The London High Courts recently awarded a $2.5 million compensation package to an 11-year-old boy based on birth injury malpractice allegations. In 2004, the boy’s mother endured a difficult and prolonged labor, leaving her son’s brain to be starved of oxygen. This caused irreversible neurological damage that affected his mobility, speech and cognitive development. The attorneys for the family argued that the delivery room team should have ordered an emergency C-section, but failed to do so. This resulted in cerebral palsy for their son and a lifetime of medical expenses for the family.
However, despite his staggering physical setbacks, the child (whose name has not been released) has made every attempt to stay positive and carve out a normal life for himself. As you can imagine, his parents have played a vital role in this, as well.
When their son was born, they were told he was not likely to survive after his traumatic birth. As devastating and emotionally draining as that news would be, his parents did not give up. Justice Thirlwall of the High Court recognized their “sheer grit and determination” and added, “they have been constant in their devotion to their son and that devotion and love shines through.”
Many families are not financially equipped to provide everything a child with cerebral palsy needs in order to live a happy, normal life. This family’s $2.5 million settlement will provide financial relief for current medical expenses, and hopefully for the rest of his life.
What is Cerebral Palsy?
According to cerebralpalsy.org, “While cerebral palsy is a blanket term commonly referred to as “CP” and described by loss or impairment of motor function, cerebral palsy is actually caused by brain damage. The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth. Cerebral palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning.”
If you have learned or suspect that your child has cerebral palsy and that it was caused by a medical error at birth, contact our expert attorneys at Knapp & Roberts for compassionate, skilled, and aggressive representation against the doctor, hospital, or other health care provider responsible for the injury. We want to ensure that your child will never lack the best care available. Call today, and one of our skilled attorneys will speak with you. The earlier we get started, the sooner your child will have the resources available for the care he or she requires.