Baby brain damage, especially at birth, can lead to many devastating conditions. Among the most severe of them is cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy causes issues with mobility, learning, hearing, speech, and much more. It’s the result of the infant not receiving enough oxygen either in the womb, during the birthing process, or at some point after the infant has been born due to another reason. While it’s not fully understood how the injury works, the specific injuries that cause cerebral palsy have characteristic effects that make them particularly devastating.
Many children who suffer from cerebral palsy have significant learning disabilities. This isn’t always the case, though. Sometimes the children have full mental capacity. Most often, there will be trouble speaking and trouble hearing. Both of these effects can be somewhat mitigated with the help of a good speech therapist. However, some of the parents who have a child who suffers from this injury end up having to provide care for that child’s entire life. When it’s the result of negligence, it might be time for you to consider speaking with an attorney. Some jurisdictions have time limits on these cases, so be sure to contact an attorney if you’re under a time constraint.
Negligence doesn’t mean being incompetent. You may have had a great delivery team and been at a great hospital but, that hospital and that delivery team had a certain duty to you and, if they failed in their duty, they may be negligent. Only a jury can determine this for sure. In some cases, however, the doctor’s insurance company or the hospital’s insurance company may decide to settle out of court if you have a good claim. If this is the case, you never have to go inside a courtroom at all: Your lawyer will work with you to determine whether or not the settlement offers are worth taking.
When you’re looking around for attorneys, make sure you consider their level of experience in dealing with these cases. It makes a significant difference. Anything involving medicine or medical negligence is a specialty field, and you’ll need an attorney who can understand all of the variables involved and how the law applies to your case. Not every case will win, but only an attorney will know whether yours is worth pursuing.