Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Cleveland, OH

Cerebral palsy is considered one of the most – if not the most – common birth injuries that occur in Ohio and across the United States. The condition is caused by either a birth injury or medical negligence. Many families whose child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy turn to our Cleveland, OH cerebral palsy lawyer to seek financial justice against the party responsible for the condition. In one case, our team achieved a $4.35 million settlement for a child who developed cerebral palsy due to a delayed meningitis diagnosis. Contact Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. today.

Symptoms Of Cerebral Palsy

Our Cleveland, OH cerebral palsy lawyer knows that there are a variety of symptoms that may present that could indicate a child has CP. Some of these include:

• Abnormal reflexes, either very stiff and rigid or very spastic
• Delays in speech development
• Issues with facial nerve control, such as drooling and tics
• Issues with fine motor skill abilities
• Muscle tone variations that are outside the normal range

According to statistics from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation:

• One in two children with CP is in chronic pain.
• One in two children with CP has an intellectual impairment.
• One in three children with CP cannot walk.
• One in three children with CP has hip displacement.
• One in four children with CP has epilepsy.
• One in four children with CP has a behavior disorder.
• One in five children with CP cannot talk.
• One in five children with CP is tube fed.
• One in five children with CP has a sleep disorder.
• One in 10 children with CP has a severe vision impairment.
• One in 25 children with CP has a severe hearing impairment.

While some babies are born with CP, the main cause of the condition is deprivation of oxygen during birth. Although there are instances where this deprivation can just happen (i.e. umbilical cord wrapped around an infant’s neck during labor), in many of these cases it was the negligence of medical professionals that led to oxygen deprivation, such as failure to notice the issue or failure to act.

If a doctor’s failure to act is the cause of a birth injury, then the family has a right to pursue a medical malpractice lawsuit. Our cerebral palsy attorney will need to prove that the doctor’s behavior was not how a reasonable doctor of the same age with similar experience and training would have behaved, resulting in your baby’s injury. This is referred to as a breach in the standard of care. Call Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. to learn more.

How Medical Malpractice Contributes To Cerebral Palsy

When a cerebral palsy diagnosis is made, the entire future you envisioned for your child and your family will change. Extensive medical treatment, therapy and assistive devices may be required to help your child live a more normal life. You may need to limit your work schedule or stop working altogether.

If you believe that your child’s cerebral palsy is a result of medical malpractice, our personal injury team recommends you consult our cerebral palsy lawyers in Cleveland, OH to make sure your child gets taken care of and can get the treatment and therapy he or she needs to live the best life possible.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood. Cerebral means having to do with the brain. Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles.

The symptoms of CP vary from person to person. A person with severe CP might need to use special equipment to be able to walk, or might not be able to walk at all and might need lifelong care. A person with mild CP, on the other hand, might walk a little awkwardly, but might not need any special help. CP does not get worse over time, though the exact symptoms can change over a person’s lifetime.

All people with CP have problems with movement and posture. Many also have related conditions such as intellectual disability; seizures; problems with vision, hearing, or speech; changes in the spine (such as scoliosis); or joint problems (such as contractures).

Determining If Someone Is To Blame For Your Child’s Diagnosis

What if medical malpractice is to blame for your child’s condition? Serious birth injuries or errors causing cerebral palsy can occur at any time during pregnancy, labor or delivery. They can also occur immediately following the birth if a doctor or nurse does not provide the appropriate treatment in a timely manner.

While it is true that genetic factors can contribute to cerebral palsy, it can also be caused by oxygen deprivation, head trauma or brain injury during the birthing process.

Some common medical errors that lead to cerebral palsy include:

• Failure to perform a C-section when a fetus is in distress
• The failure to recognize and treat infant seizures
• Failure to detect a prolapsed umbilical cord
• Excessive use of a vacuum extractor
• Improper use of delivery forceps
• Improper response to precarious vital signs
• Delayed delivery
• Failure to recognize fetal distress
• Failure to diagnose and treat jaundice or meningitis
• Failure to recognize preeclampsia

Our experienced Cleveland, OH cerebral palsy lawyer can investigate the matter to determine what occurred and whether medical malpractice was involved.

Financial Implications Of Cerebral Palsy

If your child has cerebral palsy, he or she might need a lot of assistance and care throughout life. Costs of care add up and can financially strain a family. The average lifetime care costs for a child with cerebral palsy is estimated to be $921,000.

Cleveland Cerebral Palsy Infographic

Cleveland Cerebral Palsy Statistics

The statistics for CP are heartbreaking:

• Every hour, a baby is born with CP.
• One in every 323 babies is diagnosed with CP.
• Approximately 500,000 children under the age of 18 have CP.
• For every 1,000 births, two to three children will have CP.
• Approximately 10,000 babies born each year develop CP.
• Approximately 1,500 children who are preschool age are diagnosed each year with CP.
• Approximately 40 percent of all children who have CP were born prematurely. The other 60 percent were born at full-term.

Cerebral Palsy FAQs

Some children with cerebral palsy are highly independent, while others need significant care in every aspect of daily life. Needs and costs are different for every child. Call our Cleveland cerebral palsy lawyer today to discuss your child’s situation. We can help you connect the dots around what happened. There may be a way to relieve your financial strain by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit.

What Should I Do If My Child Was Injured During Birth?

Our attorneys can help you if you suspect the medical professionals who delivered your baby were responsible for their condition.

Birth should be a special time. There’s no other moment like seeing your baby for the first time, and while it is difficult for many mothers, it’s a memory that shouldn’t be darkened by any medical shortcomings.

Most medical professionals in the delivery room are well-trained, competent, and dependable. Each doctor, nurse, and specialist goes through years of training to make sure they do the right thing when they need to do it, and to ensure you and your child aren’t harmed during birth. Unfortunately, some medical professionals fall short.

The qualifications and competence of healthcare professionals aren’t as set in stone as we’d like to think. Serious problems can surface after your child receives inadequate or improper care, and birth injuries can harm a baby for the rest of his or her life. Some infants experience facial nerve injuries, broken bones, and may even experience seizures.

And of course, there’s the possibility of cerebral palsy. Fortunately, our medical malpractice lawyer can help you and your baby get the justice and compensation you both deserve.

Why Take Legal Action For Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is commonly caused by premature birth, which is difficult to prevent. However, babies born at term can still be affected – and in this case it can be traced directly to the actions of your doctors, nurses, and other delivery room specialists.

Cerebral palsy has a number of causes, and one of the most notable is an inadequate supply of oxygen at birth. A lack of oxygen at birth can cause irreparable harm to an infant’s brain, and it medical staff should take great pains to make sure your baby is born breathing, born healthy, and born right.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of cerebral palsy, it usually takes two or three years to diagnose. To make matters even more challenging, when a baby is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, all birth records need to be thoroughly examined to determine who is fully at fault. This can be difficult: In a span of two or three years, who knows what information will be available, and what information will be conveniently lost?

It’s important to get all the facts possible about your child’s birth if you suspect medical staff was responsible for his or her cerebral palsy. Fortunately, you can turn to Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. to build your case effectively.

Why Do I Need A Cerebral Palsy Lawyer?

Cerebral palsy is a lifelong condition that can cost you millions of dollars over the lifetime of your child – and chances are, you won’t be able to pay that all out of pocket. When you contact our cerebral palsy lawyers, you get in touch with a professional legal resource who is dedicated to finding all the information possible about your baby’s health, his or her delivery, and who can held accountable for his or her cerebral palsy.

Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A., Cleveland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

25550 Chagrin Blvd Suite 245, Cleveland, OH 44122

Contact Our Cleveland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Today

At Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A., we understand that a cerebral palsy diagnosis can be earth-shattering, but it doesn’t mean an unhappy ending for you or your child. Our firm has a long history of standing up for patients and families affected by medical negligence. As experienced Ohio medical negligence attorneys, we’ve recovered more than $300 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients, helping them secure the resources and justice they deserve. When you choose our personal injury lawyers, you’re choosing dedicated advocates who combine proven legal results with compassionate representation. If your family has been impacted by a birth injury or medical error, contact us today to discuss your case with our Cleveland cerebral palsy lawyer who will fight for your child’s future.