Cerebral palsy is an extremely serious birth injury. If the cause is medical negligence, someone must be held accountable.
“Cerebral palsy is one of the most devastating birth injuries a child
may encounter. It affects not only the child’s life, but the whole
family. If the palsy was the direct result of medical malpractice, then
the doctor or hospital care givers must be held accountable for their
actions,” stated Christopher Mellino, a Cleveland medical malpractice lawyer.
Cerebral palsy is the result of abnormal brain development, often as a
result of damage to the brain. This sometimes happens during the
development of the fetus, but more often happens during labor, when the
baby is being born, after birth, or within the first few years of the
child’s life. “This is not a muscular issue in origin,” added Mellino,
“it is an issue relating to damage to areas of the brain that control
muscle coordination, and that often includes the ability to sit
properly.”
What are the causes of cerebral palsy? “There are a variety of
causes. For instance, not enough oxygen to the baby’s brain, premature
delivery, certain types of infections (rubella, herpes simplex), severe
untreated jaundice, and traumatic brain injury,” Mellino outlined. “The
impact on the family is enormous, mentally, emotionally and financially,
as care for a child with cerebral palsy runs into the millions.”
If a child was born with cerebral palsy, as the direct result of
medical negligence, the family has a right to sue for financial
compensation for the staggering costs they face in the future. And there
are various forms of cerebral palsy that may range from mild to severe
that are the result of injury to a particular part of the brain. They
include dyskinetic, mixed, ataxic and spastic cerebral palsy.
The specific form of palsy a child may have is determined by a series
of tests that may include an MRI, CT scan, blood tests, and hearing and
vision tests.
“If you have any suspicion that your child may have cerebral palsy,
do not wait. Take your child to a doctor and then speak to a competent
medical malpractice lawyer with experience in birth injury cases right
away. You need to do this prior to the statute of limitations running
out,” added Mellino.
Source : Law firm News Wire (15th Feb 2013)
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