Las Vegas Cerebral Palsy Lawyers
Strong advocacy when your child is born with a birth injury
At Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, our Las Vegas cerebral palsy lawyers have the experience and resources you need to fight for your child’s best life possible. We’ve secured millions of dollars on behalf of Nevada families whose loved ones sustained life-altering injuries from medical negligence. We want to help you, too. Call us today in Las Vegas or Reno to get started.
Quick Questions
- What is cerebral palsy?
- What are the symptoms of cerebral palsy?
- When should doctors be held accountable for cerebral palsy in Las Vegas?
- What are the treatments for cerebral palsy in Las Vegas?
- How long do I have to file a birth injury claim in Las Vegas?
- What is the value of a cerebral palsy claim in Las Vegas?
- Who is responsible for birth injuries in Las Vegas?
- Do you have a Las Vegas cerebral palsy lawyer near me?
According to the prestigious Mayo Clinic, cerebral palsy (CP) is a medical disorder that affects movement and posture. CP is caused by damage to the brain, often before or during birth. If your child developed CP during delivery, the cause is usually because your baby’s brain didn’t get enough oxygen. Our Las Vegas birth injury lawyers are skilled at showing that preventable mistakes during the delivery of your newborn caused oxygen loss and injuries.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy usually appear during infancy and preschool years. Symptoms range from moderate to severe. In addition to physical challenges, some children develop intellectual disabilities.
Generally, cerebral palsy is diagnosed by an analysis of your child’s symptoms. An MRI scan, an EEG, blood tests, and other tests may help confirm the diagnosis. The diagnosis of CP may take months or longer.
The Mayo Clinic states that general symptoms of CP include movement and coordination difficulties, problems with speech and swallowing, developmental difficulties, and other problems. CP can affect the whole body, just one side of the body, or one or both limbs.
Our Las Vegas cerebral palsy lawyers work with neurologists and other physicians to confirm the diagnosis of CP. Specific symptoms include the following:
- Movement and coordination challenges. These challenges include:
- Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes, known as spasticity. This condition is common among people with cerebral palsy.
- Muscles that are too stiff or too floppy.
- Ataxia - poor muscle coordination and lack of balance.
- Tremors – uncontrollable jerky movements.
- Slow, writhing movements.
- Favoring one side of the body.
- Difficulty walking.
- Problems with buttoning clothes, using utensils, and other fine motor skills.
- Speech and eating disorders. Examples include difficulty talking, delays in speech development, trouble swallowing, drooling, and problems chewing.
- Development difficulties and delays. Your child’s ability to crawl or sit up may be delayed. He/she may have difficulty learning and intellectual disabilities and may grow slower than other children of the same age.
Other cerebral palsy symptoms include seizures (some children with CP are diagnosed with epilepsy), difficulty hearing, vision problems, bladder and bowel problems, and mental health challenges.
While symptoms generally don’t worsen with age, “muscle shortening and muscle rigidity can worsen if not treated aggressively.”
Some of the possible complications of CP include muscle contracture, malnutrition, heart and lung disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and other complications.
Doctors, hospitals or other medical professionals may be accountable for your child’s cerebral palsy if they committed an act of medical malpractice. At Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, our Las Vegas cerebral palsy lawyers are skilled at showing that your child’s condition was caused by:
- Deprivation of oxygen during labor or when cutting the umbilical cord
- Medication errors
- Swelling or bleeding of the brain due to the improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors
- Skull fractures that aren’t properly treated
- C-section mistakes
- Failure to monitor, leading to fetal distress
- Failure to diagnose and treat maternal infections
Children with cerebral palsy may require a lifetime of medical care. These treatments address the symptoms and can help with daily functioning. According to the Mayo Clinic, treatments for CP include:
- Medications. Medications are used to reduce muscle tightness, treat pain, and manage complications. These medications include muscle and nerve injections (about once every three months), oral muscle relaxants, and medications to reduce drooling.
- Therapies. Your child will need help from many different types of therapists, including:
- Physical therapists who help with motor development, balance, strength, and flexibility.
- Occupational therapists who strive to help your child improve their abilities to perform daily activities at school, at home, and in their community.
- Speech and language therapists who help your child with communication, swallowing, and eating.
- Recreational therapists for motor skills and your child’s emotional health.
- Surgical procedures. Your child may need surgery to correct bone changes and reduce muscle tightness. The surgeries may include orthopedic surgery and surgery to cut nerve fibers.
Other treatments for cerebral palsy in Las Vegas may include treatments to help with bladder incontinence, sleep, feeding and nutrition, seizures, and other difficulties.
When your child becomes an adult, they may need additional care for hearing and vision difficulties, dental issues, heart and lung disease, depression, and other disorders.
Children and parents can both benefit from care with psychologists and participation in local CP support groups.
With proper medical care, children with moderate CP should live long lives, and children with severe disabilities can both lengthen and increase the quality of their lives.
In most medical malpractice cases, you have three years from the date the injury occurred, or two years from the date you could have reasonably known you were injured – whichever is shorter. However, there is an exception to the rule in cases involving brain damage and/or birth defects. So in cerebral palsy cases, the statute of limitations should be extended to your child’s 10th birthday.
We’ll explain the time limit to file a medical malpractice claim in Nevada during your free consultation.
At Claggett & Sykes Law Firm, our Las Vegas birth injury lawyers demand compensation for all your child’s medical expenses, their loss of function, and every way their life is more painful and more challenging – for each day of their life.
In Nevada medical malpractice cases, non-economic damages (generally, the pain and suffering and loss of function) are capped in 2025 at $510,000. The cap will increase to $750,000 by 2028. The cap will then increase by 2.1 % to adjust for inflation each year. Economic Damages are those that can be approximated from the injury, such as the cost of past and future medical treatment are not capped in Nevada.
Punitive Damages - Unlike economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages are not meant to compensate your child for his or her injuries. Instead, punitive damages are designed to punish the wrongdoer. Punitive Damages are also meant to act as a deterrent to wrongdoers. You can only be awarded punitive damages if your attorney proves that the wrongdoer committed a malicious, oppressive or fraudulent act. Nevada law requires you to prove your claim for punitive damages by clear and convincing evidence. The amount of punitive damages you may receive is also capped.
In addition to the doctor, other defendants in your Las Vegas birth injury claim may include the hospital, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other medical professionals.
Do you have a Las Vegas cerebral palsy lawyer near me?
Our Las Vegas office is located at 4101 Meadows Lane, Suite 100. We’re near Springs Preserve and Meadows Mall. We meet parents and children away from the office when necessary. Phone calls or video conferences are also options.
Contact our Las Vegas cerebral palsy injury lawyer today
We understand how frightening the diagnosis of cerebral palsy is. We’ll guide you through this difficult time, working with a network of medical professionals who can explain why your doctors were negligent and the full scope of your child’s medical needs and lifelong challenges. The experienced trial lawyers at Claggett & Sykes Law Firm will guide you through each step of the claims process. To schedule a free consultation, call us or fill out our contact form today.