What Parents in Tennessee Need to Know About Cerebral Palsy
Having a baby should be a joyous time in your life; however, if you are a parent of a child who was injured at birth, your feelings of happiness are being replaced with anxiety, sadness, fear and even anger. Birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy, erb’s palsy, nerve damage and skull fracture, among others, can be devastating for your family to deal with. It can leave you with emotional, physical and financial challenges.
It’s true that birth injuries have declined due to improved prenatal assessments, ultrasound technology and cesarean delivery. Yet, birth injuries still occur in Tennessee. Negligence, severe physical trauma or lack of oxygen during the labor and delivery process can lead to brain injury resulting in cerebral palsy.
An acquantance of mine realized this horror when their young wife went in to labor just about 10 days before her due date. It was a Sunday afternoon and the small county hospital she went to called her doctor. The doctor arrived from the golf course and scrubbed to deliver the baby. The staff noticed the smell of liquor on his breath but did not say anything or prevent him from proceeding. The doctor did not react quickly to the fact that the cord had wrapped around the little boy’s neck during the birthing process and, once he realized the baby was in danger of dying, he used clamps to pull the baby before disengaging him from the cord. This caused massive damage to the child’s brain as well as him losing part of his ear. He was later dianosed with cerebral palsy. The boy and his family won a very substantial judgment against the doctor and the hospital, but it could not reverse the fact that the child will spend his life in a wheelchair. He has above average intelligence, bordering on genius, but has been made a prisoner to his chair and round the clock caretakers due to the absolute negligence and carelessness of others.
Cerebral palsy is currently the most common birth injury. This condition is typically caused from a medical mistake during pregnancy or labor and delivery.
Signs you may observe in the delivery room that could indicate brain injury include:
- The infant is blue in color
- A droopy appearance indicating a deficiency in muscle tone
- The baby fails to breath following delivery and requires resuscitation
- Seizures could occur following birth
Signs of Cerebral Palsy developing over time include:
- Inability to walk
- Not reaching milestones, such as sitting up, crawling, talking, walking
- Limp muscles
- Spasticity of muscles in the arms and legs
If your child has any of the above-mentioned symptoms or has been hurt as a result of a birth injury, contact an experienced Nashville birth injury lawyer at the Keith Williams Law Group at (615) 444-2900. With over 20 of experience on our side, we will be help advocate for your child and your family. We understand your fears and concerns, and our experienced birth injury attorneys will personally review your case, answer your legal questions and help you seek justice after a birth of a child with an injury.
In Tennessee, if your baby was injured at birth, you and your child may be eligible to receive compensation, including money for medical bills and future medical care, pain and suffering, rehabilitation, counseling and loss of services.