Sacramento Birth Injury Attorneys

Cerebral Palsy Lawyers in Sacramento, California

Unfortunately, many babies born today suffer birth injuries that result in cerebral palsy.  It is estimated that each year between 8,000 and 10,000 infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Estimates suggest that 20% of children who are diagnosed with congenital cerebral palsy developed it during the birthing process.  Many of these cases are due to the negligence of a medical professional.

When this is the case, a Sacramento birth injury attorney or lawyer at our firm may be able to help you collect compensation for the losses you have suffered.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to motor coordination problems that result from injury to the brain.  It is characterized by weakness or stiffness of the arms and legs, and it can be accompanied by seizures.  Other symptoms of cerebral palsy include mental retardation, speech, unusual awareness and sensation, hearing or sight impairment, problems walking, involuntary movement, seizures, and muscle spasms.  “Cerebral” refers to the brain and “palsy” to muscle weakness or poor coordination control.  Approximately 70% of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy had damage to one or more areas of the brain during fetal development and about 20% of those diagnosed with cerebral palsy had brain injury that occurred during the birthing process. 

Generally, the abnormalities that are characterized with cerebral palsy originate in the brain.  Individuals with cerebral palsy have problems controlling the interactions between their muscles and nerves.  There are three basic types of cerebral palsy -- Spastic CP, which is the most common form of cerebral palsy, affects one’s ability to relax muscles, resulting in tightness and difficulties in movement; Ataxic CP, which causes one to have a disturbed sense of balance and depth perception and is often associated with tremors and shaky movements; and Athetoid CP, which affects the ability to control muscles, often leading to involuntary and uncontrolled movements.  Each type of cerebral palsy affects a person differently, and in some instances, individuals will have more than one type. 

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

The most common cause of cerebral palsy is a baby’s being born too early, before his/her brain has had time to fully develop.  Infants who are born prematurely (26-30 weeks gestational age) are at a greater risk of developing cerebral palsy.  However, even infants born at term (37 weeks) can develop cerebral palsy if hypoxia or asphyxia occurred during the delivery.  Generally, the diagnosis of cerebral palsy is made after birth (sometimes weeks, months or even a couple of years later), when evidence of a movement disorder or developmental delay is more apparent.  In some instances, babies who are born with cerebral palsy and who were severely asphyxiated during childbirth will demonstrate problems with feeding and/or have seizures that clearly indicate that they may have cerebral palsy.  However, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend that a child should be diagnosed with cerebral palsy before the age of two years.  Therefore, many children will not receive an official diagnosis until after he or she has attained the age of two years. 

It is estimated that about 90% of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy live into their 20’s and beyond, compared to about 98% of other children.  Quadriplegic children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have a much lower rate of survival because of respiratory illnesses and other distress.  Because any degree of cerebral palsy can have life-long consequences, it is important that a careful and through investigation be conducted to determine if medical negligence was the cause.  While not every instance of cerebral palsy is a result of medical negligence, sometimes birth injuries that result in cerebral palsy do occur because a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional was negligent and/or made a medical mistake.  When a medical mistake occurs, then a claim for medical malpractice may be filed.

While most medical professionals do meet applicable standards of care for their patients, many infants are harmed by medical errors.  A doctor who misreads fetal monitoring equipment, fails to diagnose fetal distress timely, administers too much Pitocin, waits too long to perform a cesarean section, or otherwise fails to act according to the applicable standard of care should be held accountable.  Because there is a statute of limitations for cerebral palsy medical malpractice claims, it is important that families of children diagnosed with CP in Sacramento contact an experienced Sacramento birth injury lawyer as soon as possible.

At the Sacramento Birth Injury Law Firm, our Sacramento birth injury lawyers are highly skilled in handling birth injury cases that result in cerebral palsy.  We are dedicated to helping to ensure that you receive past, present, and future medical compensation for your child for the rest of his or her life.  Your experienced Sacramento birth injury attorney at our firm will leave no stone unturned when it comes to uncovering negligence on the part of medical professionals. 

We offer free Sacramento birth injury case evaluations.  Contact a Sacramento medical malpractice attorney or lawyer at our firm today and find out how we can help you and your family!