Suppose you suspect that medical errors during pregnancy, childbirth, or postnatal care caused cerebral palsy in your loved one. In that case, it’s essential to consult an experienced medical malpractice lawyer with experience handling such cases. The seasoned Hazleton birth injury lawyers at Munley Law can assess your situation in a free consultation and guide you through the legal process to seek compensation for any negligence or malpractice that may have occurred. Our medical negligence lawyers have a proven track record. They are hired to represent your family’s interests, investigate the circumstances surrounding the condition’s onset, and initiate legal action if and when deemed appropriate. It is crucial to seek guidance from a seasoned medical malpractice attorney so that we can support you in pursuing compensation and justice, allowing you to focus your energy on caring for your family and moving forward.
What Causes Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy occurs when something goes wrong with the brain as it develops, typically before birth. It can be due to various reasons like infections during pregnancy, lack of oxygen during labor, birth injuries, or brain injuries shortly after birth:
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE): This occurs when the baby’s brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen and blood flow during labor and delivery, leading to brain damage.
- Birth Trauma: Physical trauma during delivery, such as the improper use of delivery tools like forceps or vacuum extractors, can cause head injuries or brain bleeds, increasing the likelihood of cerebral palsy.
- Maternal Infections: Infections during pregnancy, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), rubella, or untreated urinary tract infections, can pass from the mother to the baby and affect brain development, potentially leading to cerebral palsy. These infections may also cause inflammation or other damage to the developing brain.
What Are the Common Types of Cerebral Palsy?
In the United States, roughly 10,000 babies are born with cerebral palsy each year. Among its variations, spastic cerebral palsy stands to be the most common type. Each type of cerebral palsy has its own unique set of obstacles that are to be considered when performing a needs analysis and managing care for your loved one:
- Spastic CP: This type causes stiffness and tightness in muscles, making fluid movement difficult.
- Athetoid CP: Athetoid CP causes involuntary and uncontrolled movements, making it hard to control limbs; performing simple daily tasks a struggle.
- Ataxic CP: Ataxic CP affects balance and coordination, causing shaky movements and difficulty with precise tasks.
These issues affect how the brain controls muscles, ultimately leading to difficulties with movement and coordination. When present,
How Do I Know if Cerebral Palsy Was Caused by Negligence?
Determining if someone else is at fault for your child’s cerebral palsy involves examining the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy, birth, and postnatal care. Common indicators that negligence may be a factor include:
- Medical Errors: If healthcare providers make mistakes during pregnancy, labor, or delivery, such as failing to monitor fetal distress or improperly using delivery tools, this could indicate negligence.
- Delayed Treatment: If there were delays in diagnosing or treating maternal infections, fetal distress, or other complications during pregnancy or childbirth, resulting in harm to the baby, negligence may have occurred.
- Inadequate Care: If the medical team did not provide the standard level of care expected in similar situations, leading to preventable harm to the baby, it could suggest negligence.
- Documentation: Reviewing medical records and consulting with medical experts can help determine if there were deviations from accepted medical practices that contributed to cerebral palsy.
When Should I Contact a Cerebral Palsy Attorney in Hazleton?
If you think something went wrong during your child’s birth, talk to a medical malpractice lawyer who knows how to handle birth injury cases. If negligence played a role, consulting with a birth injury lawyer specializing in medical malpractice can help review medical records and determine if pursuing legal action is appropriate. A skilled Hazleton birth injury lawyer can assess what happened and figure out the best steps to take. Medical bills pile up, but your child’s care shouldn’t suffer. Birth injury cases are complicated and have many intricate layers; having a Hazleton birth injury lawyer on your side means you’ll have someone who has the resources, relationships, successful track record, and experience in gathering evidence to build a strong case.
What Will My Hazleton Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Do to Build My Case?
Your Hazleton birth injury attorney will work diligently to gather all the evidence needed to show that the doctors or hospital may be responsible for what happened by:
- Reviewing Medical Records: Carefully examine all medical records involving pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postnatal care to identify deviations from standard protocol.
- Consulting with Medical Experts: Resort to the expertise of medical professionals specializing in obstetrics, neonatology, neurology, and other relevant fields to review the records and determine whether or not medical negligence occurred.
- Interviewing Witnesses: Interview witnesses, including family members, healthcare providers, and others present during the birth. Additional information surrounding the circumstances and others’ perspectives of what occurred may be very useful.
- Obtaining Expert Opinions: Seek out medical experts for opinions and testimony regarding the standard of care expected in similar situations and whether the involved healthcare providers’ performance or lack of performance contributed to the development of cerebral palsy.
- Investigating Hospital Policies and Procedures: Research hospital policies and procedures to determine if organizational failures played a part in the alleged malpractice.
- Collaborating with Medical Specialists: Work with specialists in fields such as radiology, genetics, and pediatric neurology to further investigate the cause and extent of the child’s cerebral palsy birth injury.
Hazleton birth injury lawyers want to make sure that your family gets what they deserve and that someone is held accountable for your child’s injury.
How Long Do I Have to File a Birth Injury Claim?
In Pennsylvania, if you want to file a birth injury claim for medical malpractice related to cerebral palsy, you usually have two years from when the injury happened. But if a parent is suing for a child who got hurt, they can wait until the child turns 18 before starting the two-year clock. So, the parents need to file the claim before the child turns 20. If the child is already 18 or older, they have two years from their 18th birthday to file a claim for a birth injury.
How a Birth Injury Lawyer in Hazleton, PA, Can Help
With over 60 years of experience helping people injured in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, our team at Munley Law is here for you and your child. We want to hear your story and fight for your rights. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. If you think medical mistakes caused your child’s cerebral palsy, call Munley Law for a free case review. Our birth injury lawyers will listen to you, assess your case, explain what compensation you might get, and discuss how we can help you and your child get the settlement you deserve.
Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
197 N Cedar St.
Hazleton, PA 18201
(570) 536-9498
