Cerebral Palsy Lawsuits – How Can a Lawsuit Help with Cerebral Palsy?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 10,000 babies born in the U.S. each year will develop cerebral palsy, or CP. Sadly, there is no cure for the condition, although different therapies may improve long-term outlook and outcome. Aside from the emotional and physical toll that cerebral palsy takes on children and their caregivers, CP can be particularly painful because it’s preventable in most cases. Medical negligence before, during or after labor, or during early childhood, is the primary contributing factor to the development of CP.
Medical Negligence
It costs about five times as much to care for a child with cerebral palsy than one without the condition. You may spend $1 million or more in medical care, rehabilitation and other services to treat CP. It’s not always clear why or how a baby develops CP, but common factors include:
• Lack of proper care during pregnancy
• Unskilled or aggressive delivery tactics, including the use of forceps
• Not performing a C-section on time or not delivering the baby quickly enough
Cerebral palsy cases have a statute of limitations, usually about two years from the time of diagnosis, meaning you don’t have long to decide whether to file suit. These cases fall under the medical negligence or personal injury umbrellas, and they demand expert attention to pursue.
How a Lawsuit Might Help
Despite the fact that cerebral palsy is typically caused by medical negligence during pregnancy or labor, medical malpractice cases can be challenging to pursue in court due to various factors. Still, legal representation is critical to determining how your case can go forward. A lawsuit may not bring you peace of mind, but a successful case may help to offset the significant costs associated with caring for a child with cerebral palsy. With a lawsuit, you may be able to:
• Hold the responsible party accountable
• Attain justice on behalf of your loved ones
• Prevent other people from experiencing the same negligence
Compensation from a medical negligence case for cerebral palsy could help you cover extremely high medical bills, in-home medical care, pain and emotional anguish that results from the condition, and lost wages due to time off from work to care for your little one. As a parent, you have plenty of things to worry about when raising your children. Covering the cost of an expensive medical condition – one that might have been prevented – should not be one of them.
The Legal Guidance You Need
Not every parent can afford to cover the high cost of treating a condition like CP. A lawsuit won’t change your child’s diagnosis, but it could provide you with the resources that you need to manage cerebral palsy throughout his or her life. If you need information on how a cerebral palsy lawsuit might change your family’s future and bring those responsible to justice, then don’t hesitate to reach out. A birth injury lawyer will be able to tell you whether you should file a suit and how to move forward. Talk to the medical malpractice firm Diez-Arguelles & Tejedor today to learn more.
Sources:
httpss://ucp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/cp-fact-sheet.pdf
https://www.lawfirms.com/resources/birth-injury/birth-defects/my-child-has-cerebral-palsy-can-i-sue