Learn About Dystonic Cerebral Palsy in Oregon: Can It Be Caused by Medical Malpractice?
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders which affects how a person’s brain functions. This affects the persons ability to move their limbs in a controlled manner. Cerebral palsy is a result of damage caused to the person’s brain as a result of lack of oxygen, trauma or toxicity during labor and delivery. The type of cerebral palsy is based on the area of the brain that is affected. one type of cerebral palsy is known as dystonic cerebral palsy. If your loved one has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, we encourage you to contact our Oregon medical malpractice lawyers to review your case. This is because dystonic cerebral palsy in Oregon can result in serious personal injuries, disability, and the permanent need for a child’s care and treatment. While there are times that cerebral palsy cannot be prevented, there are also other times that cerebral palsy can be caused by negligence on behalf of the healthcare provider.
This is often true even if a healthcare provider tells you that your child’s injuries were not due to medical malpractice or errors. Because, after all, who will admit to affecting the life of a young child? Especially when it will place significant liability on a healthcare provider or his or her practice group. There is every incentive for a healthcare provider to decline to admit the facts. Most healthcare providers will even tell you they did everything they could but it was a “natural consequence of birth” or an “accepted risk of birth,” this is especially true if a family declines to have a c-section.
But this does not meant that this actually happened that way. Often times the healthcare provider will rely on this statements just to hide from liability. This is especially true when the damages to an infant are particularly devastating, which is very common in a dystonic cerebral palsy case in Oregon.
What is Dystonic Cerebral Palsy?
Dystonic cerebral palsy refers to cerebral palsy in which the basal ganglia is damaged. The basal ganglia is responsible for muscle movement of the body. The brain sends signals to the muscles to move and when to relax or contract. A person with dystonic cerebral palsy typically has great difficulty with purposeful muscle movement. As a result, the person may have non-purposeful muscle movement. The movements may be slow or jerky.
Some of the most common symptoms of dystonic cerebral palsy include:
- Intermittent or persistent uncontrollable muscle contractions or muscle rigidity
- Visual issues, including issues with eyelid movement
- Muscle contractions that are involuntary
- Muscle tone often increased
- Abnormal posturing
- Oral involvement, including the lips, tongue jaw and throat
- Abnormal movements
As a result of this, people with dystonic cerebral palsy often have difficulty with standing, sitting, walking, laying down, eating, speaking, vision, and malnutrition as well as many other complications. Individuals with cerebral palsy often need orthotic devices or splints to help them with the significant muscle contractions and muscle rigidity. Along with that, they may need ambulatory assistance, such as that of a walker, crutches or wheelchair. The home may need to be modified to allow safe entry and exit into the home, wheelchair accessibility if needed, handles, and other ambulatory devices. Individuals who have dystonic cerebral palsy in Oregon will need to be specially treated and cared for to help them live full lives.
People living with dystonic cerebral palsy face many challenges throughout their lifetime that will require assistance and modifications to optimize their quality of life. Caring for a person with dystonic cerebral palsy in Oregon can be quite costly due to these extensive needs. If the person’s dystonic cerebral palsy was a direct result of medical malpractice, people with dystonic cerebral palsy and their families deserve full financial assistance to cope with the day to day additional needs of the child that will likely continue throughout their lifetime.
How Can Dystonic Cerebral Palsy in Oregon Be Caused By Medical Malpractice?
While there are some ways in which cerebral palsy can be unavoidable due to factors such as genetics or complications that are unavoidable, there are many instances in which cerebral palsy can be a direct result of medical malpractice. Some examples of causes that could potentially lead to dystonic cerebral palsy include the following:
- Mishandling of the baby during labor and after birth
- Hypoxic injuries such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
- Inappropriate use extraction tools
- Drug toxicity
- Improper monitoring of the mother and baby during labor and delivery
- Excess jaundice or kernicterus
- Umbilical cord ruptures or prolapse
- Inappropriate delays in performing a c-section
- Failure to diagnose and treat pre-eclampsia or eclampsia
- Inadequate prenatal care, and other very serious types of medical malpractice or negligence.
These are just a few of the many possible contributing factors of cerebral palsy due to pure negligence of a healthcare provider which could be caused by preventable medical errors. In fact, it is often a group of healthcare providers that caused the medical malpractice resulting in cerebral palsy.
How Our Oregon Dystonic Cerebral Palsy Medical Malpractice Lawyers Can Help You
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it is a wise idea to contact our office for a FREE consultation. Experienced lawyers are here to help by reviewing your case to determine if medical malpractice played a part in your child’s cerebral palsy diagnosis. If found to be the case, you may be eligible for damages. Damages in the state of Oregon are typically in the form of compensation. Compensation for medical malpractice related dystonic cerebral palsy may include:
- Pain and suffering including past and future pain and suffering for the lifetime of your child
- Lost wages of the parent
- Lost future wages of the parent and child
- Medical bills, including future medical bills
- Home modifications and medication needs for the life of your child
- Equipment to assist with activities of daily living, including toileting, dressing and bathing
- Transportation including modifications to a vehicle
- Assistance with obtaining orthotic devices and splints
- Coverage for therapies, such as occupational, physical and speech therapy
- 24-hour in-home nursing care and treatment in very serious or catastrophic cases of dystonic cerebral palsy in Oregon.
Unfortunately, people with cerebral palsy typically need additional care, modifications, and assistance for the rest of their lives. It is difficult enough for a parent and child to cope with dystonic cerebral palsy if the cause was unavoidable. If the cause of the child’s cerebral palsy was due to medical malpractice, that is even more of a difficult thing to cope with. Someday you will not be able to care for your child anymore and you will need to rely on others who can do it. Sometimes this is skilled nursing care which can be very expensive and cost prohibitive. You and your child deserve as much compensation as possible to allow for you to care for your child and for your child to live an independent life as much as possible. Our lawyers are here to help you and your child to ensure justice is served and your family gets everything they need to cope with the mistakes made by the medical professionals who cared for you and your child.
Was a Loved One Diagnosed with Dystonic Cerebral Palsy in Oregon? We Can Help Now
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.