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Colorado Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

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If you have had the experience of learning that your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you understand how traumatic it can be. If your child has a mild form of cerebral palsy, he or she may only have limited motion in a hand or leg. If your child has a more severe form of cerebral palsy, he or she may be confined to a wheel chair for life.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disability that affects the communication between the brain and the body. Specifically, cerebral palsy is a group of neurological conditions that affects the part of the brain that controls muscle movement, motor control, and posture. When an individual has CP muscle control can be limited, or it can be practically non-existent, rendering the patient virtually immobile. Cerebral palsy may also cause visual, hearing, or speech impairments, as well as learning disabilities. With physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy, individuals with cerebral palsy may be able to gain better control of their movements, enabling him or her to perform more functions.

Most children who have cerebral palsy are born with the condition. For these cases of CP, which account for approximately 70 percent of cerebral palsy cases, the causes are usually unknown. Factors that may attribute to the development of cerebral palsy while a fetus is still in the uterus include, but are not limited to:

a mother's contraction of the measles while pregnant
a mother's development of a fever while pregnant
incompatible blood/RH factors between the mother and fetus
medication or drugs given the mother while pregnant
the mother's development of a bacterial infection while pregnant

Approximately 10 percent of cerebral palsy cases are the result of some sort of brain injury that occurs after birth. Causes of CP in infants may include a brain infection such as meningitis, or brain trauma from a car accident, fall, or child abuse.

The remaining 20 percent of cerebral palsy cases occur during the birthing process. Asphyxia (a lack of oxygen to the brain) or brain injury that results in bleeding. Asphyxia may occur from a premature separation of the placenta, strangulation by the umbilical cord, or other complications. Bleeding of the brain may come from pressure related to a vaginal delivery or some sort of trauma during the birth process.

Doctors and medical professionals typically take every measure they can to avoid complications during labor. They will set up monitoring devices to monitor the fetus and the mother, and check in on their patients regularly. These precautions significantly reduce the risk of cerebral palsy from birthing complications.

Regardless of the precautions that medical professionals take, there may still be the chance of a mistake or error occurring during labor that can lead to cerebral palsy. For instance, a complication during labor necessitates a quick delivery (within 10 minutes or less) to avoid brain injury. Typically, babies in these situations are delivered using a Caesarean section. However, there may be times when a doctor may not perform a Caesarean section quickly enough, resulting in brain injury and potentially, cerebral palsy. In addition, there are chances, however small, that an infant may suffer from trauma to the head during injury that can lead to brain injury and cerebral palsy.

In the event that you suspect your child developed brain injury that resulted in cerebral palsy because of medical negligence, it is highly recommended that you seek the advice of a Colorado attorney specializing in medical negligence and birth injury cases.

Birth injury medical negligence cases are challenging and difficult to prove. To make a claim that will hold up legally, an attorney must prove that there was a breach in the standard of care, causation, injury, and damages. A lawyer who is well-versed in Colorado medical malpractice law will be able to guide you through the legal process, assess your case to determine whether or not you can make a claim, and pursue justice.