Two international Cerebral Palsy cases Settled

Logan Whittle died at his home in Canada on August 15, 2006 of complications from cerebral palsy. He was 10 years old. His family was to move in the next month to a home that would be renovated to allow for Logan's wheelchair.

Logan's parents filed a $19.8 million lawsuit against five doctors and St. Joseph's Hospital in 1999. The lawsuit alleges negligence in the prenatal care and birth of their son. Details of the settlement, which occurred in May, 2006, are confidential.

Meanwhile, a young girl in Australia was awarded a settlement in her lawsuit. According to the settlement, the Queensland Government admitted negligence in the birth of Jessica Humphrey. Lawyers for the 9 year-old claimed that hospital staff ignored signs that the labour was in trouble. It was only after Jessica's heartbeat could not be detected that she was delivered through an emergency procedure.

Jessica Humphrey was suffocated by her umbilical cord during her birth. As a result, she suffers from cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. Had the warning signs not been ignored, it is likely that she would not have developed cerebral palsy.

The settlement will cover damages, loss of future earnings, and the cost of care for the rest of Jessica's life. According to reports, Jessica was awarded $5.3 million.

Cerebral palsy can occur when a baby is deprived of oxygen during birth. Oxygen deprivation can lead to brain damage which causes the cerebral palsy. Other risk factors include premature births and low birth weights. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed approximately 8,000 times out of nearly 4 million births in the United States each year.