The Most Experienced Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Pennsylvania
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a serious disability resulting from injury to the brain before, during or shortly after birth. Approximately 10,000 infants born in our country are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. Any person diagnosed with cerebral palsy should expect lifelong medical costs.
Cerebral palsy is considered to be a group of disorders. In cerebral palsy the brain and the nervous system functions – such as movement, hearing, and sight – are affected. The term “cerebral” refers to the brain, and “palsy” refers to paralysis, or lack of control of one’s body.
Doctors and hospital personnel should prioritize you and your baby’s safety first. If you believe negligence or mistakes on the part of doctors, nurses, or other hospital employees caused cerebral palsy in your child, we urge you to contact a practiced personal injury attorney.
Pennsylvania Lawyers Who Specialize In Cerebral Palsy Litigation
Medical malpractice should never be tolerated. Act now, you may be entitled to substantial compensation for medical costs and your pain and suffering. It is essential that you contact a birth injury attorney and get what you deserve.
Cerebral Palsy is a chronic degrading condition that has no cure. If you believe your child suffered from a birth injury that resulted in cerebral palsy, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced personal injury attorney. The Pennsylvania attorneys at OHDP Law have decades of experience with medical malpractice cases on both sides of the courtroom. We’re the PA attorneys who’ve worked with extensively with victims AND with doctors and hospitals – so we understand the laws in a way that nobody else does. We’re uniquely skilled – which is why you’ll want us on your side.
Our attorneys are also highly committed to helping you and your family to recover. OHDP Law accepts clients throughout the state of Pennsylvania including Northeastern Pennsylvania, Southern Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, Western Pennsylvania, the greater Philadelphia area, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Allentown, Erie, Lancaster, Bethlehem and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.
Talk to an attorney about your case today. Call (570) 348-3711 or submit an online contact form today.
Overview for Cerebral Palsy in Pennsylvania
- Cerebral Palsy Definition
- Facts About Cerebral Palsy
- Early Warning Signs of Cerebral Palsy
- Causes of Cerebral Palsy
- Types of Cerebral Palsy
- Additional Information
Cerebral Palsy Definition
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH) classifies the term “cerebral palsy” (CP) as a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage done to the motor control centers of the brain.
Cerebral palsy affects the brain’s outer layer, otherwise known as the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex controls direct muscle movement. This is why muscle coordination problems are inherent in cerebral palsy. In every cerebral palsy case the damages and disabilities are permanent.
A child with cerebral palsy often requires a lifetime of medical care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and special assistance. Cerebral palsy treatment is incredibly costly and usually life-long.
Facts About Cerebral Palsy
The following are some general facts about cerebral palsy (CP).
- 80% of all CP cases are spastic in nature
- It is estimated that 10% of all CP cases are due to malpractice shortly before or during labor
- CP is not a progressive injury, and will remain the same or worse over time
- 80% of all CP cases develop before a child is 1 month of age
- Asphyxia and head trauma are major factors linked to CP
- Estimates put the number of new CP cases in the United States at around 10,000 per year
- Costs associated with CP can sometime reach into the millions of dollars over a lifetime
Early Warning Signs of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) must be diagnosed by a trained neurological scientist. Many tests must be done for muscle tone issues, movement abnormalities, paralysis, hearing loss, seizures, vision issues, and other common signs.
Cerebral palsy symptoms normally do not develop until after the child is a year old. Diagnostic testing is often incredibly costly and stressful. The following are some early warning signs of CP.
In a Child Younger Than 6 Months of Age:
- Head lagging when the baby is picked up while lying on their back
- The baby feels stiff
- The baby feels floppy
- When you pick up the baby, their legs are stiff and the cross or scissor
In a Child Older Than 6 Months of Age:
- The baby cannot bring their hands together
- The baby doesn’t roll over in either direction
- The baby reaches out with only one hand while the other is fisted
- The baby has difficulty bringing their hands to their mouth
In a Baby Older Than 10 Months of Age:
- The baby crawls in a lopsided manner, pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg
- He or she cannot stand holding onto support
Causes for Cerebral Palsy
In many cases, the cause of cerebral palsy is unknown. Some possible causes include congenital brain malformations, maternal infections, fetal injury, and others. However, if a child has acquired cerebral palsy the disorder begins from a birth injury.
Medical malpractice occurring during childbirth can be devastating. Simple administrative errors can affect your whole child’s life. A medical team can fail to detect fetal distress during delivery or be unaware of a preexisting medical condition. Either of these mistakes can result in CP.
Lack of Adequate Information
Women are required to undergo a series of prenatal tests to determine the health of their unborn child. A medical professional can perform medical malpractice by failing to offer these services, ignoring a medical condition, or misinterpreting the data.
Parents should receive prompt and full disclosure of any concerning test results. A parent who wasn’t fully informed of their child’s genetic or congenital defects can file a wrongful birth lawsuit. It is a parent’s right to determine whether to continue the pregnancy.
Maternal Infections
Maternal infections can be bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral. A maternal infection can often affect a developing fetus and requires quick treatment. Prompt medical care is important to preventing or minimizing damage to the baby’s brain tissue and other organs.
All maternal infections must be attended to immediately. Health care providers are required to test for a variety of common illnesses, especially if a fever is present during pregnancy. If a medical personnel suspected an infection but did not sufficiently test or treat you or your baby after birth, you can file a claim for medical malpractice.
Medication Errors
Often during pregnancy, a doctor will prescribe medications. Any kind of pharmaceutical or medical error can have terrible consequences. If your doctor or pharmacist did any of the following it can be considered medical malpractice.
- Improper dosage of medication
- Incorrect dosage filled by a pharmacy
- Medication is proven to be inappropriate or dangerous for mother and child
- Inadequate monitoring of the condition both mother and child when anesthesia is used during a surgical procedure
Any of the above errors can result in health complications for your child, including cerebral palsy.
Medical Care Not Meeting “Standard of Care”
A health care professional is required to meet a certain standard when performing their duties. When medical personnel fail to meet these standards, medical malpractice may occur. A doctor or nurse not meeting the right “standard of care” is putting your child at risk for CP.
A few examples of medical professionals not meeting a “standard of care” include:
- Lack of assistance when the mother is experiencing challenging or prolonged labor that could compromise the wellbeing of the child.
- Not providing the necessary medical treatment or equipment in a timely manner. This can include antibiotic treatment or cesarean sections.
- Not assessing a variety of conditions in either mother or child during and after birth. This includes fetal distress, newborn trauma, and maternal infection.
- Not treating umbilical cord problems promptly or correctly.
- Diagnosing Cephalopelvic Disproportion (CPD) before a cesarean section or early delivery of the child.
- Placenta Previa or abruption to a uterine complication that can prevent normal labor
Medical Malpractice in the Delivery Room
Almost 20% of all cerebral palsy cases result from brain damage during the birth process. Because of this, a baby’s delivery is a particularly delicate period. Any slight error can result in lifelong medical conditions for your baby.
The placenta delivers oxygen to the baby until he or she is able to breathe outside the womb. Any amount of time where oxygen is restricted during birth can create neurological damage. An early brain injury can easily result in a cerebral palsy disorder.
Some examples of situations that can cause neurological damage in babies include:
- Medical team’s failure to notice signs of fetal distress that warranted a cesarean section
- Prolonged labor due to CPD or another condition that prevented the baby from being born vaginally
- If eclampsia or preeclampsia is not properly diagnosed and treated, the mother may experience seizures and possibly harming the unborn child.
- Improper use of forceps
Cerebral Palsy Types
Cerebral palsy is when the motor control facility in the brain is damaged. Faulty development or damage to motor areas can disrupt the brain’s ability to control movement and posture sufficiently.
People with cerebral palsy must endure extremely difficult medical, social, and educational development. There are four main categories of cerebral palsy:
- Spastic cerebral palsy, which is the most common type and is characterized by muscle stiffness that makes movements appear stiff and jerky;
- Athetoid cerebral palsy, the most common symptoms of which include slow, uncontrolled movements of the extremities and trunk, often accompanied by speech language disorders;
- Ataxic cerebral palsy, which is the least common type and features tremors and speech and oral problems; and
- Mixed cerebral palsy, which combines spasticity and athetoid movements.
If your child has cerebral palsy, and you believe the condition was caused by a birth injury, you may have grounds to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who delivered your baby, the hospital where your child was born, or other involved medical professionals.
Additional Information
Data and Statistics for Cerebral Palsy – Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and see research done about cerebral palsy around the world. See when cerebral paly is commonly treated, how many babies are diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and resources for parents and cerebral palsy patients.
Cerebral Palsy Hope Through Research – Visit the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, an organization dedicated to research and providing information about medical conditions. See how cerebral palsy in children is treated, the different kind of cerebral palsy, and symptoms that indicate cerebral palsy.
Talk to An Experienced Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Attorney
The attorneys at OHDP Law can review the facts of your case to determine whether you have a viable claim. Your child’s pain and suffering and decreased quality of life should not go without consequences. Call OHDP Law for legal counsel from a qualified personal injury attorney or set up a free consultation via our online evaluation form here.
Our firm has helped many medical malpractice victims obtain financial compensation for their injuries. OHDP Law attorneys have decades of experience in personal injury. Put you and your child’s future in the right hands.
If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as the result of the negligence of a doctor, hospital, nurse or other medical professional or facility, call (570) 348-3711 orcontact us online here today for a free consultation/evaluation.