Some children may develop cerebral palsy due to the carelessness of doctors and other medical professionals during labor or delivery. Below, our firm discusses how cerebral palsy may be caused by medical malpractice.

If you believe medical malpractice may have played a role in your child’s condition, reach out to our team at Goldberg Finnegan today for a free case review. We can evaluate your situation and determine if there may be grounds for legal action.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a general term used to represent a group of neuromuscular disorders that cause children to have numerous problems with muscle movement, coordination, and reflexes. Children with cerebral palsy struggle to control their muscles and may have uncontrolled movements and poor balance. Some children who are diagnosed with cerebral palsy will need to use a wheelchair as a result.

Cerebral palsy is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain most commonly during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The longer the oxygen supply is cut off, the worse the injury to the brain, and the more severe the cerebral palsy is likely to be. In the most severe injuries, cerebral palsy can be accompanied by intellectual disabilities and difficulties with functions such as eating and breathing.

How Medical Malpractice Can Cause Cerebral Palsy

One potential cause of cerebral palsy is medical malpractice. Some examples of medical malpractice that could lead to cerebral palsy include:

  • Failing to monitor the fetal heart rate
  • Failing to correctly find and treat infections
  • Failing to perform a C-section in a timely manner
  • Failing to detect and rectify issues with the umbilical cord
  • Bleeding on the brain caused by trauma

These are often things that could have been prevented, which means the doctor or medical staff involved in the pregnancy, labor, and delivery could potentially face liability for injuries to the child, including cerebral palsy.

Compensation for Your Child

It can be very expensive to care for a child who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Common examples of costs of caring for a child with cerebral palsy include:

  • Medical transportation costs
  • Medical care expenses
  • Counseling expenses
  • Expenses for special education
  • Assistive equipment costs
  • Occupational and physical therapy
  • Home renovation expenses (installing ramps, converting a first-floor room into a bedroom, etc.)

Families may have grounds for pursuing a medical malpractice claim against doctors and medical staff. However, proving medical malpractice occurred is very difficult, and something you should consider discussing with an experienced attorney.

Some of the elements that need to be established to prove medical malpractice include:

  • The doctor did not provide care that fit within accepted medical standards
  • The failure to provide care that fit within accepted medical standards caused your child’s injuries

Did Your Child Suffer a Brain Injury? Contact an Experienced Attorney Today

Does your child suffer from cerebral palsy because of medical negligence? If so, it is important that you speak to an experienced Silver Spring medical malpractice attorney about it. You may have an opportunity to pursue compensation for pain and suffering, current and future medical bills, and possibly other types of damages.