Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Attorney

Learning your child has a birth defect could turn the joy of parenthood into a harrowing experience. The majority of birth defects require ongoing medical treatment, which can lead to staggering financial costs.

A New York birth defect attorney will determine if your child's condition is the result of medical negligence or dangerous chemicals or drugs.

Causes of Birth Defects

If your child suffers an issue with their birth defect lawyers that could have been prevented by a medical professional, you should speak with a Long Island birth defects attorney as soon as possible. A reputable attorney can manage the previous step quickly and efficiently, so that you can grieve for your injured loved one.

Birth defects can affect nearly every part of the pregnant fetus. They can cause physical discomfort or intellectual and developmental impairments like difficulty learning or communicating, or difficulties with activities like walking or caring for oneself.

Certain birth defects can be identified prior to the birth of the baby through special tests. This includes analyzing the cells in a sample of blood or studying amniotic liquid or the placenta. Nowadays, doctors are able to detect Birth Defect Lawsuit defects using fetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.

Some birth defects can be caused by genetic factors, for example abnormalities of a fetus’s chromosomes and genes. These genetic defects could be passed on from parents or they can be caused by new mutations in the DNA of the embryo which occurred during the gestation process. Some of the most commonly occurring genetic birth defects are spina bifida, trisomy 21, and Tay-Sachs disease. Many other genetic birth defects have no cause known in any way.

Medical Malpractice

If you or your child has suffered an injury from an error by a doctor or other health healthcare professional, you may have a claim based on medical malpractice. This could include the failure to treat or diagnose, including the doctor not taking your symptoms seriously, or making a false diagnosis and not starting the correct treatment or failing to follow-up on the results of tests as well as medication errors (e.g. anesthesia mistakes like giving too much or the wrong kind of medication) and surgical errors (e.g. for example, a surgeon removing a surgical retractor blade inside a patient during surgery).

Finding an attorney who has experience in malpractice suits is difficult. But you can get recommendations from your family and friends and attorneys in other fields. Additionally, you can contact your state bar association. Many bar associations offer search and referral tools that will help you find an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

Chemical Exposure

Sometimes birth defects can be caused by exposure to harmful chemicals that harm the mother or the fetus. Many of these chemicals are present in the workplace where they are used in the production of products like plastics, batteries, paint and ceramic glazes. These chemicals can be ingested or inhaled, or absorbed by the body's skin. Some of these toxins have been proven to increase the risk for children developing a birth defect, such as spina-bifida or other physical and psychological conditions.

The teratogen chemical compounds can be contained in medications negligently prescribed by doctors, in chemicals used in the workplace like those in semiconductor "clean room" environments, or in toxic substances that pollute the air and water of communities. The Thornton Law Firm represents many parents whose babies were born with serious birth defect after their mothers were exposed to pesticides, coal ash and glycol ethers while at work.

Contact an experienced New York birth injury lawyer to set up a free consultation in the event that you believe the birth defects of your child were caused by medical negligence, a toxic substance or a dangerous drug during pregnancy. These claims have a strict statute of limitations and are time-sensitive. An experienced attorney can assist you to determine whether your child is eligible to file a claim, and if it is necessary to file it through a court case or an agreement to settle.

Product Liability

Many birth defects are the result of an wrong prescription or exposure to chemicals. If parents believe that the child's health condition is the result of negligence on the part of a doctor or dangerous drugs, they should contact an attorney who deals with birth defects immediately. These cases can be complex and extremely time-sensitive.

Medical malpractice claims typically concern the underlying cause of a birth defect that is caused by environmental factors, like exposure to chemicals or environmental toxins, improperly prescribed medication or drugs, or inadequate prenatal care. Families should seek legal help as soon as they can, as the statute of limitations on medical malpractice claims is only one year.

Medication birth defect lawsuits can also be filed in cases where the doctor was negligent when prescribing medication to the mother, for example, not knowing how a particular drug would interact with other medications that the mother may be taking or by not properly advising her of the adverse effects. A Maryland medication birth defect attorney will assist clients in obtaining damages when a physician is negligent and causes a birth injury or birth defect.

A family with one of their children born with a severe birth defect can face enormous expenses, including surgery, therapy and ongoing treatment throughout the child's life. A birth defect lawyer who is well-informed and experienced can help parents determine if the medical condition of the child was caused by negligence in the medical field, a dangerous drug or toxic exposure.