Why You Need A Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
Childbirth can be a traumatic experience, and it is not unusual for the mother or child to be injured in the process. One of the most common birth injuries is cerebral palsy, a brain injury that affects movement, balance, and posture.
After a cerebral palsy diagnosis, many parents focus on treatment and accommodations for their child. This is essential, but it is also important to consider legal options regarding compensation for injury damages. The birth injury lawyers at Burke Argos in Irvine, CA, understand why you need a cerebral palsy lawyer after your child suffers a birth injury.
Cerebral Palsy Is Often the Result of a Preventable Birth Injury
When a child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy after birth, parents often feel overwhelmed. Cerebral palsy has lifelong effects on a person’s life, so it is natural to put energy towards what can be done to help your child, rather than what it is that caused the injury. However, the sad fact is that many cases of cerebral palsy are the result of preventable birth injuries, and it is important that medical professionals are held accountable when their actions cause a child harm.
Cerebral palsy can develop when the brain does not receive adequate oxygen or when there is significant trauma to the head during labor and delivery. Negligent medical practices during childbirth that can cause cerebral palsy include:
- Failure to properly monitor labor and delivery
- Failure to respond to fetal distress
- Failure to respond to umbilical cord entrapment
- Extensive delays in labor (often as a result of delaying to perform a C-section)
- Misuse of vacuum extractor or forceps
Cerebral Palsy Has Physical, Emotional, and Financial Consequences
Cerebral palsy is not a simple injury that will heal on its own. Currently, there is no way to reverse the damage of cerebral palsy. Children who suffer cerebral palsy caused by a birth injury will face unique challenges throughout their lifetimes. Possible symptoms of cerebral palsy include:
- Delays in reaching developmental milestones
- Weakness in the arms or legs
- Difficulty walking
- Muscle rigidity
- Uncontrolled movements or muscle spasms
- Speech disorders
- Learning disabilities
Again, the effects of cerebral palsy cannot be reversed, but there are treatments, therapies, and assistive devices that can make symptoms more manageable. Unfortunately, these are very costly. The effects of cerebral palsy put a physical, emotional, and financial hardship on the child and their family. A cerebral palsy lawyer helps injury victims hold medical professionals accountable so that some of those burdens can be lessened.
Your Child May Be Due Lifetime Benefits
Even if parents suspect that their child’s cerebral palsy was the result of medical neglect, they may not realize the type of compensation they are due for their losses. Cerebral palsy lawyers Sean M. Burke and Jason N. Argos have a thorough understanding of medical malpractice laws, and they have worked with enough birth injury victims to understand the potential consequences of a cerebral palsy diagnosis. Our lawyers work hard to obtain lifetime benefits for our Irvine clients, which may include:
- Costs of medical treatment
- Costs of therapy (physical, occupational, speech, etc.)
- Costs of assistive medical devices or adaptive equipment
- Costs of home modifications
Contact Us
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy following a birth injury, lawyers Sean M. Burke and Jason N. Argos can evaluate your situation to determine if you have a viable medical malpractice claim. To schedule a personal consultation with our lawyers, send us a message online or call our Irvine law firm at (949) 644-3434.
