When people file lawsuits over their child having cerebral palsy, it’s usually because they believe that the doctor was negligent or that an investigation has implied that they were negligent. If you’re in this position, you must speak with a cerebral palsy lawyer. The lawyer may be able to render cerebral palsy help by putting together a lawsuit. Before you get there, however, you have to understand what negligence is.
Negligence and Medicine
Whenever a doctor takes someone under their care, they take on certain duties for that person. Those duties include delivering competent care. When a doctor is negligent, it doesn’t mean they’re incompetent. It simply means that in the instance over which they’re being sued, they failed to live up to their reasonable expectations.
A good physician can make negligent mistakes that cost their patients dearly. This is why there are laws that allow parents to sue if their child has suffered this way.
Compensation and What It’s For
Compensation is handed out as a jury award or a settlement to the family. The point is to provide the family and the child with monetary compensation that can help them deal with many of the issues they’ll face due to their child’s condition. Those issues include:
- Medical expenses
- Special educational resources
- Assistive devices
- Pain and suffering
- Professional caregivers
There are plenty of other expenses that families with a Cerebral Palsy member will also have to deal with. They can be very high, and, in some cases, there’s no way the family could pay them on their own. Suing for compensation is sometimes the only way for parents to cover these expenses and provide for their child.
Paying the Lawyer
Some attorneys will work for you on a contingency basis. Under this agreement, the attorney doesn’t get paid unless they win your claim. This is the safest way for parents who are already dealing with the costs of cerebral palsy to move forward and pursue compensation in court.
There are limitations regarding how long you have to sue over these cases. If you’re not sure whether or not you want to proceed, at least speak to an attorney so that you can find out how long you have to make that determination.