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Local New Orleans cerebral palsy lawyers advocate for parents and their children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and resulting disabilities. They take on the local doctors, hospitals, and their insurers to give families the best possible chance of recovering the damages that will pay for lifelong care.
Does Medical Malpractice Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition resulting from brain damage. The damage can occur as the fetus develops during pregnancy, during complicated labor, or due to illness or injury after birth.
The brain damage that causes cerebral palsy and its disabilities and associated conditions is not always the result of negligence on the part of a medical professional. There can be unknown causes or complications that are impossible to predict or prevent.
Get Matched with a Leading Birth Injury Attorney in Your Area
Get Help NowFor some children, the disabilities they must live with forever result from negligent mistakes made by a doctor or a nurse. For instance, if a nurse delays calling in a doctor to deal with a complication or signs of fetal distress, the child might suffer oxygen loss and brain damage as a result.
Other potential sources of negligence that could be considered malpractice include failing to treat an illness in the pregnant woman, not monitoring fetal distress, or using too much force on the baby’s head during delivery.
How New Orleans Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Help Families
If your child received a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, you are facing high costs to provide them with early interventions, surgeries, medications, therapy, and potentially home care. You might even lose wages if you have to stay home to care for your child.
One of the most important ways a local lawyer can help is by giving you the best chance of securing a settlement from the responsible parties.
A cerebral palsy lawyer in New Orleans has experience working with families like yours, filing lawsuits against doctors and medical centers, and negotiating fair settlements or getting jury verdicts.
Hiring a New Orleans Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
The first thing a local lawyer will do for your family is review your situation. Contact several firms and lawyers offering birth injury and medical malpractice representation in New Orleans.
They should provide you with a free consultation during which you can ask questions. They will also determine if you have a strong case.
You do not have to hire the first lawyer you contact. Take a little time to find the right one. This means a lawyer or firm with:
- Experience handling birth injury cases
- Prove wins in those cases
- Positive references from past clients
- Enough resources to devote to your case
New Orleans Cerebral Palsy Lawyers Fight for Disability Rights
As your child with cerebral palsy grows, they might face discrimination or denial of services. Cerebral palsy and disability rights lawyers in the area provide important advocacy in these situations.
A recent case in New Orleans illustrates the need for families to rely on lawyers to ensure their children’s rights. A local lawyer filed a lawsuit on behalf of a 13-year-old with cerebral palsy who was denied entry to Mount Carmel Academy, a private school in New Orleans.
The child’s mother received a message from the school stating that they could not accommodate her and her wheelchair or her academic needs.
The family turned to a law firm to assert the right to equality in education because the school receives federal funding. The school tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, but a judge denied the motion, and the case moved forward.[1]
Cerebral Palsy Treatment and Resources in New Orleans
While your lawyer fights the legal battle for your child’s rights, it’s essential to focus on their medical care. These facilities in New Orleans offer specialists who can evaluate your child, create a treatment plan, and provide support services.
Children’s Hospital New Orleans
Children’s Hospital New Orleans is Louisiana’s premier pediatric care facility. It houses several departments with specialties that benefit children with cerebral palsy: orthopedics, therapy, neurology, behavioral health, audiology, rehabilitation, epilepsy clinic, speech therapy, and surgery.
The neurosciences clinic opened in 2019 and provides specialized care for children with a variety of neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy.
The multidisciplinary approach to care means a team evaluates patients and develops individual treatment plans with needed services.[2]
200 Henry Clay Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118
(504) 608-9393
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans
Located just outside New Orleans in Kenner, UCP of Greater New Orleans serves southeast Louisiana. UCP provides advocacy services and supports independent living for adults with disabilities.
The dental clinic provides services and education for children and adults with disabilities and their families.[3]
2200 Veterans Memorial Boulevard
Suite 103
Kenner, LA 70062
(504) 461-4266
If your child born in the area now has cerebral palsy, a New Orleans lawyer experienced in birth injuries and medical malpractice can help. Reach out for answers, a free consultation, expert legal advice, and representation.
Get Matched with a Leading Birth Injury Attorney in Your Area
Get Help NowReferences
- WDSU News. (2021, March 29). Judge Denies Mount Carmel's Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Claiming Discrimination.
Retrieved from: https://www.wdsu.com/article/judge-denies-mount-carmel-s-motion-to-dismiss-lawsuit-claiming-discrimination/35968847# - Children's Hospital New Orleans. (2019, October 17). Children's Hospital New Orleans Drives the Future of Pediatric Healthcare for Louisiana with the Opening of a New, Expanded Pediatric Neurosciences Clinic.
Retrieved from: https://www.chnola.org/blog/2019/october/childrens-hospital-new-orleans-drives-the-future/ - United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans. (n.d.). About Us.
Retrieved from: http://ucpgno.org/about-us-3/