Utah Birth Injury Attorney Talks About Cerebral Palsy
            

The term cerebral palsy refers to a group of movement control disorders that develop early in a child’s life. There are a few things that cause cerebral palsy, including brain injuries, bacterial infections, and head trauma. While a cause can often be determined in many cases of cerebral palsy, there are some cases where it never is known what led to the serious harm suffered by the child. It is critical to get help in identifying who or what was responsible for the injuries to the child as soon as possible.

Sometimes, cerebral palsy is not diagnosed for quite some time after a child is born. In other cases, there are visible signs of an injury immediately after the baby’s birth. For example, an injured baby may not be breathing when delivered and emergency resuscitation may be necessary. Other signs of injury include a limp or floppy appearance, bluish skin, and difficulty eating. Children who develop cerebral palsy often begin to show symptoms of the disorder between three months and two years of age. The symptoms of cerebral palsy vary because there are multiple types of cerebral palsy. The most common type of cerebral palsy from which a child may suffer is spastic cerebral palsy. The symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy include stiff muscles, abnormal gait, tight joints, and paralysis and they may occur exclusively on one side of the body or on both sides. This condition affects a child’s arms, legs, or both the arms and legs. Children who have other forms of cerebral palsy may exhibit a lack of coordination, overly loose muscles, abnormal movements, seizures, and other symptoms.

In some situations where a child develops cerebral palsy, the underlying cause of the head trauma or brain injury that led to the development of cerebral palsy is a mistake that was made by one or more medical professionals. For example, prenatal care providers may not respond appropriately to changes in a mother’s health during her pregnancy by ordering additional tests or providing additional care. Mistakes also may occur in responding to changes in the health of the mother and the baby during labor and delivery and these preventable errors can result in injuries such as head trauma or oxygen deprivation.

If your child has developed cerebral palsy, you may be surprised by just how much additional care he or she may require. Unfortunately, you may also be unpleasantly surprised by how much it costs to provide all of the care that your child needs. I understand that you are working hard to provide for your family financially while trying to strike a balance between earning a living and spending time raising your children, and I have seen just how much stress that balancing act can place on families whose children require costly medical care. My name is Charles H. Thronson, of Parsons Behle & Latimer, and I am here to help you secure the financial support that you need to ensure that your child will always have the care that he or she needs. I have helped many injured children from Utah, and throughout the United States, to obtain the financial recovery that they deserve. If you have questions about cerebral palsy lawsuits or other types of birth injury lawsuits, please contact my office to schedule a consultation.