Parents sometimes consider a birth defect such as cerebral palsy to be an “act of God” or of nature. These terms seem to imply that the defects simply “happened,” and were unpreventable. When our medical investigators dig into the facts of a birth “defect” case, however, we often discover that human error caused a birth injury that could have been prevented. Doctors, nurses, and hospitals are sometimes negligent during prenatal care, labor, or delivery, with the result being a birth injury such as cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is caused by oxygen deprivation at or preceding birth and is also known as hypoxia. Inadequate delivery of oxygen to the brain of the fetus causes anoxic injury, which in turn leaves a baby or child unable to function as “normal” children do. A child with cerebral palsy may suffer seizures, not be able to walk, talk or feed himself or herself. Some cerebral palsy sufferers remain totally dependent on their caregivers. Others have mild forms of cerebral palsy which may be moderated over time with proper intervention and therapy. Early recognition is important.
When Brown Moore & Associates PLLC represents children and their parents in birth injury cases involving the investigation of a birth injury or a child who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, one of our primary early objectives is to provide families with information concerning early interventions and care so as to minimize the long term impact of the injury. Children with this injury may require therapists, personal care attendants, and/or tutoring. They may require devices such as braces for their legs, which must be custom fitted and must be replaced every few months or every year as the child grows. Meeting these needs requires knowledge and long-term planning. At Brown Moore & Associates PLLC, we have handled a number of these cases over the entire States of North Carolina and South Carolina and through this experience, we have been able to provide our clients with the information they need and direct clients to the resources they can use in order to acquire long term care as may be needed. Our Charlotte cerebral palsy lawyers welcome your inquiry if your baby has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and you wonder whether a hospital or healthcare provider’s negligence was the root cause.