The cruel reality about cerebral palsy (CP) is that while it remains the most common motor disability disorder in children, it still has no known cure. The federal government’s alarming lack of dedication to the search for a cure for CP has certainly not furthered the prospects of those with this disorder.
Lack of research dedicated to CP
According to a recent study in the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, the disorder is found in about 3 out of every 1,000 kids. In the United States, CP afflicts approximately 800,000 people.
Despite these facts, there is no current federal funding dedicated to researching treatments and prevention of CP. In addition, according to a report published by Reaching for the Stars, the National Institutes of Health spent three to five times as much in past years on researching Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy, conditions that affect significantly fewer people than those with CP.
Legal aspects
Despite the general lack of federal funding, researchers have found that birth defects or poor fetal growth are the main risk factors associated with CP. However, there have also been some cases where the negligence of doctors has been shown to be a cause of the disorder.
In this regard, John C. Hensley, Jr. served as lead trial attorney and obtained the largest single plaintiff’s verdict on record in western North Carolina on behalf of a child with CP allegedly caused by the negligent acts of his doctor during a vacuum-extraction delivery.
If you have a child with CP, you should consult with a qualified personal injury lawyer to see if medical negligence was to blame. Hensley Cloninger & Greer, P.C. has dedicated nearly a quarter-century to helping personal injury victims and has particular expertise in the area of birth injuries. Please contact our office to schedule a free initial consultation.