Every year, hundreds of families are affected by a variety of birth injuries. Many birth injuries are simply unavoidable, but causes of cerebral palsy may include medical malpractice in some situations.

After a birth injury, some families choose to file lawsuits over negligence or medical malpractice, hoping that compensation from such a lawsuit will help them with medical expenses going forward.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

So what are the causes of cerebral palsy? This is a condition that results from a brain injury to the child before the brain has fully developed.

For many, cerebral palsy is caused before the child is born, when it is still a fetus. This is the most common form. Indeed, around 70 percent of cerebral palsy patients incur this brain damage before they are born. Causes of cerebral palsy injuries prenatally may include a serious infection during pregnancy that spreads to the infant and delays or disrupts brain development. Substance abuse may also lead to cerebral palsy diagnosis.

But for some, cerebral palsy may actually be a birth injury caused by a problem at birth. Around 20 percent of cerebral palsy patients suffered from a birth injury. Head trauma during birth, or even asphyxiation during birth, may also lead to cerebral palsy. In some cases, causes of cerebral palsy could actually have been avoided. Indeed, some birth injuries are caused because of medical malpractice. For instance, jaundice that is left untreated can lead to cerebral palsy—but this is only true if the condition is not properly diagnosed and treated.

Very few suffer these injuries postnatally, in their early years. Of course, it is difficult to tell exactly when these injuries occurred, so these statistics are just the closest information we have.

There may also be some level of genetic influence on cerebral palsy diagnosis, new research suggesting that genetic factors may make certain children more predisposed to this condition.

Filing a Cerebral Palsy Birth Injury Lawsuit

Hundreds of families file lawsuits each year after they realize their child suffered a birth injury, potentially due to negligence or even medical malpractice. Families hope that compensation from a birth injury lawsuit will help them with medical expenses going forward.

Common birth injuries include:

• Cerebral palsy
• Oxygen deprivation
• Mental retardation
• Erb’s palsy
• Klumpke’s palsy
• Brachial plexus
• Retinopathy of prematurity

If you are the parent of a child who has suffered a birth injury, this may be caused by negligence or medical malpractice. You have the right to know how this happened to your child.

Of course, not all birth injuries are the result of medical malpractice. For many children, these things just happen, especially when delivered using obstetrical forceps, vacuum extraction, or cesarean section. For others, however, injuries like substantial nerve damage during birth may have been avoided with the proper care. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you find answers.

If your child has suffered from a birth injury caused by lack of neonatal cooling therapy or other problem, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of these conditions, a financial award can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.