St. Paul, MN
Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
Do you suspect your child’s cerebral palsy was a result of medical malpractice? If so, it is your right to seek legal help. A St. Paul cerebral palsy lawyer can help you seek the compensation you need to care for your child’s needs.
Medical Errors and Preventable Cerebral Palsy
CP can result from brain damage, abnormal brain development, or brain injury that occurs before birth, during the birthing process, or shortly after birth.
When medical professionals fail to uphold the standard of care—that is, respond to developing situations in a reasonable manner—the resulting injury and CP can mean lifelong impairments for a child.
Who and What Is Affected by CP?
Cerebral palsy not only affects the individual with the condition but also their parents, siblings, and those who care for them. Their everyday life is forever affected by CP. For instance, someone with CP may always need help with mobility and fine motor skills. Normal life activities—even simple things like walking, holding a toy or spoon, or using a pencil—can be a struggle. On the more severe end of the CP spectrum are significant intellectual impairment, frightening seizures, loss of hearing, and poor vision.
This means that a person with severe CP may need significant, lifelong caretaking and medical assistance. According to a 2003 study, the most recent on record, associated costs can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even into the million-dollar range for direct medical costs alone. This does not include additional out-of-pocket costs or lost wages associated with caring for a child with CP.
Who May Be Held Liable?
Obstetricians, hospitals, midwives, nurses, and others can all be liable if they are to blame for your child’s condition based on their individual actions.
Proper prenatal care is a duty that all doctors and healthcare providers are expected to give their patients. Doctors have to be aware of and offer options to mitigate risks the child and mother may be facing. They should watch for signs that either the mother or the baby is in distress during pregnancy. Negligence on the part of nurses may include failure to communicate that a fetus is in distress during labor and delivery, or failure to provide adequate monitoring during and after birth.
These mistakes can be grounds for a medical negligence lawsuit if the medical provider’s error is found to have caused CP in your child. If your child’s condition may have been prevented by a more careful, capable medical team, a seasoned legal team can investigate signs that negligence is to blame, procure medical records and expert opinions, and dig up additional evidence to build a case.
How Can a CP Lawyer Help?
Working with a capable cerebral palsy lawyer in St. Paul, MN, gives you the best chance to be fairly compensated for your losses related to your child’s CP diagnosis. Birth injury lawyers have access to resources and expertise to help you pursue justice.
Certain therapies, surgeries, and medications can help maximize the independence of your child and increase their inclusion in everyday life. A capable St. Paul cerebral palsy lawyer can help ensure that you have the resources to provide them for your child with CP. Awards to plaintiffs can also include costs for physical rehabilitation, special education costs, home accommodations, parents’ lost wages, and loss of future earnings by the person with CP. For the journey ahead, a legal win can make life significantly easier, not just for the affected individual, but also for their entire family.
The Cerebral Palsy Family Lawyers at Janet, Janet & Suggs put families first. They understand how disorienting and disheartening it can be to face a diagnosis like cerebral palsy. They understand that taking legal action can feel overwhelming yet, for many families, it’s the only way to foot the expenses that come with a CP diagnosis.
JJS has over 40 years of experience representing individuals and families of individuals with CP. In that time they have recovered more than $3 billion for their clients, won record-breaking CP verdicts, and negotiated record-breaking settlements for CP cases. With in-house medical experts, including a board-certified OBGYN, the firm also offers free, no-obligation case evaluations, and they only charge clients when they win. Contact them today to find out how they can help.
