Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy due to Medical Malpractice:

After the initial shock of the diagnosis has subsided, a logical question for parents who have heard that their child has Cerebral Palsy is: “How did this happen to my child?” Many times, there is no clear answer to that, and the conclusion can be no other than that this has just happened, without anyone specific to blame.However, there are also cases where there is blame to be doled out. There are cases in which the negligence of professionals, into whose hands you entrusted the life and health of your child, has lead to the dreaded diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy, in short, is caused by lack of oxygen flow to the brain. It is the job of the doctor entrusted with the delivery of your child to make sure that this flow continues unobstructed. If it does not, parts of the body that are temporarily starved of oxygen will be damaged. This damage leads to delays in the development as compared to a “normal”child, and will impede important development phases like:

• Crawling
• Sitting
• Walking
• Rolling over
• Control of head movement

The delay of any of these developments, and subsequently the possibility that one or more of them are never fully developed, will have an enormous impact on the lives of both your child and yourself.

Even a slight mistake or a short moment of distraction on account of the medical professional may be enough to cause damage that lasts a lifetime. Medical professionals and their employers are not very inclined towards openly admitting that such an error has occurred.

However, medical institutions and their employees have a legal duty when it comes to the care for their patients, and any failure in carrying that duty may be regarded as malpractice. However, it is very hard for parents to determine whether that is the case.

In case you suspect any malpractice by one of the medical professionals involved, it is vital to contact an experienced lawyer in order to determine whether there is actually a case of malpractice, and if that turns out to be the case, to expertly handle that case for you, and make sure that you get sufficient compensation for the damage that was done.

This compensation will obviously not be able to reverse the effects of Cerebral Palsy on your child, but it will ensure that your child gets the special care he/she needs and deserves.