Cerebral Palsy can have several different causes, some of which may be natural while others may be due to medical personnel negligence. In the latter case, parents of a child with cerebral palsy may have a valid medical malpractice claim they can use to recover compensation for damages, including their child’s additional medical treatment.
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy isn’t just one condition, but rather a variety of disorders affecting the brain and nervous system. This makes it a motor impairment condition.
A person with Cerebral Palsy may experience physical limitations that make it difficult to move or speak clearly. They may also experience learning impairments, although this isn’t always the case.
Natural Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy can occur naturally during a baby’s development. In-utero complications not due to medical negligence, such as a lack of blood or oxygen, can result in damage to the brain’s white matter.
A mother’s traumatic injury during pregnancy can also cause Cerebral Palsy to develop. There is also some evidence that some cases of Cerebral Palsy can have genetic causes.
Negligent Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is also commonly caused by medical personnel negligence during childbirth. Many parents don’t suspect that a condition as serious as Cerebral Palsy can be caused by their doctor or a nurse, but there are thousands of cases each year in the U.S.
Medical personnel can cause Cerebral Palsy in the following ways:
- Mismanaging prolonged labor
- Delaying a C-section operation
- Mismanaging shoulder dystocia
- Improper epidural application
- Failure to monitor fetal distress, including blood and oxygen levels
- Failure to recommend a C-section during high-risk delivery
- Failure to diagnose or treat a pregnant mother’s infection
There are many other ways in which medical doctors and staff can cause Cerebral Palsy through negligence. When this occurs, however, parents can pursue compensation for damages with legal action.
Does Your Child Suffer from Cerebral Palsy? We Can Help.
If your child was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, immediately contact the Law Office of David Kates for assistance. We can help you investigate your claim and determine if medical personnel negligence played a role in your child’s condition. If we believe we can help, we’ll offer guidance on your legal options.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact the Law Office of David Kates online.