What are Cerebral Palsy Lawsuits?

When a person is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, he may have any of a group of disorders that affect movement and function. The cause of cerebral palsy can be hard to pinpoint, but the condition may develop in relation to pregnancy complications and infections as well as trauma during childbirth. When children are born with cerebral palsy and their parents believe a doctor or other medical professional is at fault, they may initiate cerebral palsy lawsuits. Essentially, this means the parties involved sue a doctor or other health care provider for medical malpractice.

In most cases, cerebral palsy is present at birth or develops soon after it. Often, doctors diagnose it when a patient is still an infant, though some people may not be diagnosed until later in childhood. Some people who have cerebral palsy have mild forms of the condition while others may have more severe cases. No matter what the severity, however, this diagnosis is typically accompanied by trouble balancing, moving as normal, and controlling one's muscles. In fact, some people are unable to stand, sit up, roll over, or even swallow; additionally, some people with cerebral palsy have shorter life expectancies.

There are many things that may cause cerebral palsy. In some cases, it may be caused by a maternal infection during pregnancy. In other cases, it may be caused by physical injury or lack of oxygen during or soon after childbirth. Sometimes its exact causes are unknown. Cerebral palsy lawsuits are typically filed when it appears that doctors or other health care providers have contributed to its development. In such a case, the parents of the affected child may seek to hold the responsible party accountable and enlist a lawyer's help with securing compensation.

There are many situations that may lead a parent to believe he has grounds for filing a cerebral palsy lawsuit. For example, if a doctor fails to diagnose and treat a condition capable of causing cerebral palsy, this may be grounds for a lawsuit. Likewise, if a doctor causes or fails to prevent a child from becoming injured during delivery, he may be sued as well. If a doctor fails to notice and clear an airway obstruction during or after delivery and the lack of oxygen causes cerebral palsy, he may face a lawsuit. Sometimes cerebral palsy lawsuits are also initiated because a doctor fails to perform an emergency cesarean section in response to a serious pregnancy complication.

When people need assistance with filing cerebral palsy lawsuits, they may seek out the help of medical malpractice lawyers. These lawyers can evaluate whether or not there are grounds for a lawsuit. If a lawyer thinks a potential client has a claim he can win, he may then accept the case and initiate the lawsuit process. Many attorneys offer free consultations as well.