Cerebral Palsy Birth Injuries
Birth Injury Lawyer in Maryland Representing Clients for Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Claims
When a child suffers an injury during childbirth, they may experience the effects for the rest of their life. Some birth injuries may heal in time or result in minor disabilities, but some are more severe and can negatively impact a child’s development in many ways. One of the most frequently experienced birth injuries in the United States is cerebral palsy, a medical condition characterized by brain damage from oxygen deprivation. Parents of a child born with cerebral palsy may not know the full scope of the condition’s effects for some time after their child is born, and some cases of cerebral palsy can involve lifelong disabilities that necessitate ongoing medical care and therapy.
When Cerebral Palsy Occurs
If your child developed cerebral palsy due to oxygen deprivation before or during childbirth, this is an indication that the medical team responsible for your childbirth procedure were potentially negligent in some way that resulted in your child’s condition. To pursue compensation for medical bills and treatment costs associated with cerebral palsy, you must file a type of personal injury claim known as a medical malpractice claim, Since this is an extremely complex field of personal injury law, you will need support and guidance from an experienced birth injury lawyer in Maryland if you want to succeed with your cerebral palsy claim.
The Baltimore personal injury attorneys at Peter Angelos Law have successfully represented many clients in the Baltimore, Gaithersburg, Annapolis, Frederick, and Bowie areas, including Maryland state-wide. We specialize in birth injuries, including cerebral palsy claims, helping families secure compensation for their medical expenses and the trauma of their experiences. Our skilled birth injury attorneys in Maryland can handle your legal affairs so you and your family can focus on recovery and preparing for your future.
Why Do I Need a Maryland Birth Injury Attorney?
A medical malpractice claim is a type of personal injury lawsuit that focuses on medical negligence, a medical provider’s failure to uphold the standard of care their patient required for a particular procedure. When it comes to childbirth procedures, the attending physicians, nurses, and other medical staff must administer quality care, address unexpected variables swiftly and safely, and always adhere to the standard of care while attending to labor and delivery. If they fail, their actions or inaction could cause an injury like cerebral palsy and trigger liability for medical malpractice.
Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit requires the assistance of an experienced birth injury attorney in Maryland. If you were to attempt to file your own medical malpractice claim without legal representation, you risk case dismissal due to a technicality or procedural issue. Alternatively, you may overlook potential areas of compensation and settle for less than you could have received with the help of legal counsel.
Your birth injury attorney can help you fully maximize your family’s recovery as it pertains to Maryland law. Your legal team can handle the various procedural requirements your case will entail and guide you through every phase of your proceedings. A birth injury lawyer in Maryland can coordinate expert witness testimony on your behalf to support your claim in court, help you demonstrate the full scope of your claimable damages, and ultimately guide you to a positive conclusion for your cerebral palsy case. With the right legal team, it is possible to secure substantial compensation for your immediate and future medical expenses, lost income, and other damages resulting from a medical professional’s negligence.
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
“Cerebral palsy” or “CP” is a term that does not describe a single condition, but a wide spectrum of symptoms that result from oxygen deprivation that occurs immediately before or during childbirth. When an infant’s oxygen supply is interrupted, they very quickly become susceptible to brain damage that can cause a host of unpredictable effects. Some of the most common symptoms of cerebral palsy include:
- Diminished muscular development.
- Reduced coordination, balance, and range of motion.
- Developmental delays.
- Cognitive impairment.
- Blindness and other sensory impairments.
- Speech and language delays.
- Social development delays.
- Paralysis.
Some children do not manifest noticeable symptoms of cerebral palsy until months following birth. In addition, it is possible for a child to develop cerebral palsy and live a relatively normal life with minimal disruptions to their normal growth and development. However, other children are not so fortunate. Some babies born with cerebral palsy will experience a wide range of symptoms that impair their growth and development in many ways. It is also possible for cerebral palsy to leave a child completely dependent on medical treatment and ongoing care for the rest of their life.
Potential Compensation for a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
When you secure the services of an experienced medical malpractice attorney for your cerebral palsy claim, it is possible to pursue substantial compensation for your financial damages. If your attorney can successfully prove that your child’s cerebral palsy resulted from medical negligence, you can secure compensation for your immediate and future medical expenses resulting from the incident. This includes anticipated medical costs your child’s condition will incur in the future, including the cost of necessary in-home medical care.
Parents may also need to stop working to care for a child with cerebral palsy full-time. Your attorney can help you obtain compensation for your lost income, both during the initial aftermath of the birth injury as well as lost future earning capacity if you cannot return to work. Maryland law also allows personal injury plaintiffs to recover compensation for pain and suffering in medical malpractice claims, up to a maximum of $845,000 for claims filed in 2021. Cerebral palsy can put tremendous emotional and financial strain on any family. If medical negligence was the cause of your child’s injury, the right attorney can help you hold the responsible party accountable for your family’s damages through a medical malpractice claim.
Find Your Legal Team Today
Peter Angelos Law offers legal representation to clients throughout Maryland facing difficult medical malpractice claims. Through the years our firm has been in operation, we have successfully obtained billions of dollars in compensation for our clients, including many landmark cases in Maryland legal history. If you need reliable, responsive, and compassionate legal counsel after your child develops cerebral palsy from a birth injury, we can help. Contact Peter Angelos Law today and schedule a complimentary consultation with our team to get answers to your most critical legal questions.