Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common motor disability in childhood. About 1 in 323 children has been identified with CP according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). An estimated 764,000 children and adults currently have cerebral palsy in the United States. Around 10,000 babies born this year will develop cerebral palsy. Approximately 1 in 5 CP cases result from brain damage that occurs during the birth process.
While these statistics may not offer much comfort or help to you if your child was recently diagnosed with cerebral palsy, what they can do is show that you’re not alone in facing this challenge. In fact, far from it.
In addition to the thousands of national and international organizations, local support groups and other community resources available to families dealing with CP, parents seeking justice and answers can also learn about their legal rights by consulting with a qualified birth injury attorney.
Meet Laura Brown
A nationally respected CP birth injury attorney
Laura Brown has dedicated her entire career to birth injury representation, including cases involving cerebral palsy. As a passionate advocate for children and families, not to mention a nationally recognized attorney for birth injury cases, Laura helps even the playing field for her clients by exclusively representing babies and their families.
If she believes your baby’s injury was avoidable and should have been prevented, Laura’s not afraid to go up against even the largest hospital corporations or insurance companies. Years of devoted practice have instilled her with confidence, experience and the skills to match.
Birth injury lawsuits arising from medical negligence fall under medical malpractice law. Only a small percentage of attorneys have experience and expertise in this practice area. Birth injury cases can quickly become highly complex as attorneys may need to call in expert witnesses, request medical records and convincingly convey complex information to judges and juries.
While a handful of cases will be drawn out and eventually have to go to trial, a majority of birth injury cases are settled before that becomes necessary—meaning that the families get access to their financial lifeline much sooner.
Parents also tend to be misinformed or underestimate the long-term economic impact of their child’s CP diagnosis, which can cause them to settle for less than they deserve or fail to pursue just compensation at all.
Continue reading to learn about the various types of support available to families and children affected by cerebral palsy and other birth injuries—starting with legal resources.
Meet with a CP birth injury lawyer near you
If your child has cerebral palsy or another birth injury, you may be wondering how this could have happened. Was it simply an accident, or was it preventable had medical providers acted differently? When you approach a birth injury lawyer, generally the first order of business is determining if the cause of the CP can be connected to medical negligence.
Often, brain damage is caused by a lack of oxygen to the baby’s brain during labor and delivery. Other causes of cerebral palsy include trauma, premature birth, and infection. Many times, these injuries are preventable with proper care. However, in some circumstances, the child’s injury may have been the result of umbilical cord problems, uterine rupture, placental issues or another maternal cause—not medical negligence.
If malpractice can indeed be linked to the injury, then it’s time to explore your legal options and resources by speaking with a knowledgeable birth injury attorney. Lawsuits are like babies—each one is unique and special, and each deserves individualized and personal attention. For this reason, there’s no substitute for meeting with an experienced and qualified attorney who specializes in birth injury cases to learn about your legal rights.
Getting help for a child with HIE or Cerebral Palsy
can make a big difference
Because early intervention is often key to helping improve a child’s wellbeing, it’s important to act swiftly. At the Brown Trial Firm, our Houston birth injury attorneys can help you investigate your case, find answers to your questions, and determine whether you are entitled to compensation. We offer case reviews at no cost or obligation. Many birth injuries that cause cerebral palsy could have been prevented.
How can a birth injury attorney help?
A birth injury attorney can help in 2 major ways:
- By providing support and non-legal resources to help inform and guide your strategy for managing a birth injury, and
- By evaluating and pursuing legal action.
Because of their exposure to the birth injury community, many birth injury attorneys are well-connected with the support groups and information resources related to birth injuries. Even if you don’t have a legal cause of action, speaking with a birth injury attorney may result in finding great information related to birth injuries.
If the birth injury was caused by a preventable medical error, then a birth injury attorney can help you evaluate pursuing legal action. In that event, you may be able to recover money damages to compensate you and your child for the medical malpractice that resulted in the birth injury.
Successful recovery can open up early intervention and treatment options that may otherwise be financially burdensome and can provide long-term peace of mind that the child will receive the medical care that they need.
Get answers from an experienced birth injury attorney
If you have questions about your legal rights that need to be answered, we encourage you to get help from a birth injury lawyer near you who specializes in these types of cases. When it comes to CP, early intervention is crucial and the right attorney will take action immediately to get the care and compensation that you and your baby deserve.
At the Brown Trial Firm, our cerebral palsy birth injury attorneys can help you investigate your case, find answers to your questions, and determine whether you are entitled to compensation. We offer case reviews at no cost or obligation. Many birth injuries that result in CP could have been prevented. Don’t wait, get help today.
