Cerebral Palsy: What To Know from your Expert Michigan Birth Injury Lawyers

At our law firm, we specialize in medical malpractice for birth injury claims. We know the law and the medicine, so we can help our clients thoroughly understand their case. We get lots of questions from prospective clients about their potential cerebral palsy birth injury lawsuit. Is cerebral palsy a birth injury? Can cerebral palsy be caused by trauma? Can you sue a hospital for cerebral palsy? Luckily, the Michigan birth injury lawyers at Hoffer & Sheremet are here to help answer these questions and break down a few cerebral palsy trends. If you’re looking for cerebral palsy medical malpractice lawyers, then you’ve found the right law firm for cerebral palsy. 

Cerebral Palsy Caused at Birth: How Common Is It? 

One in 345 children in the United States have been identified as having cerebral palsy. But not all cerebral palsy is caused at birth or is a result of labor and delivery. Cerebral palsy can also be caused by genetic conditions. However, cerebral palsy is diagnosed in about 1-4 babies per every 1,000 live births, so it’s easy to understand why some may think cerebral palsy is from birth trauma. 

This diagnosis alone doesn’t necessarily mean there was medical malpractice involved. Our lawyers for cerebral palsy can help you better understand what happened to your child through reviewing medical records and consulting with medical experts. If you are unsure if your child’s condition was caused by negligence or not, it’s important to contact experienced cerebral palsy malpractice lawyers, we’re here to answer your questions. 

Can cerebral palsy be caused by trauma during birth? Yes, but that is not the only cause. 

Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury: Outlook for a Child with Cerebral Palsy 

The prognosis can vary dramatically for children with cerebral palsy. “In 2010, 58.9% of children with CP could walk independently, 7.8% walked using a hand-held mobility device, and 33% had limited or no walking ability.” (CDC) Thirty-one percent of children need to use special equipment to crawl, walk, run, or play. 

Cerebral palsy from birth injury can also lead to other complications. For example, in 2010, 42% of children afflicted with cerebral palsy had co-occurring epilepsy.  

Epilepsy medications, mobility aids, therapies, treatments, home modifications, and equipment to make your child be able to live their own best life are expensive. It can feel overwhelming to think about your child’s future and how you’ll support them. The CDC estimated the lifetime cost to care for a person with cerebral palsy is about $1.6 million, when adjusted for inflation in 2024. Medical costs for children with cerebral palsy were 10 times higher than children without a cerebral palsy diagnosis, and this data comes from children enrolled in Medicaid in 2005. A lawsuit for medical malpractice can help you recover the money you will need to provide the very best for your child. 

While every child and prognosis are different, it’s important for parents who believe their child’s injury was caused by improper medical care to consider a cerebral palsy birth injury lawsuit to help pay for your child’s care. We are lawyers for cerebral palsy who not only understand the law, but from our years of experience in the field, we also understand the medicine. Get in touch with two expert cerebral palsy attorneys in Grand Rapids, serving the entire state of Michigan. 

Can You Sue for Cerebral Palsy? 

Can you sue a doctor for cerebral palsy? In a cerebral palsy birth injury lawsuit, you must prove that the healthcare provider acted negligently. But that’s not all. You then need to prove that the negligence caused an injury resulting in damages, which also requires expert testimony. Because we focus our practice on medical malpractice and birth injuries, we have a stable of experts in specialties such as neonatal resuscitation and intensive care, pediatrics, neurology, neurocritical care, physical therapy and rehabilitation, life care planning, and other specialties that are required in cerebral palsy lawsuits. 

Law Firm for Cerebral Palsy 

At Hoffer & Sheremet, we keep our focus on medical malpractice cases, such as cerebral palsy birth injury lawsuits. This means we are experts at what we do, in fact, we have only lost one case since we have been advocating for families in medical malpractice claims. We are Michigan birth injury lawyers that are ready to hear what happened to your family. Our cerebral palsy lawyers in Grand Rapids want to explore your possible cerebral palsy birth injury lawsuit. Give us a call today at 616.278.0888, or fill out our intake form, we’re listening. H/S Law is your law firm for cerebral palsy questions, answers, and support. 

Citation 

CDC. “Data and Statistics for Cerebral Palsy | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30 Dec. 2020, archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/ncbddd/cp/data.html.