Personal injury lawyers experienced in medical malpractice cases can help families realize and understand what devices and care are available to allow a cerebral palsy patient to live his or her life to the fullest.
Most often the result of a birth injury, cerebral palsy almost always affects an individual’s ability to move around easily. For many with cerebral palsy, water therapy is the only environment where leg movement and exercise is possible. Therapy, rehabilitation, and the learning of daily living skills can be expense. Many times, if cerebral palsy was the result of a birth injury or other accident, patients or their parents can recoup damages from the party responsible for the injury by pursuing compensation through a lawsuit.
It is a fundamental principle of tort law that victims of other people’s negligence are entitled to compensation that «makes them whole» (as best as possible). Young babies who, as a result of the negligence of doctors or nurses, suffer from cerebral palsy are entitled to future care and treatment costs that «make them whole».
One example of such a devise available to cerebral palsy patients, compensable by a negligent doctor or nurse, is a recent invention for swimmers. David Blaski’s latest invention, the Aquatic Stabilizer Apparatus, will hopefully prove to be a helpful life-changing apparatus for cerebral palsy swimmers. He is a senior clinical occupational therapist at Franciscan Omni Health and Fitness. After meeting a young cerebral palsy patient who loved to be in the water, but whose legs crisscross when in a pool, Blaski made it his goal to develop and patent a solution to the problem and also benefit the development of daily living skills for other cerebral palsy patients.
Many cerebral palsy children have a muscle tone problem that causes scissoring of their legs. Cerebral palsy therapists have often lamented that while orthotics existed that reduce leg control for walking, nothing was available for the pool. The new apparatus was devised out of an idea for to make up for this type of muscle tone malady.
The devise was the winner of the Annual Maddak Award for Best Innovation of the Year (Maddak is the largest US manufacturer of rehabilitative products). It is hoped that the manufacturer will take enough interest in the device to fund its production so that other cerebral palsy children may benefit from its use.
If you or a loved one suffers from the condition and need legal assistance in the filing of a lawsuit, you may want to consider contacting a medical malpractice lawyer experienced at advancing cerebral palsy claims.