Maine Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
Legal Help for Children with Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder caused by damage to the area of the brain controlling movement. This disability can manifest in many different ways, including involuntary movements, epilepsy, cognitive impairments, and issues with vision or hearing. Many diagnoses of cerebral palsy are due to preventable birth injuries.
Medical malpractice or negligence can lead to a brain injury around the time of birth. If medical professionals fail to notice or act in time, those injuries can result in cerebral palsy or other lifelong complications for the child. Complications should be strictly monitored to ensure a healthy delivery.
Complications that can lead to preventable birth injury include:
- Water that breaks too early (Premature rupture of membranes, or PROM)
- Yellow eyes or skin at birth (Jaundice)
- Issues with the umbilical cord
- Uterine rupture or placental abruption
- Preeclampsia
- Hydrocephalus (known as “water on the brain”)
- Periventricular leukomalacia, or PVL (damage to the brain’s white matter)
- Birth asphyxia (also known as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE)
Can cerebral palsy be prevented?
Every child’s story with cerebral palsy is different. However, when caused by medical malpractice at birth, cerebral palsy could have been prevented. If negligence from medical staff caused a birth injury resulting in cerebral palsy, there may be grounds for a lawsuit.
Can legal help pay for my child’s cerebral palsy care?
Children with cerebral palsy may require treatments, therapies, and adaptive equipment for their condition. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed by the cost of this essential help and care.
If a child’s cerebral palsy was caused by a preventable birth injury, a medical malpractice lawsuit can obtain justice on behalf of the child and secure care for the rest of their life. The first step is to reach out to an attorney that has experience with birth injury cases.
However, there is a time limit for when someone can file a lawsuit for medical malpractice. This is called the statute of limitations. The rules regarding this time limit vary by location, hospital type, and may differ for an adult versus a child. In Maine, the statute of limitations states that you have until the child’s 6th birthday to file for a birth injury case, or 3 years from the date of the injury for a child before they are 18 years old.
An attorney can help determine if or when you can seek legal help for a child with cerebral palsy. Birth injury cases can take years to litigate, and sometimes the effects of a birth injury are not apparent until cerebral palsy is diagnosed much later. As soon as you suspect malpractice, begin researching a birth injury attorney to help.
Attorneys at ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers have helped advise parents with birth injury cases for 25 years.
We are glad to consult with you and answer your questions, absolutely free.
Cerebral Palsy Resources in Maine
There are several organizations that help children with cerebral palsy and their families. These include medical care, education, and support for caregivers.
- UCP of Maine
- Maine Parent Federation
- Maine Medical Center
- Pediatric Development Center
- Center for Communication Inclusion and Disability Studies (University of Maine)
- Department of Health and Human Services – Cerebral Palsy help (Adults)
About ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers
ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers is one of the few firms in the United States to focus exclusively on birth injury cases. For over 25 years, our legal team has advocated for babies and children with a variety of conditions caused by medical malpractice or negligence at or around the time of birth. Our team of award-winning attorneys and in-house medical staff are dedicated to securing our clients’ future care.