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(757) 244-7000Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy Caused by Medical Malpractice
Quadriplegic cerebral palsy is typically also spastic quadriplegia. This serious condition may be caused by a medical provider making a mistake that leads to brain damage before, during or after childbirth. It affects the entire body. The word spastic refers to a muscle stiffness accompanying the condition. Quadri is derived from the Latin word for four.
When people suffer from quadriplegic cerebral palsy, all four quadrants of the body are affected. Children with spastic CP may suffer muscle stiffness in one arm, both legs or one full side of their body.
When only the legs are affected, the condition is called spastic diplegia. Spastic hemiplegia is a type of cerebral palsy in which one side of the body is affected.
Spastic quadriplegia is a form of CP in which all four of child’s limbs are affected as well as the face and torso. The child may have related disorders like epilepsy.
The most common cause of quadriplegic cerebral palsy is brain damage either before a birth, during it or shortly afterward. Mistakes by doctors and other medical providers are a significant cause of this very serious condition.
The Unborn Infant is Vulnerable to Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy
The infant is at his or her most vulnerable during 26 to 34 weeks gestation when the white matter of an infant’s brain can be easily damaged.
Damage to the brain impacts the whole body, causing spastic quadriplegia because the white matter sends messages to the rest of the unborn child’s body.
Fetal strokes are another cause of this condition. Fetal strokes may be caused by placental blood clots and placenta previa. They can also be caused by poorly-formed blood vessels in the brain.
Maternal high blood pressure during a pregnancy poses a heightened risk of fetal stroke. This is a danger medical providers should be well aware of. It is the responsibility of doctors to monitor expectant mothers carefully and to diagnose and treat issues like high blood pressure that can damage an infant.
Many factors can have an adverse impact on the brain of an infant and increase the likelihood of the baby developing quadriplegic cerebral palsy
What Are The Factors Impacting the Development of Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy?
- Maternal infections
- Fetal infections
- Exposure to toxic chemicals
- Medical malpractice
Symptoms of Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy (Spastic Quad)
An inability to stretch or move joints
- Muscles that rapidly contract and release
- Muscle tightness
- Tremors in the muscles
- Language and speech disorders
- Inability to walk
- Seizures as early as the first six months of life
- Cognitive issues
Identifying the Early Signs of Cerebral Palsy
The initial signs of cerebral palsy vary greatly. There are many different types and levels of disability. An early sign of CP is a when a child experiences a delay in reaching motor or movement milestones like sitting, rolling over, standing, or walking.
A baby under six-months-old may feel stiff or floppy and his head lags when he is lying on his back. An infant who overextends his back and neck may have CP. When you pick up the infant, his legs often get stiff and cross or scissor.
Given its severity, quadriplegic cerebral palsy can usually be identified at an early stage.
Complications from Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy
Infants who suffer spastic quadriplegia are at a greater risk of developing limb deformities because the condition affects the child’s entire body.
When children have spastic muscles that are constantly pulling, serious issues can develop over time. About a quarter of patients with the condition develop a curvature of the spine known as scoliosis. Children diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia frequently develop scoliosis.
Foot deformities are another common complication. Ankle equinus in which ankle flexibility is limited, is a potential complication of spastic quad. Another complication is foot drop or “drop foot,” in which it is difficult for a child to raise the front of his or her foot.
Respiratory difficulties are a further complication from spastic quadriplegia. The sufferer experiences difficulty swallowing resulting in respiratory difficulties if food is aspirated. The problems a child with quadriplegic cerebral palsy experiences swallowing means nutrition or the lack of it is a real concern while the child may be prone to bowel and bladder difficulties.
Treatment Options for Children with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy
A number of treatments are available for children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Medications may have side-effects and surgery can be costly and invasive. The traditional options are:
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- Medication
- Surgery
Physical therapy is usually the first line of treatment for quadriplegic cerebral palsy and spastic quad. Surgery is usually a last resort.
Hire an Experienced Lawyer if Your Child is Diagnosed with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy
Medical malpractice is a major cause of quadriplegic cerebral palsy/ spastic quad. There are other causes of this condition, but if your child is diagnosed with this serious condition around the time of birth, you should not rule out the possibility that a medical professional made a mistake.
Quadriplegic cerebral palsy is a permanent condition. If your child was diagnosed with this condition, he or she will face lifelong medical needs.
The Smith Law Center has been fighting for the injured since 1949. We have achieved multi-million dollar medical malpractice verdicts and settlements. Call our experienced Hampton-based lawyers at 757-344-7000.
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If you or a relative had a severe reaction to military housing mold, it might be time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Mold is everywhere, and can be dangerous. Researchers have linked mold to serious respiratory illnesses in some individuals.
Smith Law Center may be able to help if a property owner failed to keep you safe from mold in your military housing. We are one of Virginia’s oldest and most successful firms. We know how to hold negligent property owners responsible, especially when the military is involved.
Call us at (757) 244-700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. There’s no fee for learning more about Virginia mold laws, your rights, and your legal options.
Mold in Military Housing
Black mold in military housing became widely known when Reuters published an investigation in 2018. Since then, the Department of Defense and the housing providers were supposed to take steps to improve the situation.
Unfortunately, a 2020 audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General found many issues, including the need for mold remediation, still persist.
Monetary Awards in Military Housing Toxic Mold Cases
If the property owner lets toxic mold run wild and continue to cause you harm, talk with our toxic mold attorneys about filing a lawsuit.
You may receive financial compensation for:
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
Service members and their families do not receive different types of damages than civilians. These are civil lawsuits in traditional courts of law.
Military Housing Mold Toxicity Symptoms
The Institute of Medicine discovered there was evidence connecting exposure to indoor mold with:
- Upper respiratory tract symptoms;
- Coughing;
- Wheezing;
- Asthma symptoms in individuals with asthma; and
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals with weak immune systems.
There is also limited evidence that mold causes respiratory illnesses in healthy children or causes people to develop asthma.
Understanding Exposure to Toxic Mold in Military Housing
The topic of toxic mold is complicated. This Is in part because the term “toxic mold” isn’t accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains mold isn’t toxic or poisonous. However, some molds are toxigenic, which means they produce toxins called mycotoxins.
Mold is common in military housing because it’ll grow anywhere there’s moisture. That includes on and inside walls, carpet, upholstery, wallpaper, and heating and air conditioning systems. This is especially pronounced in humid conditions such as those present in Virginia.
Some people have no difficulties around mold, even large infestations in their homes. Other individuals are sensitive to molds, including those that produce mycotoxins. Someone can have a severe reaction when exposed to a large amount of mold indoors.
People may be more likely to experience mold toxicity symptoms if they have:
- Allergies,
- An underlying lung disease,
- Immune suppression,
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder,
- Asthma, or
- Another chronic respiratory disease.
Common Types of Military Housing Mold
When you’re trying to learn more from the CDC and other resources, you’ll see the word “fungus” a lot. Mold is a type of fungus, which is something that exists all around us. Fungi are living organisms different from animals, plants, and bacteria. There are over 200,000 types of fungi and over 100,000 types of molds.
If you discovered mold in your military housing, it could be Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, or many other types. Stachybotrys is what everyone knows as black mold. Aspergillus is a common indoor fungus, which releases mycotoxins and can cause illness. Your symptoms may resemble common allergy or asthma symptoms.
Who is Liable for Military Housing Mold?
Since 1996, most military housing has come under the management of private companies:
- Belfour Beatty Communities: Fort Eustis and Fort Story/li>
- Lincoln Military Housing: Dahlgren, Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk, Northwest Annex, Oceana, Portsmouth, Quantico, and Yorktown/li>
- Hunt Military Communities: Fort Lee and Langley AFB
Outside of Virginia, Lendlease and Corvias Military Living are two more housing providers. Together, these five companies formed the Military Housing Association.
Military families living in on-base housing must take their complaints to their private management company — not the military. The company is responsible for providing habitable conditions and making repairs, including mold remediation.
If you’re unsure about your rights, review your state law and local ordinances about mold. In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable unit, which means it has to be safe to live in. A unit isn’t safe if it’s causing a tenant health issues due to mold.
The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to disclose if there’s mold in the written report of the move-in inspection. If a tenant discovers visible mold in the unit, then the Act requires the landlord to remove the mold and relocate the tenant until it’s gone at no additional cost to the tenant.
Unfortunately, many families find their housing providers aren’t receptive to complaints. Attorney Stephen M. Smith has handled many mold lawsuits against military housing providers who fail to abide by their lease terms and the law when it comes to mold remediation and other hazards.
Other Hazards in Military Housing
Many service members and their families deal with uncomfortable, if not hazardous, conditions in privatized military housing, including:
Lead Paint: Lead-based paint can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, irritability, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death.
Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos harms a person’s lungs, and can lead to lung fibrosis (scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Radon: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It naturally forms underground, however cracks and gaps in buildings lead to over-exposure indoors.
Poor Water Quality: Dozens of military sites have water with detectable levels of harmful chemicals.
Other issues involve rodent or insect infestations, pesticides, and faulty electrical wiring.
What Happens When a Lot of People Get Sick?
Sometimes mold exposure impacts a single individual or family. However, when the mold spreads throughout military housing, it can impact hundreds or thousands of people.
Occasionally, a large enough group of people are injured to allow for a class action or mass tort lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one where a class representative acts as the plaintiff on behalf of the group of hurt individuals. Not every victim participates in the lawsuit. There are rules about when a group is big and similar enough to create a class action.
Mass tort lawsuits are different. When there are fewer plaintiffs who have their own set of circumstances, each person files a lawsuit. For efficiency’s sake, one or a couple of law firms may represent most plaintiffs, and the lawsuits are consolidated in a federal court.
Call the Military Housing Mold Lawyers at Smith Law Center for Help Right Away
Mold cases come about in a few ways. You or a loved one may start getting sick, and after weeks or months of struggling to find answers, you finally realize your military housing has a mold infestation. In other cases, you struggle with visible mold and then become ill.
Once you connect the illness with the mold, it’s time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Reaching out to an attorney early helps you build a strong compensation claim. We know how to collect evidence, identify who is liable, and craft a successful argument for a settlement or court award.
Attorney Stephen M. Smith has decades of experience handling injury claims and has been internationally recognized for his work. He has litigated cases involving catastrophic injuries and complex legal and scientific issues. In 2019, he was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.
You’re in good hands when you come to Smith Law Center for help. Reach out online or call (757) 244-7000 to schedule your 100% free consultation.
Military Housing Mold Lawsuits: FAQs
DELIVERING RESULTS SINCE 1949
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Use the simple form below to send a message directly to our lawyers. We will respond within 1 hour or less during business hours.