Cerebral Palsy Claims
Cerebral Palsy has a huge impact on the lives of those it effects. The condition is often first noticed within the first 2-3 years of a child’s life as spotting symptoms at birth can be difficult.
However, sometimes it can be caused due to the negligence of a medical professional and if this has happened to you or a loved one, you may be able to claim compensation.
To speak with one of our experienced medical negligence lawyers about your case, fill out a contact form or call us on the number below. We offer a free consultation for all cases so feel free to ask us any questions you might have.
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What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy is a condition that happens due to the development of the brain which causes a person to have reduced co-ordination or movement. Spotting the condition early can be difficult with new born babies not having the ability to walk or move around a lot. Most cases are normally noticed as the child gets older, normally around 2-3 years of age.
In the UK, around 2 in every 1000 children suffer from Cerebral Palsy. It is thought that 10% of sufferers can attribute their disability to birth complications, this is where Cerebral Palsy claims may be brought.
Symptoms can include:
- Delays in reaching development milestones – for example, not sitting by 8 months or not walking by 18 months
- Seeming too stiff or too floppy
- Weak arms or legs
- Fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements
- Random, uncontrolled movements
- Walking on tiptoes
- Other problems (tend to be less common) – swallowing difficulties, speaking problems, vision problems and learning disabilities
Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy happens if a baby’s brain does not develop normally while they’re in the womb, or is damaged during or soon after birth. Often the reason for cerebral palsy is not clear, but sometimes it can come down to negligence or other issues that occur.
Causes of cerebral palsy include:
- Bleeding in the baby’s brain or reduced blood and oxygen supply to their brain
- An infection caught by the mother during pregnancy
- The brain temporarily not getting enough oxygen (asphyxiation) during a difficult birth
- Meningitis
- A serious head injury
Making a claim
Few things are more devastating than discovering that your child has been injured before, during or after birth due to medical negligence. Some conditions are more severe than others, but all injuries can affect the life of your family.
You may be able to make a claim if you have grounds that your child’s condition was causes by medical negligence, common claims include:
- Failure to deliver the baby early enough or by caesarean
- Failure to monitor the baby’s heartbeat
- Not responding to the umbilical cord being wrapped around the baby’s neck
We help you get the answers you need
In order to succeed with a Cerebral Palsy claim we will need to prove that the doctors or midwives did not meet the standards required of them during the birthing process and that those failings are likely to have caused the birth injury.
If your child is showing symptoms or has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy it is possible that a mistake during labour or delivery led to brain damage. To bring a claim, it must first be shown that mistakes were made that amount to medical negligence.
Cerebral Palsy Claims can result from:
- Failing to monitor the mother or the child properly
- Failing to take account of warning signs such as falling or unhealthy heartbeat, the presence of meconium and disproportionate pain
- Failing to deliver when it was called for either naturally, assisted (by forceps or ventouse for example) or by caesarean section
- Inappropriate use of forceps, causing a haemorrhage due to excess force
If you consider you had a badly handled labour and delivery, any negligent ante-natal care or that your baby wasn’t properly cared for after birth, and your child has Cerebral Palsy you may be able to bring a claim on behalf of your child.
No Win No Fee
If you have been given the wrong blood type and have suffered an illness or injury because of this, it is normally considered to be negligent and a claim can be brought.
Youngs Law offer no win, no fee for all of our medical negligence claims, so if you don’t win your case and receive compensation, you don’t pay us a penny. We will also wait for any fee to be paid to us when you receive you compensation and not upon winning you case.
Let us help
Youngs Law have a full team of experienced medical negligence lawyers who would be happy to talk to you about your matter and see if you have grounds to make a claim. We offer free initial consultations for all of our cases, so fill out a contact form or call us on the number below to speak with us.
