Founding Attorney
Birth injuries are all too common. It is devastating to think that a baby would start of disadvantaged by an injury that could have been prevented had treating medical professionals exercised the requisite level of care. Cerebral palsy is one type of birth injury that is very serious, and often could have been avoided had there been no negligence involved. Attorney Michael LoGiudice will hold those people responsible for the damage their negligence has caused to your child.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is believed to be caused if there is a lack of oxygen supply to the baby’s brain during delivery. This leads to complications with muscle coordination and body movement. There are several different types of cerebral palsy, none of which have a cure. The types include:
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- Spastic cerebral palsy: This is the most common type of cerebral palsy and involves stiff muscle tone.
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- Ataxic cerebral palsy: This is the least common type of cerebral palsy and involves problems with muscle coordination and movement.
- Athetoid Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy (ADCP): This is when the child’s body cannot regulate muscle tone leading to hypertonia and hypotonia.
Some people can have a mixture of the different types of cerebral palsy.
While cerebral palsy symptoms may go unrecognized well into a child’s first year, the injury itself will be present since birth. Getting treatment early on is important to mitigating the injury’s effects. Cerebral palsy can lead to developmental disabilities like:
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- Impaired motor skills
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- Difficulty with speech
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- Impaired vision and hearing
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- Learning and cognitive disabilities
- Difficulty with emotions
In order to manage and work towards improving the symptoms experienced by those with cerebral palsy, continuous therapy can be crucial. This is often very expensive and the treatment schedule and effects of cerebral palsy can put a great deal of strain on the child and his or her loved ones. If the condition was caused by the negligence of someone else, you are entitled to recover damages including the cost of medical treatment, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Negligence by health care professionals that can lead to cerebral palsy can involve:
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- A doctor failing to recognize or properly treat an infection of the pregnant mother;
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- A doctor failing to identify that the umbilical is not in its proper place;
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- A doctor failing to order a cesarean delivery for a baby with a head size too large for the birth canal; or
- A doctor’s improper usage of a vacuum cup or forceps during delivery.
Helping families coping with the pain of a birth injury.
It is not right that a medical professional’s negligence can so profoundly impact you and the lives of your loved ones. It happens much more often than it should. A birth injury is a painful thing for a family to go through and one that has lasting effects. Money can never fully compensate you for this. The law, however, allows you to pursue a personal injury claim to help you cover the often substantial costs you can endure because of birth injury. Contact New York personal injury attorney Michael LoGiudice and find peace knowing you are in the hands of a trusted legal professional; here to fight for the best interests of you and your family.