Cincinnati Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

An unborn baby or newborn can develop cerebral palsy (CP) if the baby’s brain is injured or harmed at some point during brain development. A child who has CP will experience the effects of this disorder for the rest of his or her lifetime.

If your child has cerebral palsy due to the actions or inaction of medical professionals during the pregnancy or birthing process, you may be entitled to compensation for what your child has suffered. The knowledgeable Cincinnati cerebral palsy lawyers at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy can evaluate your case and investigate the cause of your child’s CP, and we can help you pursue the compensation you deserve for what your family has endured.

Our law firm has many decades of experience fighting for our clients’ right to compensation for their injuries, and our birth injury attorneys can help you obtain the compensation and justice that are owed to you and your family. We work on contingency and we charge no upfront fees, so you pay nothing unless we are able to help you obtain compensation. There is no risk and no obligation.

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, cerebral palsy is a brain disorder that can happen to a baby before, during or after birth. It can affect a child’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. About one in every 323 children in the United States has CP.

Everyone with CP is affected differently and experiences different symptoms, which may include:

Walking, balance and coordination problems
Memory and thinking problems
Difficulty with speech
Paralysis
Seizures
Muscle stiffness

Uncontrollable movements
Vision problems
Hearing problems
Spine issues (such as scoliosis)
Joint problems

A person affected with CP may require:

Wheelchairs
Braces to stabilize arms and legs
Dental guards
Full- or part-time nursing services

Physical therapy
Speech therapy
Occupational therapy

All of these cost time and money, and the costs usually continue throughout the lifetime of the person with CP.

That is why it is so important to have a caring cerebral palsy attorney by your side if a medical professional in Cincinnati caused your child’s CP or contributed to it, because your lawyer can help you obtain the compensation your family needs to help pay for the child’s expenses.

Causes Of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy can occur due to natural circumstances, including when the:

Baby’s body size is too small
Baby is born as one of multiple births, such as twins or triplets
Baby was conceived via in vitro fertilization or other assisted reproductive method
Mother had an infection during pregnancy
Mother suffered complications during delivery

CP can also be the result of improper medical treatment during pregnancy, during the birth or after the baby is born. Cerebral palsy can occur due to medical errors such as if:

There is a delay in a C-section surgery
The physician delivers the baby too soon or too late
Doctors fail to quickly clear the baby’s airway to breathe
The baby has an infection that is not properly treated
The birthing process was not handled correctly

The child experienced head trauma
There was a brain infection (such as meningitis)
Severe jaundice that was left untreated
Medical instruments were improperly used during the birth process

If you believe your child developed CP due to the actions of medical professionals and the CP therefore could have been prevented, contact our team today. Our cerebral palsy lawyers in Cincinnati will analyze exactly what caused your child’s health condition. We can evaluate the past, current and future costs of your child’s CP, and we will fight for maximum compensation for you.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced lawyer. We work solely on contingency, which means you will only pay us if we help you get paid. There is no risk and no obligation, and the consultation is completely confidential.

Compensation For Cerebral Palsy

If your child acquired CP because of a medical professional’s careless or incorrect actions before, during or after birth, you may be entitled to compensation. This compensation can help cover:

Medical expenses
Therapy sessions
Equipment
Medication

Lost wages of family members while caring for the child
Estimated future income of the child

At O’Connor, Acciani & Levy, we have access to financial professionals who specialize in placing value on the various injuries, losses and expenses that can accumulate as a result of a life-altering condition like CP. Your Cincinnati cerebral palsy attorney will build a claim on your behalf that reflects the compensation your child will need for the rest of his or her life.

What Should I Do If My Child’s CP Was Caused By Malpractice?

Once a child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the parents often begin to remember things that happened before, during or after the child was born that they simply ignored at the time due to the joy of the occasion. But if your child was harmed due to negligence by the medical personnel or the facility, and this harm caused your child’s CP, you may be able to pursue a case of medical malpractice.

The statute of limitations deadline for filing a malpractice case in Ohio runs for one year after the injury is discovered, or after the date when the injury should have been discovered. Your cerebral palsy attorney in Cincinnati can help you file your case on time so you do not miss the deadline.

Your attorney may discuss with you whether to file a lawsuit for punitive damages against the medical personnel or the facility that caused your child’s cerebral palsy. Most cases like this are settled out of court, but it is in your best interest to have aggressive legal representation on your side in order to obtain the compensation you deserve.

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

Some early signs that a baby may have CP include a delay in his or her ability to:

Roll over
Sit up
Stand
Walk
Smile

Bring hands together
Bring hands to the mouth
Make eye contact with a parent
Turn his or her head toward a noise

Some other signs can include if the baby:

Feels stiff
Feels floppy
Legs get stiff

Seems to push away from you when you pick him or her up
Legs cross or “scissor”

It may be possible that your child’s condition could have been prevented if the medical personnel had given your child the proper standard of care. A dedicated Cincinnati cerebral palsy attorney will review your case and determine what went wrong, and why your child has this disease.

If we determine that the doctors, nurses or other medical professionals performed below the minimum medical standard of care while treating or handling your child, our cerebral palsy attorneys in Cincinnati will pursue compensation on your behalf.

Types Of Cerebral Palsy

A person’s CP is classified based on the main types of movements that are affected. The four types of cerebral palsy are as follows:

Spastic

This type affects about 80 percent of people with CP. People in this group have strong but stiff muscle tone, so they can experience awkward movements.

This is categorized into three types of spastic CP:

Spastic Diplegia/Diparesis – This can cause stiffness in the legs, causing some difficulty in walking. This type does not usually affect the arms.
Spastic Hemiplegia/Hemiparesis – This affects only one side of the person’s body. It usually affects the arm, not the leg.
Spastic Quadriplegia/Quadriparesis – This severe type of CP affects the arms, legs, torso and face. Those who are affected by this type of cerebral palsy usually cannot walk, and they may have seizures. They may also have intellectual, vision, hearing and speech disabilities.

Dyskinetic

This type of CP can be very frustrating for the person affected by it, as the muscle tone and its effects can change frequently. The person’s muscles can go from being too tight to too loose and then too tight again. The person can have problems controlling his or her arms, legs, hands and feet, and it may be difficult to walk, sit still, talk or swallow.

Ataxic

This is a relatively mild form of CP that affects a person’s smoothness when writing and walking. It may be difficult for the person to control coordination and balance, including reaching for things or moving quickly.

Mixed

If a person has more than one form of CP, he or she is classified as having mixed CP. The most common form of mixed CP is spastic-dyskinetic CP.

A cerebral palsy lawyer in Cincinnati can research what caused your child’s CP and discuss your legal options with you. Contact us today to get started on your claim.

Contact An Experienced Attorney For Help

Many babies develop cerebral palsy because of the negligent actions by medical personnel or their incorrect handling of the child. If you believe your child developed CP because of medical malpractice or error, contact the legal team at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy today.

Our personal injury attorneys will review your claim and investigate the actions of the doctors and other medical professionals who may have injured your child. If we can find evidence of medical errors or malpractice, we will fight for your right to compensation for what your child and your family have suffered.

Our Cincinnati cerebral palsy lawyers charge no upfront fees of any kind, and you do not pay us unless we are able to help you recover compensation. Our legal team has decades of success in helping our clients obtain the compensation that is rightfully owed to them. Contact us today to find out how we may help your family get some financial stability and justice for what you have endured.