Each year, it is estimated that anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 babies born in the United States will develop cerebral palsy.
While the types of cerebral palsy may differ, and have varied symptoms, the condition is often characterized by poor motor coordination, difficulty walking or an abnormal gait, speech challenges, cognitive challenges and delays, and in the most severe cases, the inability to care for oneself.
Although not all of the causes of cerebral palsy are known, it is often linked to a medical error at birth that deprives an infant of oxygen and blood flow. Sometimes called an "hypoxic ischemic event" (HIE) when an infant fails to receive sufficient oxygen over a period of time, the diminished blood flow can seriously impair cognitive development, a well as other neurological functioning. A HIE may occur for example, where an infant is in distress and doctors, physicians and other heath care professionals fail to act quickly enough to remedy the situation by performing an emergency C-section or taking other actions.
If you believe that your child may have developed cerebral palsy as the result of an HIE or other birth injury, consulting with an experienced Los Angeles cerebral palsy attorney is important to determine all of the causes that may have contributed to a birth injury.
A recent study has determined that other risk factors for developing cerebral palsy include exposure to infections, pre-term births, and even the existence of certain genes increase a child's likelihood for developing this condition.
For more information about cerebral palsy, please contact the knowledgeable and compassionate Los Angeles birth injury lawyers at Bostwick & Peterson, LLP for an immediate consultation.
