Cerebral palsy or CP is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move
and maintain balance and posture. It is the most common motor disability in childhood. “Cerebral” refers to something that brain-related and “palsy” refers to weakness or problems using one’s muscles. CP is often caused by damage done to the developing brain and routinely affects the victim’s ability to control his or her muscles.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy vary from individual to individual. A child with severe cerebral palsy, for example, may need to use special equipment just to be able to walk. A person with relatively mild CP, on the other hand, might walk a little awkwardly but might not need any special help. All people with CP have issues with movement and posture. Many also suffer from related conditions such as intellectual disability, seizures, problems with vision, hearing or speech and joint problems.
Five Important Things You May Not Know about CP
Cerebral palsy is not a disease. It is not something you can contract like a virus. It is a movement disorder that is typically the result of brain damage that occurs during birth. One of the most common causes is when a baby’s oxygen supply to the brain is cut off and as a result suffers brain damage. It may also occur when a negligent (careless) or incompetent obstetrician applies too much force to get the child out during labor and delivery.
There are varying degrees of cerebral palsy. Some victims may have a bit of weakness in one arm or hand. There are others who may be confined to wheelchairs or suffer a speech impediment. Still others may have cognitive impairment. The palsy is a factor of the location or the part of the brain that’s been affected as well as the extent to which the brain has been damaged.
CP can make muscles loose or tight. Some children with cerebral palsy have low muscle tone and tend to appear “floppy.” In others, the muscles might be too tight. Again, a child’s ability to move his or her muscles depend on the location and extent of the brain injury and damage that has been sustained. Cerebral palsy affects the signals your brain sends to the muscles. So, the muscles don’t work the way they are supposed to work.
There is no cure for cerebral palsy. While there are effective therapies to ease symptoms and enable children with cerebral palsy to have a better quality of life such as speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy, there is no cure for this condition. It is important to remember that cerebral palsy is a permanent condition that results in lifelong disabilities for children. Kids with cerebral palsy may need a lifetime of treatments and therapies, which may all become very expensive.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If your child has cerebral palsy he or she may be able to receive compensation that may help pay for medical expenses, lost income, cost of therapy, future treatments, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
In an Erb’s palsy (brachial plexus palsy) case, one of our clients secured a $2,850,000 verdict that was reduced by the appeals court to $1,846,000 because the verdict was so large. This was the highest amount upheld by the appellate (appeals) courts for many, many years. In addition we recovered $1,400,000 for a newborn who lost motion in the arm during birth due to doctors applying incorrect force on the baby’s head. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
We have seen many cases where New York City Health and Hospital Corporation facilities deliver babies who are born with cerebral palsy or brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) stemming from negligence (carelessness), and/or medical malpractice in the labor and delivery etc. of the children.
The following list identifies some of these hospitals (operated by New York City Health and Hospital Corporation):
• Jacobi Hospital aka Bronx Municipal 1400 Pelham Parkway South Bronx, New York 10461 718-918-5000
• Lincoln Hospital 234 East 149th Street Bronx, New York 10451 718-579-5000
• North Central Bronx Hospital 3424 Kossuth Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 718-519-5000
• Coney Island Hospital 2601 Ocean Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11235 718-616-3000
• Kings County Hospital 451 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11203 718-245-3131
• Woodhull Hospital 760 Broadway Brooklyn, New York 11206 718-963-8000
• Bellevue Hospital 462 First Avenue New York, New York 10016 212-562-5555
• Harlem Hospital 506 Lenox Avenue New York, New York 10037 212-939-1000
• Metropolitan Hospital 1901 First Avenue New York, New York 10029 212-423-6262
• Elmhurst Hospital 79-01 Broadway Elmhurst, New York 11373 718-334-4000
• Queens Hospital Center 82-68 164th Street Jamaica, New York 11432 718-883-3000
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