Portland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

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A Portland cerebral palsy lawyer can help you fight for justice and compensation for your child born with this condition. They have the expertise needed to give you the best chance of a good outcome and can also help with cases of discrimination.

Birth Injuries and Cerebral Palsy in Portland

Medical negligence before, during, and after birth can lead to lifelong consequences for victims. Fortunately, birth injuries caused by medical malpractice don’t always lead to a child developing cerebral palsy. Still, if it does, parents should not have to pay for the overwhelming medical expenses alone.

Doctors are expected to follow reasonable standards of care.

For instance, if a doctor fails to schedule an emergency C-section when necessary, such as identifying fetal distress, that would not be considered a reasonable and expected standard of care.

Such mistakes could lead to infant brain damage, cerebral palsy, and many other medical issues.

A similar case occurred in a Portland-area hospital in 2005 when three physicians were accused of failing to provide the standards of care required of them when a woman went through prolonged labor.

Delayed C-Section Lawsuit Leads to Settlement for Boy with Cerebral Palsy

In 2015, parents sued Silverton Hospital after claiming physicians failed to schedule and carry out a C-section in time. The baby’s mother, Amy, said she chose the hospital, around an hour away from Portland, because it was homey.

Years before the cerebral palsy lawsuit, in December 2007, Amy made her way to the hospital. After she was admitted, physicians administered labor-inducing drugs, as she was two weeks past her due date.

Yet, for around 11 hours, nothing happened, and the medical staff continued to administer the medication.

At some point, the medical staff asked Amy to start pushing, but the little boy’s head wasn’t appropriately positioned in the mom’s cervix. This caused the baby’s heart rate to drop for at least six minutes.

Ultimately, the physician ordered an emergency C-section, but the baby was already in distress by that time.

When he was born, he had fecal matter in his lungs and nostrils. Unable to breathe, the physician placed an oxygen bag and face mask on the baby before attempting to clear his airways.

Further, one of the physicians took out the baby’s endotracheal tube for around 45 minutes, prompting an emergency call to the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital’s mobile team (OSHU).

The OSHU team ultimately stabilized the infant, then transported him to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Due to the medical mistakes made at Silverton Hospital, 20 percent of the baby’s frontal lobe had been damaged. He was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Through an experienced Portland cerebral palsy attorney, the family was able to negotiate with the hospital after the lawyer uncovered the many mistakes the Silverton physicians made.

Ultimately, the family received $13 million, which will help cover the costs of his lifelong treatment and care.[1]

A Portland Cerebral Palsy Attorney Can Help You

There are numerous ways medical negligence leads to birth injuries:

• Failure to detect, diagnose, and treat maternal and fetal infections.
• Failure to detect, diagnose, and treat umbilical cord problems or placenta issues
• Improper use of birth-assisting tools
• Administering the wrong type of medication
• Failure to recognize fetal distress in time
• Mishandling the baby

If you think your child’s disorder resulted from medical negligence, an experienced Portland cerebral palsy lawyer can assist you.

No parent should have to go through the experience of medical negligence, and they certainly shouldn’t be expected to pay the steep medical expenses alone when someone else caused their child’s injuries.

Medical Help and Resources in Portland

Shriners Hospital for Children- Portland 

3101 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.

Portland, OR 97239

Phone: 503-241-5090

Doernbecher Children’s Hospital

Contact for the location nearest you: 503-346-0640

United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon 

305 NE 102nd Ave. Ste. 100

Portland, OR 97220

Phone: 503-777-4166