Brain injuries are currently the number one cause of death in people under the age of 45. Unfortunately, children are not excluded from this statistic and account for 100,000 brain injury hospitalizations annually. Brain injuries in children may result from a number of different culprits including fetal injury, birth injury, direct and indirect trauma and other hazardous environmental agents that may affect a child’s health. If your child has experienced a serious brain injury at the fault or negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering and losses.

With the fragile and developing state of a child’s brain, brain injuries in children may be more common than in any other age group. Recent studies suggest that children’s skulls may only be one-eighth as strong as the skull of an adult, making them significantly more vulnerable to head trauma.

Direct trauma, which may occur in the event of a fall, sports injury, child abuse, or car accident, can result in brain injuries in children. These traumatic blunt injuries may cause brain contusions, hemorrhaging, or swelling, all of which can lead to serious and potentially permanent brain injuries in children.

Indirect trauma may also result in brain injuries in children. A brain condition called Shaken Baby Syndrome may be caused by severe shaking of infants and can stretch and destroy vital nerves in the brain. Shaken Baby Syndrome is typically the result of physical child abuse.

Often with brain injuries in children, the full extent of the damage may not be recognizable in the beginning stages. Brain injuries in children may be difficult to detect in general as they are still developing physically, cognitively, and socially. Children, more often than adults endure brain injuries, which may progress by lessening or worsening from the onset of the brain injury. Because of this, children with brain injuries may require consistent re-evaluation for the effects of their brain injury as they progress in life.

Birth injuries and trauma are common causes of brain injuries in children, which develop during prenatal and perinatal development. Conditions, like cerebral palsy, are characterized by brain trauma that occur at an early age and typically leads to life long and debilitating brain injury. Though cerebral palsy may be the result of any number of brain injuries occurring during fetal development or early childhood, common causes include lack of proper prenatal medical care, negligent doctors, forceful use of birthing instruments and other birthing injuries, and early childhood trauma and accidents.

Medical malpractice is not an uncommon cause of brain injuries in children. Negligent healthcare provided at any stage of a baby or child’s development including failing to identify potential problems during pregnancy, providing negligent care during the birthing process or failing to diagnose harmful conditions after birth, may make your doctor liable for your child’s brain injury.

If your child has suffered a serious brain injury as the result of another’s negligent act or substandard healthcare, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, pain, suffering and other losses. Contact us to speak to a qualified Pennsylvania attorney for a free evaluation of your case. We understand the sensitivity in dealing with brain injuries in children and want to help you and your family. We are committed to the successful resolution of your case.