Farmington Hills & Farmington Cerebral Palsy Lawyers

Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Farmington Hills & Farmington

At Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys, our Farmington Hills and Farmington cerebral palsy lawyers have decades of specific experience fighting to obtain compensation for birth injuries caused by medical malpractice. We understand the emotional and financial difficulties of a cerebral palsy diagnosis and have seen the well-being of our clients significantly improved by financial assistance from a successful settlement.

As a team of birth injury legal professionals, we know that the first step towards adapting to a life with cerebral palsy is having a solid understanding of the condition itself. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the term given to a grouping of neurological conditions that affect movement. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the developing brain and is typically associated with brain injuries inflicted around the time of birth. While CP is non-life-threatening and non-progressive, there is no known cure. Most patients require some personalized, comprehensive combination of therapies, medical procedures, and lifestyle adjustments.

Typical complications and side effects of cerebral palsy include impairments of movement, balance, reflexes, control, posture, muscle tone, and gait. Others may experience learning disabilities, problems feeding and swallowing, hearing loss and blindness, communication disorders, and cognitive deficiencies.

Because the severe complications associated with CP are often the result of medical malpractice, it is unfortunate that most victims never pursue legal action. Our Farmington Hills and Farmington cerebral palsy lawyers encourage you and your loved one to reach out today for a free legal consultation. The expert lawyers at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys will answer your legal questions and determine if you have a medical malpractice case. For your free case review, you may:

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Cerebral Palsy in Farmington, Michigan

Causes & Risk Factors

Intracranial hemorrhages (brain bleeds): Infant intracranial hemorrhaging may take place during a particularly traumatic birthing experience. Brain bleeds, which occur when there is bleeding within the skull or brain, are very serious and often lead to cerebral palsy, brain damage, and other lifelong disabilities. Some causes of intracranial hemorrhaging include:
- Cephalopelvic disorder (CPD) is a condition in which a baby is too large to fit easily through his or her mother’s pelvic region. CPD can occur in cases of macrosomia (the baby is larger than average for her gestational age), or when the mother’s pelvis is smaller than average. CPD generally requires planned C-section delivery.
- Improper use of delivery assistance tools, such as forceps or vacuum extractors, can contort or compress the baby’s head and cause intracranial bleeding.
- Prolonged labor and delivery makes vaginal delivery unsafe, particularly in cases where size abnormalities exist or where a medical professional fails to order an emergency C-section.
- Labor induction drugs, such as Pitocin and Cytotec, cause uterine hyperstimulation and strong contractions when administered in excessive doses. This situation often creates a strained, dangerous birthing environment in which intracranial hemorrhaging is likely.
Umbilical cord problems, such as nuchal cords, prolapsed cords, and compressed cords, interfere with the passage of oxygen, blood, and nutrients from the placenta to the baby. Umbilical cord issues may result in cerebral palsy, brain damage, HIE, and related complications.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), also known as birth asphyxia, occurs when an infant suffers oxygen deprivation around the time of birth. While fetuses can withstand small periods of oxygen deprivation, prolonged asphyxia often results in irrevocable brain damage and disabilities. In fact, HIE is one of the leading causes of cerebral palsy.
Early or late deliveries are often accompanied by the complications that lead to cerebral palsy. The organs and bodily systems of premature babies cannot withstand the insults of delivery and are roughly 30 times likelier than full term babies to develop cerebral palsy. Post term babies are generally macrosomic, receive fewer nutrients and oxygen from the mother’s diminishing placenta, and often suffer from cord compression and meconium aspiration.
Improper fetal monitoring during labor and delivery increases a baby’s chance of brain damage, HIE, and cerebral palsy. Medical professionals are obligated to carefully monitor fetal heart tracings and oxygen levels.
Undiagnosed or untreated maternal health complications, such as preeclampsia, infection, gestational diabetes, and vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC) deliveries, easily affect a baby’s health. Infections transmit easily to babies through bodily tissues, the placenta, and the birth canal. Some maternal infections that may devastate a baby’s health and development include herpes, UTIs, bacterial vaginosis (BV), toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, rubella, chorioamnionitis, villitis, and others.
Failure to order and perform emergency C-sections in a timely manner can result in cerebral palsy, brain damage, developmental disabilities, and even fetal death. Medical professionals should be ready for C-section delivery, particularly in pregnancies that present risk factors.
Jaundice and kernicterus: When left untreated, infant jaundice escalates to a dangerous condition called kernicterus. Kernicterus is characterized by the excessive buildup of bilirubin in a baby’s body and commonly results in brain damage, cerebral palsy, and lifelong disability.
Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a condition in which birth asphyxia leads to white matter brain tissue death. Known causes of PVL include untreated low blood pressure, hypoxemia, acidosis, hypocarbia, and overventilation in infants. Nearly all babies with periventricular leukomalacia end up with cerebral palsy.

Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

Because cerebral palsy diagnoses are often so elusive, we’ll list a few of the most common signs and symptoms of CP, infant brain damage, and related birth injuries in this section. To restore maximum function, specialists strongly encourage early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cerebral palsy. Browse through this list or visit our more comprehensive page on cerebral palsy signs and symptoms.

Missed developmental milestones: Failure of a child to reach important markers in his or her development is a common indicator of cerebral palsy. If you know a child who experiences difficulties sitting up, crawling or walking, feeding, communicating, or displaying common reflexes, reach out to a medical specialist for diagnostic advice.
Abnormal gait: If your child walks or crawls lopsided, has an abnormal gait, favors one side of the body, or fails to walk or crawl by a certain age, medical specialists encourage you to contact a doctor.
Diminished bodily control: Decreased muscle tone, poor head and body control, abnormal limb posture, involuntary movements, and the inability to control bowels and bladder may signify cerebral palsy, brain damage, or related developmental disabilities.

Legal Help for Cerebral Palsy Victims

The Farmington area is full of exciting medical and lifestyle resources for children and adults with cerebral palsy—we believe everyone living with developmental disabilities should have access to them, regardless of cost. For decades, our Farmington cerebral palsy lawyers at Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys have worked to ensure that our clients can afford any and all of the cerebral palsy resources they require. If you recognized one of the aforementioned instances of medical malpractice as something that may have happened to you or a loved one, don’t hesitate to call us. Fill out our contact form here or call us toll-free at (888) 592-1857 and one of our Farmington cerebral palsy lawyers will inform you of your legal options free of charge.