The medical malpractice lawyers at Elk & Elk know cerebral palsy well

After nearly 50 years, our Ohio malpractice lawyers can see negligence clearly.

An estimated 800,000 individuals in the U.S. have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and more than 10,000 babies will be affected in 2010, according to an April 2009 study by the United Cerebral Palsy Organization. Worldwide, there are an estimated 17 million cases, according to Cerebral Palsy Magazine.

If you believe your child – or the child of a friend or a family member – has suffered a cerebral palsy- from a medical error, you need a cerebral palsy lawyer and support staff with the experience, resources, dedication and track record of Elk & Elk. Our seasoned, capable and resourceful team of cerebral palsy attorneys, paralegals, doctors, nurses, accountants, economists and experts are ready, willing and able to help you and your family get the justice and the compensation you need to nurture a child with cerebral palsy into a capable, respectable and productive life.

The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders appearing in infancy or during early childhood, which permanently affect a person’s movement and muscle coordination. It doesn’t worsen over time and, although it may affect muscle movements, it isn’t a problem of the muscles or nerves. Rather, it is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that controls muscle movements, according to the cerebral palsy information page provided online by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The different type of Cerebral Palsy are:

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy - some of the muscles in the body are tight, stiff and weak, making control of movement difficult. Read More »
• Athetoid Cerebral Palsy - control of muscles is disrupted by spontaneous and unwanted movements. Control of posture is also disrupted. Read More » 
• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy - problems include difficulty with balance, shaky movements of hands or feet, and difficulty with speech. Read More »
• Mixed Cerebral Palsy - a combination of Ataxic cerebral palsy, Spastic cerebral palsy and Athetoid cerebral palsy. Read More »

Cerebral palsy in infants and young children may be caused by a number of factors. However, it is a medical fact mismanagement of labor and delivery appears to be one. Statistics show that, in about 10 to 15 percent of cases of Cerebral Palsy, oxygen deprivation to the brain before, during or after birth is the cause.

For cases in which substandard health care is found to be the cause, the affected children and their families need to be compensated justly and the negligent care-giver needs to be held accountable for a mistake that will undoubtedly lead to a lifetime of special care, attention, education and quite possibly a diminished quality of life for the affected child and his/her family.

Give Elk & Elk the opportunity to show you the difference a team with our resources can make in your life. Call 1-800-ELK-OHIO or fill out our free, no-obligation online case evaluation form.