Helping Victims Of Cerebral Palsy
Having a child is among the most joyous, life-changing experiences many people ever have. Some parents, though, come out of this process having to face the unfortunate consequences of a delivery gone wrong. For those whose child, through negligent medical malpractice, has suffered from a birth injury such as cerebral palsy, the attorneys at Burke Argos offer much-needed legal aid along with respect and compassion. As successful birth injury lawyers serving Orange County and surrounding areas for over twenty years, they can help you seek monetary compensation to cover the costs of raising an injured child and overcome the emotional trauma of seeing a loved one harmed.
- Causes of Birth Injury
- Cerebral Palsy and Common Birth Injuries
- Damages in a Birth Injury Case
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Causes Of Birth Injury
Delivery is necessarily a difficult, stressful process in most cases. It is the job of the medical staff on hand to try to make the experience as safe and comfortable as possible. When they fail to adhere to accepted standards of treatment, though, the newborn may undergo unnecessary trauma and sustain a birth injury that causes permanent complications. Often, these medical mistakes consist of a failure to address a restriction of the flow of blood to the infant from the umbilical cord. The resulting lack of oxygen can be extremely dangerous. Other times, negligence may cause broken bones or internal bleeding.
Having consulted with and helped many people whose children are afflicted by cerebral palsy and other types of birth injury, the attorneys serving Los Angeles at the offices of Sean M. Burke have the resources and experience to recognize when medical error may be the result of negligence by the attendant medical personnel. These successful birth injury lawyers in Orange County have seen many cases caused by the following mistakes:
- Failure to respond to fetal distress
- Failure to respond to unexpected bleeding
- Failure to respond to umbilical cord entrapment
- Delay in performing C-section
- Poor infant care after birth
- Misuse of vacuum extractor or forceps
- Improper use of pitocin
- Failure to properly manage infection
- Failure to properly deliver a baby who has stopped progressing during labor
Cerebral Palsy And Common Birth Injuries
Cerebral palsy is probably the best known preventable birth injury. The term refers to a collection of conditions that can have a number of different causes and effects. Very often, cerebral palsy is the result of a restriction of blood flow to the infant during childbirth. The lack of oxygen to the brain then causes permanent damage, leading to such symptoms as spastic muscle movement and slowed mental development. Very little can be done to restore normal function to the mind and body once the damage has occurred. Legal action, though, may offer some form of solace; contact the cerebral palsy attorneys at the Los Angeles area office of Sean M. Burke for help with your case as soon as possible.
A Preventable Birth Injury
A cerebral palsy lawyer with our Orange County firm can help you get the compensation that you deserve.
Erb's Palsy
Another common birth injury is Erb's palsy. Most often the result of extreme stretching of nerves in the shoulder during birth, this condition causes paralysis and subsequent underdevelopment of the arm. The shoulder trauma — technically termed shoulder dystocia — that causes the injury occurs in about 1 percent of vaginal births when the shoulder becomes lodged in place. Protecting a child from this injury takes vigilance and care on the part of the attendant physician. Unlike cerebral palsy, the effects of Erb's Palsy may be successfully treated in some cases with therapy and surgery.
Clients whose children have suffered these and many other types of birth injury have received assistance from the lawyers at the Orange County offices of Sean M. Burke. If your child suffers from cerebral palsy or another condition, please contact these successful birth injury attorneys serving the greater Los Angeles area.
Damages In A Birth Injury Case
Monetary damages can be awarded in a birth injury judgment for several different types of loss. The largest portion is usually allocated for economic damages; that is, the loss of money due to the cost of medical care and the impairment to the child's earning power throughout life. Non-economic damages can also be awarded to compensate the victims for physical and emotional distress, but California restricts this portion of damages to $250,000 or less. Punitive damages may be awarded only if the plaintiff proves that the responsible physician caused the birth injury with malicious intent.
Contact Our Birth Injury Lawyers In Orange County
If you and your child have experienced unnecessary financial and emotional hardship thanks to a birth injury such as cerebral palsy, contact the attorneys at the Los Angeles area offices of personal injury lawyer Sean M. Burke today. Set up a consultation with one of these successful birth injury lawyers in Orange County to start the process of moving beyond this traumatic experience.
