Birth Injuries & Cerebral Palsy

Anchorage’s Leading Injury Team Taking On Sensitive Cases

At The Law Offices of David Henderson, clients are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion during their most trying times of need. Our legal team is here to help you discover legal options and uphold your right to compensation after your child is born with a serious birth injury, like cerebral palsy (CP). The cost of medical care – and day-to-day care – for a child with CP or another permanent birth injury can become staggering as years go on and care is continually necessary.

It is the goal of our Anchorage birth injury attorney and cerebral palsy lawyer to secure compensation on your behalf that pays for all your damages, both experienced now and far into the future.

Call (888) 295-6566 to arrange a FREE consultation with our team.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a condition typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth. CP is a medical condition that causes impaired muscle coordination, tone, and motor skills. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with several thousands of cerebral palsy cases result from preventable medical malpractice each year.

The malpractice resulting in CP may occur during:

• Fetal development
• Delivery
• Shortly after birth

Is Cerebral Palsy Preventable?

Approximately 20% of all cases of cerebral palsy cases result from brain damage that occurs during the birthing process. While not every instance of cerebral palsy in an infant is preventable, there are certainly preventable medical errors that can cause brain damage to a newborn. Preventable factors include:

• administrative errors that caused a provider to be unaware of a preexisting medical condition
• failure of the medical team to detect fetal distress during delivery
• other delivery errors on the part of the doctor or nursing staff

If you believe that the injury to your baby was preventable, the birth injury lawyers at the Law Offices of David Henderson are here to help. Call today!

Brachial Plexus Injury Suffered at Birth

The brachial plexus is a nerve bundle between the neck and shoulders that then branches out down each arm. This grouping of nerves controls both the muscles and touch sensations of the chest, shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers.

If a medical provider is reckless or negligent during a child’s birth, the brachial plexus can be torn, stretched, or compressed, resulting in a permanent birth injury that can cause loss of muscle control or arm paralysis. A brachial plexus injury occurs in about one-to-three babies out of every 1,000 births, but it should be preventable in nearly all cases with better medical care during birth.

Furthermore, Erb’s palsy is a type of brachial plexus injury specifically caused by injury to the upper portion of the brachial plexus. It causes weakness of the child’s shoulder and bicep muscles. This can lead to shoulder dislocation and atrophy.

Lack of Adequate Information Early in Pregnancy

Most women undergo a series of prenatal tests early in their pregnancy to evaluate the health of their unborn child. If a medical professional fails to offer these tests or misinterprets the data, the parents could be uninformed of a potential genetic or congenital defect of their child.

A medical provider has a duty to detect birth defects using reasonable medical care, such as:

• Blood testing
• Ultrasound
• Amniocentesis

When severe birth defects are detected, there should be prompt and full disclosure of any concerning test results to give parents time to determine whether to continue the pregnancy, or to consider the termination of the pregnancy. Without any of these steps being taken and that option being fairly presented to them, the parents could therefore file a wrongful birth or wrongful life lawsuit.

Highly Experienced Attorney for Difficult Cases – Call (888) 295-6566

Attorney David Henderson has been helping manage personal injury claims for clients in Anchorage and throughout Alaska since 1998. Throughout his decades of legal experience, he has seen just about every personal injury claim imaginable, including numerous cases involving birth injuries and cerebral palsy.

When the stakes are high and the defending parties are not willing to take responsibility for negligence, you can count on him to stand up for you and your child with the tenacity and focus you expect from an award-winning lawyer like him.

Discover how our firm can help you. Please contact us today.