Our Baltimore attorneys have protected children harmed by medical negligence since 1984, recovering more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for families like yours.
Located at 1211 St Paul St, Baltimore, MD 21202—minutes from I-83 and I-695—we can meet clients statewide, from Baltimore City to Rockville, at no cost.
We know a cerebral palsy diagnosis changes everything, and we respond with both legal muscle and genuine compassion.
When you call (410) 234-1000 for a free consultation, our team immediately secures prenatal, labor-and-delivery, and NICU records, then partners with leading obstetric and neurology experts to confirm whether preventable errors—such as untreated fetal distress or a delayed C-section—caused your child’s injury.
That rapid, expert-driven approach often pressures hospitals to settle early and fairly; if they refuse, we have the trial experience to finish the fight in court.
Ready to talk about your child’s future? Call or message us today, and let our Maryland cerebral-palsy team shoulder the legal burden so your family can focus on care and healing.
What is cerebral palsy and why does its cause matter in a malpractice claim?
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neurological disorders that permanently affect muscle tone, posture, and movement because a baby’s brain was damaged before, during, or shortly after birth. About 800,000 Americans live with CP, and another 10,000 infants receive the diagnosis each year, making it the most common lifelong motor disability in childhood.
The condition itself is not hereditary; the brain injury triggers it. That injury can stem from unavoidable developmental issues, but it also often follows preventable events such as oxygen deprivation (birth asphyxia), trauma from instrumented deliveries, or untreated maternal infections.
Determining the exact cause is crucial because Maryland malpractice law compensates families only when medical negligence—rather than fate—produced the harm. Pinpointing when and how the brain injury occurred lets experts connect missed fetal-distress warnings or delayed C-sections to the child’s disability, laying the foundation for a successful claim.
What medical mistakes commonly lead to cerebral palsy —and could they have been prevented?
Preventable errors during pregnancy, labor, and delivery can convert an otherwise healthy birth into a lifetime diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Oxygen deprivation is the single most frequent trigger, yet it is seldom inevitable when caregivers follow accepted standards of care.
Common negligent acts we uncover:
- Failure to monitor fetal distress. Doctors and nurses must read electronic fetal-heart strips in real time; when they miss or ignore repeated late decelerations, a baby can lose crucial oxygen for minutes that permanently injure the brain.
- Delay in ordering an emergency C-section. Once fetal distress appears, every minute counts; waiting even 10–15 minutes can extend hypoxia long enough to cause irreversible damage.
- Mismanaged prolonged or obstructed labor. Allowing labor to drag on without intervention raises the risk of uterine rupture, placental abruption, or cord compression—each a direct path to brain injury.
- Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors. These tools must be applied with precision; excessive traction or multiple failed attempts can bruise or bleed the baby’s brain and trigger CP-related lesions.
- Untreated maternal infections or fever. Conditions such as chorioamnionitis inflame the fetal brain; prompt antibiotics usually prevent harm, but negligence occurs when infections go undiagnosed or untreated.
- Umbilical cord complications left unaddressed. A prolapsed cord or nuchal cord that cuts off oxygen demands immediate action; failure to reposition the mother or deliver quickly can be catastrophic.
- Poor management of high-risk pregnancies. Breech presentations, twin gestations, and mothers with hypertension require heightened vigilance; ignoring these red flags violates the standard of care and magnifies CP risk.
Each of these scenarios is avoidable with proper training, communication, and response protocols. When we review medical records, expert obstetricians pinpoint the precise moment a provider should have acted—evidence that turns a heartbreaking outcome into a provable malpractice claim.
Could rare medical errors also cause cerebral palsy—and how do we uncover them?
Uncommon mistakes can injure a baby’s brain just as surely as the better-known delivery errors, and families may never learn the link unless an attorney and medical experts dig deeper. We recognize these red-flag scenarios and line up subspecialists to confirm whether negligence played a hidden role.
Less-common but still preventable causes we investigate:
- Untreated newborn jaundice (kernicterus). Severe jaundice left unchecked lets toxic bilirubin seep into brain tissue; a simple phototherapy protocol almost always prevents this outcome.
- Medication errors during pregnancy or delivery. Incorrect dosages of anesthesia or contraindicated drugs can drop a baby’s blood pressure and oxygen levels, harming delicate brain cells within minutes.
- Undiagnosed maternal conditions leading to fetal stroke. High blood pressure, clotting disorders, or preeclampsia demand aggressive management; ignoring them can let a clot block blood flow to the fetal brain.
- Missed neonatal infections or seizures. A newborn with meningitis or uncontrolled seizures needs immediate antibiotics or anticonvulsants; delays allow inflammation to destroy brain tissue and trigger CP-like deficits.
We flag these rarer threads because the “why” still matters: proving a preventable cause opens the door to compensation that funds lifelong care.
