Many of us don’t realize how much we use our facial muscles every day. What if your ability to smile, wink, or speak clearly were taken away from you? You may also suffer trauma from how this sudden change affects your physical appearance. If you or someone you love are suffering from Bell’s Palsy due to negligence, you may wonder what an attorney can do to help you. Read on to learn more about this physically and emotionally debilitating condition and how New Jersey Bell’s Palsy attorneys can help you. 

What Is Bell’s Palsy?

Bell’s Palsy is a condition causing sudden weakness or paralysis in the facial muscles. It commonly affects one side of the face and results from damage or trauma to the facial nerves. Bell’s Palsy is noticeable and may impact a person’s ability to smile. While most people recover with treatment, in severe cases, Bell’s Palsy can be permanent. The most common symptoms of Bell’s Palsy include the following: 

  • Sudden weakness or paralysis in the face, 
  • One side of the fact is affected by drooping of the mouth or eyelid, 
  • Twitching and stiffness in facial muscles, 
  • Change in sensitivity to taste, 
  • Increase sensitivity to one side of the face, 
  • Jaw or ear pain, 
  • Difficulty closing the eye on the side of the face affected, or
  • Complete facial paralysis. 

How Bell’s Palsy may affect a victim varies from person to person. A diagnosis of the condition requires a complete medical evaluation. If you or someone you love are suffering from this condition, contact New Jersey Bell’s Palsy attorneys today to explore your options for financial relief. 

Common Causes of Bell’s Palsy Injuries 

A key factor in your personal injury claim is determining the cause of your Bell’s Palsy. Bell’s Palsy can affect people of all ages. However, it occurs most commonly in individuals before age 15 and after age 60. The most common causes of Bell’s Palsy are negligence during the birth of a child and viral infections. 

Birth Injuries

Birth injuries are a common cause of Bell’s Palsy in infants. This injury often results from the improper use of medical instruments during delivery, including forceps. When a medical professional presses too firmly on the infant’s head with the forceps, it leads to nerve damage, resulting in Bell’s Palsy. Anesthesia is often used to reduce a mother’s pain during labor and may also cause Bell’s Palsy if the baby reacts negatively to the drug. Additionally, prolonged labor can result in Bell’s Palsy if a medical team negligently fails to intervene and assist in delivery. This condition may also come out of inducing labor too early. Your New Jersey Bell’s Palsy lawyer investigates what happened during the birth of your child and determines whether medical malpractice played a part in causing your child’s injury. 

Viral Infection 

An undiagnosed viral infection also increases the risk of an infant being born with Bell’s Palsy. Common viruses linked to Bell’s Palsy include the following: 

  • Cold sores or genital herpes, 
  • Chickenpox and shingles, 
  • Mononucleosis, 
  • Respiratory illnesses,
  • Mumps, 
  • Influenza, and
  • Hand-foot-and-mouth disease. 

Viral infections can inflame the nerves that control the facial muscles, resulting in Bell’s Palsy. A medical professional is trained to screen for these infections to inform and minimize a mother’s risk of infecting their child.  

In adults, there are certain types of infections that create a risk of a Bell’s Palsy diagnosis, including: 

  • HIV/AIDS infection, 
  • Lyme disease, 
  • Middle ear infection, 
  • High blood pressure, 
  • Multiple sclerosis, 
  • Head injuries, and 
  • Inflammation of the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, or other tissues. 

Your New Jersey Bell’s Palsy lawyer gets to work determining the cause of your condition to hold the correct party responsible for your injuries.

How Can a New Jersey Bell’s Palsy Attorney Help Me? 

New Jersey Bell’s Palsy lawyers are ready to assist their clients in recovering the financial support and benefits needed to recover from this debilitating medical condition. While many of those suffering recover, for others, this becomes a permanent condition that forever changes their way of life. 

Disability 

Your attorney can assist you in recovering long-term disability benefits. While recovery time for Bell’s Palsy varies from person to person, getting the benefits you need alleviates the stress of an uncertain situation. For adults, it may not only be physically challenging to work, but also emotionally. You may feel distressed at your physical appearance and may find it difficult to continue working until you have recovered.

Medical Malpractice 

For victims of medical malpractice, qualified New Jersey Bell’s Palsy attorneys help you get justice and recover damages. Your attorney investigates your child’s medical records, the steps taken by medical professionals tending to you and your child’s care, and determines whether any actions or omissions resulted in your child’s injury.  

Contact Us 

At O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble, we understand that choosing the right attorney after an accident is one of the most important decisions you will make in your life. We want to make that choice easy for you. Whether in a hospital, workplace, vehicle, or elsewhere, we are ready to get you the settlement or verdict you deserve. We are real people who get the job done and do it right. Our peers and adversaries refer clients to us, and our awards and results speak for themselves. It would be an honor to work with you on your case. Contact O’Connor, Parsons, Lane & Noble by phone or email to schedule your free consultation today.