Birth Injuries /

Cerebral Palsy

Helping Those with Birth Injuries Recover What Was Lost

Cerebral Palsy
Tacoma, WA Cerebral Palsy Attorneys

Our Six Decades of Results Prove We’re Tacoma’s Top Cerebral Palsy Attorneys

Has your child or loved one been diagnosed with cerebral palsy? Ten thousand babies are diagnosed each year. Often, Cerebral palsy is unpreventable. It can develop before birth, during birth, or even into the first few years of the child’s life.

But what about when cerebral palsy could have been avoided? Or, what if a medical error caused the cerebral palsy? Who should be held accountable for such preventable birth injuries? Medical malpractice, tragic and inexcusable, can sometimes be the cause of cerebral palsy.

At RHHK, pursuing your justice fuels us. If you’ve been wronged by a negligent medical professional, we urge you to fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

 

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

Among children with motor disabilities, cerebral palsy is the most common. Symptoms can look different for different people, but cerebral palsy affects the ability to move and maintain balance and posture. While one person’s ability to walk may be only slightly affected, another may need special walking equipment.

Depending on their type of cerebral palsy—spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic, or mixed—a person may experience symptoms affecting their muscle control. Some symptoms of cerebral palsy include, but are not limited to:

  • Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes
  • Stiff, or rigid, muscles with normal reflexes
  • Muscle tone variations, such as stiff or floppy
  • Lack of balance and muscle coordination
  • Difficulty with fine motor skills
  • Difficulty walking

For in-depth information about the types of cerebral palsy and their symptoms, we suggest you visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webpage about cerebral palsy here.

 

Can Medical Malpractice Cause Cerebral Palsy?

Yes, it can. And when a child’s cerebral palsy is caused by medical negligence, it’s more than a tragedy—it’s an injustice. Like with other personal injuries, cerebral palsy can happen when a medical professional fails to provide an acceptable standard of care. This can result in a birth injury, like cerebral palsy. Some ways a medical professional may cause cerebral palsy include, but are not limited to:

  • Anesthesia or surgical errors
  • Failure to detect and treat infections, like meningitis
  • Failure to identify and treat problems with the umbilical cord, such as prolapsed umbilical cord
  • Failure to monitor infant heartbeat
  • Failure to properly carry out an emergency c-section
  • Failure to properly monitor oxygen levels
  • Improper use of forceps or vacuum extraction tools during delivery

At Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler PLLC, we’re a team of trial lawyers who are fueled by pursuing your justice—and we have the results to show for it. Known and respected throughout Washington, we have more than six decades of handling cerebral palsy cases. For a free case review, simply fill out our contact form here.

 

Fueled by Getting You the Compensation You Deserve

Having cerebral palsy can be a financial burden. If your child’s injury was caused by medical malpractice, you may be entitled to compensation. Some reasons for compensation may include, but are not limited to:

  • Home accommodations
  • Medical care
  • Medication
  • Mobility equipment
  • Pain and suffering
  • Surgery
  • Therapy
  • Other injury-related costs

As cerebral palsy lawyers, we’ve helped people just like you recover damages and live well. From Seattle to Olympia, our legal team is equipped to face any medical provider or insurance company—of any size. Fill out our contact form for a free evaluation of your medical malpractice case.

 

Our 4-Step Plan for Pursuing Your Justice

Don’t know how to file a birth injury lawsuit? We do. And we’re on your side. As some of Tacoma’s best birth injury attorneys, we’ll be with you every step of the way. And the first step is a free consultation.

  1. Come in for a free case review. It can be difficult to know the strength of your case without professional legal help. During our initial consultation, we’ll clearly explain the legal process; we’ll examine your case and give our honest opinion about its strength.
  2. We’ll build your case. During this stage, we’ll gather evidence to help prove the medical provider’s negligence. We do this by examining medical records, taking witness statements, and other investigations. This work will help strengthen your position for the next round: negotiations.
  3. We’ll try to settle out of court first. Most often, cases can be settled out of court, and that’s a good thing. Most medical providers prefer to avoid bad publicity, like a court trial. By negotiating, we can fight for the best settlement terms for you.
  4. It may be necessary to file a lawsuit. Sometimes the negligent medical provider may not wish to settle. We may recommend taking the case to court. To prepare, we’ll conduct depositions, or sworn testimonies accepted as evidence. With RHHK’s relentless birth injury lawyers on your side, your case will have much more than a fighting chance.

Even though defending the wronged is what we do every day, no lawyer can guarantee a given outcome. But with 60 years providing results for our clients, we confidently rely on our expertise and experience when evaluating the strength of your case.

 

60 Years of Being a Different Kind of Law Firm

For more than six decades, RHHK has been guided by one singular focus: pursuing justice. And we’re not only justice-minded—we’re compassionate. Our clients come to us having suffered a profound loss. It’s our privilege and our duty to seek justice—and compensation—for them.

But what sets us apart—what truly makes us different—is our unfaltering dedication to your story. Your voice will be heard, not quieted. You will be championed, not ignored. And justice will be delivered, not forgotten.

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At Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler PLLC we have the skill and experience to take on a wide range of personal injury cases throughout Washington state. From motor vehicle accidents to workplace injuries – our reputation and success rates keep opposing counsel on edge.

Results
Our Results

The Proof

See All Case Results

Winning is when clients get the closure and compensation they deserve. We haven’t settled for less in the last sixty plus years. And we won’t for the next sixty.

$1.9 M
Medical malpractice claim against a doctor who failed to properly treat the client’s medical condition over a significant period of time. As a result the client suffered significant medical complications.
$1.9 M
Client was the victim of medical malpractice when the emergency room failed to diagnose a bowel obstruction, resulting in severe intestine injury and a colostomy.
$835,000
A young woman was the victim of medical malpractice as a result of the delayed diagnosis and treatment of appendicitis. Complications from her burst appendix caused the loss of an ovary and her fallopian tubes resulting in her inability to become pregnant.
$700,000
Client was a victim of medical malpractice for the failure to timely diagnose lung cancer. He ultimately experienced a wrongful death because it was too late to treat his cancer.
$625,000
Client was the victim of medical malpractice and suffered a wrongful death resulting from a failure to diagnose an abdominal aortic aneurysm in the emergency room.
$325,000
Medical malpractice claim against a medical facility for failing to timely diagnose an urgent medical condition causing the client to suffer further injury that could have been prevented.
$320,000
Client was the victim of medical malpractice that resulted from the failure to timely diagnose her cancer. She suffered a wrongful death as a consequence of the delay in initiating needed treatment.
$250,000
Client was the victim of medical malpractice. This resulted from the failure to timely diagnose and initiate treatment for her developing glaucoma.
FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

We have answers to some of the most common Washington personal injury questions. These are resources for injury victims.

Is cerebral palsy a brain injury?

How difficult is it to prove negligence?

Do I have to pay lawyer fees up front?

What is hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE)?

How long do I have to file a claim?

Impact
Our Impact

3,000+
Success Stories

The change you want to see happens when your story goes beyond the courtroom and makes an impact after the case is closed.

  • Our experience with Dan Kyler and Vern Harkins was excellent from the beginning and we were very satisfied with the end results.
  • Dan Kyler and Mike Fisher were professional and dedicated throughout the entire process. I would recommend this law firm to anyone.
  • Vern Harkins perseverance and hard work made it possible to get the maximum settlement from the insurance company. I know he had my interest in mind as demonstrated by his actions.
  • Dan Hannula’s hard work helped to settle my auto accident case.
  • Michael was outstanding. He was always professional, prepared, available for questions, and on top of my case. I highly recommend him and will always consider him to be my first choice for legal matters I need resolved.
  • Mr. Fisher has helped me in the past and is very trustworthy and sincere. I would recommend Michael and of course anyone else at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler.
  • My father was sick and dying, I needed assistance and I need it fast. With a single call to Mr. Fisher’s office, I was warmly welcomed, swiftly assisted and free of the concerns... I am forever grateful to Mr. Fisher for his exquisite services in my time of need.
  • The office staff were courteous, pleasant and kept me informed as to what was going on throughout the whole ordeal.
  • I am extremely satisfied with the service I experienced with this firm and I would recommend them to anyone that needs legal representation. Michael Fisher and his staff are great people.
  • John Wilson demonstrated his professionalism by keeping us current on our case, explaining our options, giving us realistic expectations and demonstrating the highest level of ethics and integrity beyond reproach. We have the highest confidence that we were well represented.
  • I have been a client of Dan Kyler’s since 1996. Having had numerous car accidents, I rely upon the Tacoma auto accident attorneys at RHHK to help me through them. The most obscure questions have been answered and help is given on all levels.
  • Mr. Fisher has helped me in the past and is very trustworthy and sincere. I would recommend Michael and of course anyone else at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler.
  • Our experience with Dan Kyler and Vern Harkins was excellent from the beginning and we were very satisfied with the end results.
  • The office staff were courteous, pleasant and kept me informed as to what was going on throughout the whole ordeal.
  • Having a motorcycle accident was bad enough, let alone dealing with insurance companies. John Wilson and his staff made everything easy to understand and hassle free.
  • John Wilson demonstrated his professionalism by keeping us current on our case, explaining our options, giving us realistic expectations and demonstrating the highest level of ethics and integrity beyond reproach. We have the highest confidence that we were well represented.
  • Michael was outstanding. He was always professional, prepared, available for questions, and on top of my case. I highly recommend him and will always consider him to be my first choice for legal matters I need resolved.
  • Mr. Fisher is an outstanding lawyer. He’s knowledgeable, responsive, and kept me informed at all times. I would definitely recommend him to anyone in need of a good attorney.
  • My father was sick and dying, I needed assistance and I need it fast. With a single call to Mr. Fisher’s office, I was warmly welcomed, swiftly assisted and free of the concerns... I am forever grateful to Mr. Fisher for his exquisite services in my time of need.
  • Mike Fisher is an example of a quality attorney who sets high standards in servicing his clients in the highest regard as an attorney and he is part of a great firm.
  • Vern Harkins perseverance and hard work made it possible to get the maximum settlement from the insurance company. I know he had my interest in mind as demonstrated by his actions.
  • I am extremely satisfied with the service I experienced with this firm and I would recommend them to anyone that needs legal representation. Michael Fisher and his staff are great people.
  • Having a motorcycle accident was bad enough, let alone dealing with insurance companies. John Wilson and his staff made everything easy to understand and hassle free.
  • Dan Hannula’s hard work helped to settle my auto accident case.
  • John Wilson demonstrated his professionalism by keeping us current on our case, explaining our options, giving us realistic expectations and demonstrating the highest level of ethics and integrity beyond reproach. We have the highest confidence that we were well represented.
  • I have been a client of Dan Kyler’s since 1996. Having had numerous car accidents, I rely upon the Tacoma auto accident attorneys at RHHK to help me through them. The most obscure questions have been answered and help is given on all levels.
Justice

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We will demand the justice you deserve with relentless pursuit. On your side, is a firm ready and able to win.