Cerebral Palsy

Our Firm Represents Children Born with Cerebral Palsy in New Jersey

Let our lawyer-doctor help your family recover compensation for birth injuries

Approximately one in 303 children in the country has cerebral palsy. This condition is caused by abnormalities in the brain that affect muscle coordination and movement. A child may develop the condition in utero or during delivery.

Seigel Law opened our practice in 1976 to help injured victims in Ridgewood, Hackensack, Fair Lawn, Teaneck, Garfield, Fort Lee, Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth and Clifton obtain compensation. Our lawyers understand the tremendous heartache of finding out that your child was born with a disability. We help you obtain the funds you need to overcome the challenges ahead and to give your child every advantage you can.

What is cerebral palsy?

Although children are born with cerebral palsy, the symptoms may not be obvious until many months or years later, but they usually appear at least by 3 years of age. There are four types of cerebral palsy — spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic and mixed — that manifest in different symptoms. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common, affecting approximately 80 percent of children who have the condition.

Spastic cerebral palsy is characterized by muscle stiffness and exaggerated reflexes that can make movements awkward and jerky. Children with spastic cerebral palsy may have the following disabilities:

  • Trouble walking
  • Difficulties writing, eating and otherwise using fine motor skills
  • Delays in speech and lifetime difficulties with speaking
  • Developmental delays, including sitting up or crawling
  • Tremors
  • Seizures
  • Impairment of vision or hearing
  • Cognitive or intellectual issues
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Mental health conditions

Causes of cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy may develop for a variety of reasons, some of which are no fault of the doctor. However, some events linked to cerebral palsy may have occurred during your pregnancy or a long, difficult labor. These birth injuries may be the result of medical malpractice if:

  • You suffered from an infection during your pregnancy that was ignored by your doctors.
  • Your baby suffered an undiagnosed fetal stroke or in utero infection.
  • Your infant’s brain was deprived of oxygen during labor, an event called asphyxia.

Our team answers your birth injury questions and advises you of whether your newborn’s condition may have resulted from medical malpractice.

Consult with an experienced medical malpractice lawyer about your baby’s birth injuries

Seigel Law is dedicated to medical malpractice litigation — including birth injuries recovery. Call our law firm at 201-444-4000 or contact us online to schedule your free initial appointment with our New Jersey lawyer-doctor. If your injuries prevent you from coming to our office in Ridgewood, our attorneys are available to visit you in your home or hospital. You do not owe us attorney fees unless we recover damages through a verdict or settlement, so there is no risk to pursuing your rights.