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If your child has cerebral palsy, you likely already know more than you ever wanted to about this serious condition. Its signs and symptoms can range from mild to severe, including poor coordination, stiff or weak muscles, tremors, seizures, and problems seeing, hearing, breathing, and swallowing.
Cerebral palsy is just one type of birth injury that can result from complications during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Other conditions, such as brachial plexus injuries, brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation, or developmental delays linked to untreated jaundice or infections, can leave children with permanent challenges. These injuries often stem from medical mistakes or a failure to provide proper care when it matters most.
Symptoms may have unfolded over the first few months after birth. Your baby may have reached milestones like rolling over, sitting up, and walking later than other children, if at all. No matter the diagnosis, caring for a son or daughter with a birth injury takes an enormous emotional and financial toll on families who only want the best for their child’s future.
How Does Cerebral Palsy Occur?
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement, posture, and muscle coordination. It occurs when the developing brain sustains damage or fails to develop normally, often during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. In some cases, CP is linked to genetic abnormalities or developmental malformations in the brain. In others, it results from a lack of oxygen to the brain (hypoxia or ischemia), infections in the womb, or a stroke in the infant’s brain.
Unfortunately, many cases of cerebral palsy are preventable and happen because of medical negligence. If a doctor, nurse, or hospital staff member fails to properly monitor fetal distress, mishandles the delivery with excessive force, delays a necessary C-section, or does not treat maternal or newborn infections promptly, the baby’s brain can suffer permanent injury. This type of brain damage during or shortly after birth is one of the most frequent causes of cerebral palsy.
Our team of talented attorneys has years of experience handling birth trauma cases, including cerebral palsy and brain damage. We will investigate the medical records, consult with leading experts, and uncover whether errors by your hospital caused your child’s condition. If negligence was a factor, we’ll fight to make sure your family receives compensation for your child’s treatment, rehabilitation, and lifelong care.
Understanding Cerebral Palsy
Understanding cerebral palsy requires recognizing its many possible causes and the broad spectrum of types. Each contributes to the complexity of this neurological condition and the legality around birth injury cases involving cerebral palsy.
Causes
- Medical Negligence During Pregnancy or Birth: Mistakes or oversights by healthcare professionals, such as failing to detect or properly manage infections, mishandling during delivery, or not addressing prenatal complications, can lead to conditions that result in cerebral palsy.
- Genetic Predisposition: In some cases, cerebral palsy can be linked to genetic abnormalities that affect brain development, indicating that the condition may sometimes be inherited or result from mutations that influence brain health and function.
- Infections During Pregnancy: Certain infections in the mother during pregnancy, such as rubella, cytomegalovirus, or toxoplasmosis, can interfere with the normal development of the baby’s brain, increasing the risk of cerebral palsy.
- Oxygen Deprivation as a Result of Complications: Situations during pregnancy, birth, or shortly after birth that reduce oxygen supply to the baby’s brain, such as umbilical cord problems or severe untreated jaundice, can cause damage that leads to cerebral palsy.
Types of Cerebral Palsy
- Spastic Cerebral Palsy: This is the most common type of cerebral palsy, characterized by increased muscle tone (muscle stiffness) that leads to awkward movements and poses significant challenges in coordinating movements.
- Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy: Individuals with dyskinetic cerebral palsy experience involuntary movements that can be slow and writhing or rapid and jerky, making it difficult to control the movement of their hands, arms, feet, and legs.
- Ataxic Cerebral Palsy: Marked by problems with balance and coordination, ataxic cerebral palsy affects the whole body and can make tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as writing or using utensils, challenging.
- Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy: This is characterized by decreased muscle tone, leading to floppy limbs and a lack of strength to support their own body weight, making it hard for individuals to maintain posture and balance.
- Mixed Types: Some individuals may have symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy, known as mixed cerebral palsy, where features of spastic, dyskinetic, and/or ataxic cerebral palsy may be present, complicating movement and coordination in unique ways.
Early Signs and Diagnosis
Recognizing cerebral palsy in its early stages is crucial for timely intervention. Parents should be aware of signs that may indicate the presence of cerebral palsy.
These signs include:
- Delays in motor skills development
- Muscle stiffness or rigidity
- Poor coordination
- Difficulty with balance
- Possible speech and hearing impairments
Legal Guidance and Support Services
The legal process for cerebral palsy claims involves adhering to specific timelines and meticulous evidence collection. This can include seeking expert consultations and testimonies to strengthen the case. The process generally moves through phases of negotiation and, if necessary, litigation (going to court).
Fieger Law goes beyond legal representation by providing comprehensive support to families. We advocate for children who suffer birth injuries and can assist families in navigating healthcare and emotional support resources. This approach ensures that families can access the ongoing assistance they need to handle the challenges associated with cerebral palsy.
What to Expect During Your Cerebral Palsy Case
When you file a cerebral palsy birth injury claim, you can expect the process to unfold in several key phases. It begins with an initial consultation, during which your attorney will review medical records and listen to the details of your child’s birth and diagnosis. Next, medical experts are brought in to evaluate whether doctors, nurses, or hospital staff failed to meet the accepted standard of care. Their testimony often plays a central role in proving negligence.
Once the investigation is complete, your legal team will attempt to negotiate a fair settlement with the hospital’s insurance company. Many cases are resolved at this stage, but if the insurer refuses to take responsibility, your claim may proceed to court, where a jury may decide the outcome. While the process takes time, your attorneys will keep you informed at every step, handling the legal complexities so you can focus on caring for your child.
Local Support Groups for Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy
Caring for a child with cerebral palsy can be overwhelming, but Detroit-area families don’t have to face the journey alone. Several local organizations and groups provide support, advocacy, and community for parents and caregivers:
- Michigan United Cerebral Palsy: Based in Southfield, this organization serves families across the state, including the Detroit area, by offering advocacy, resources, and connections to community programs for children and adults with CP.
- Michigan Alliance for Families: Provides workshops, information, and parent mentoring to help families navigate special education and disability services.
- Matrix Head Start: Offers caregiver support, family workshops, and community connections for families raising children with developmental disabilities.
Inclusive Detroit Playgrounds for Children With Cerebral Palsy
Going to the park should be fun, accessible, and safe for every child—especially for those with cerebral palsy. Here are some inclusive playgrounds in the Detroit area where different features help children of all physical and sensory abilities to play together:
- Dad Butler Playfield Detroit: This is a Boundless Playground™, meaning it’s designed so children who use wheelchairs or walkers can access the play structures, move freely on wide paths, and enjoy inclusive swings. It’s great for mobility-impaired riders or those with balance issues.
- McKinley Barrier-Free Park: This park has many design features helpful for kids with cerebral palsy: a sand play area, a rubberized barrier-free surface, ramps, paved paths, inclusive swings, and accessible restrooms.
- Delray Memorial Park Detroit: This is a playground designed to be accessible to children with various disabilities, with barrier-free entrances and inclusive playground apparatus, enabling participation in group play.
Where to Get Treatment for Your Child’s Cerebral Palsy Complications
Families caring for a child with cerebral palsy often need ongoing medical care, therapy, and rehabilitation. Detroit is home to several respected hospitals and healthcare facilities that provide specialized services for children with CP:
- Children’s Hospital of Michigan: Pediatric neurology, orthopedic care, and rehabilitation services are offered that are tailored to children with cerebral palsy and other developmental conditions.
- Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM): Known nationally for its rehabilitation programs, RIM provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy for children and adults with CP.
- Henry Ford Health – Pediatric Services: A range of care is provided including neurology, orthopedics, and therapy services to support children living with cerebral palsy.
- Corewell Health Children’s: Just outside Detroit, Corewell Health Children’s offers multidisciplinary pediatric care, including physical medicine and rehabilitation programs for children with CP.
These facilities give Detroit-area families access to world-class medical and rehabilitative care close to home, helping children with cerebral palsy reach their full potential.
Seek JUSTICE FOR YOUR CHILD Now
Doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies will never admit their mistakes, but we will find out the truth and fight for you. Our firm is well known by insurance companies and hospitals all over the country because we are the most relentless and effective opponents many of them have ever faced.
If you had the following events occur during your delivery, your child’s cerebral palsy might be the result of negligence:
- Did you have a difficult delivery or C-section?
- Was your baby deprived of oxygen?
- Did your doctor use a vacuum or forceps during delivery?
- Did your son or daughter suffer head trauma or birth injury?
- Were there problems with your baby’s heart rate on the fetal monitor?
- Did your baby need to be resuscitated?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, call Fieger Law to speak to an expert cerebral palsy birth trauma attorney in Michigan.
Fieger Law: Nationally Recognized Cerebral Palsy Lawyers—Fighting For You
You can see by our track record of success with cerebral palsy and birth injury cases that our Michigan attorneys will fight for you and your child. Whether your family is facing the lifelong challenges of cerebral palsy or another preventable birth injury such as brain damage, brachial plexus injuries, or developmental delays, we have the experience and resources to take on negligent hospitals and hold them accountable.
You don’t have to face this fight alone. Contact Fieger Law today for a free consultation, and let us help you pursue the justice and financial recovery your child deserves.
