions. To speak with an attorney, call us toll free at (800) 672-1036.
No Fee Unless We Win
After years of practicing personal injury law, we understand the costs associated with pursuing birth injury claims. Our law firm advances all costs for our clients, and does not charge fees unless we recover a settlement or award. In the event we do not recover money on your behalf, you will not be charged for our costs or services.
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