Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Attorney
Finding out that your child has an issue with their birth can change the joy of being a parent into a harrowing experience. Most birth defects require lifetime medical treatment, which can result in a staggering cost for the family.
A New York birth defect attorney will determine if your child's health issue was caused by negligence at the hands of a doctor or hazardous chemicals or drugs.
Causes of Birth Defects
Contact a Long Island birth defect attorney promptly if your child has an anomaly in birth that could have been avoided by an expert medical professional. A reputable attorney can handle the preceding steps quickly and efficiently, ensuring that you can take time to grieve for your lost family member.
Birth defects are structural or functional changes in the body of a fetus which can affect virtually any body part. They can cause physical discomfort or intellectual and developmental impairments like difficulty communicating or learning or having difficulty with activities such as walking or caring for oneself.
Some birth defects can even be identified before the baby is delivered with the help of specific tests. These include analyzing the cells in a sample of blood or studying amniotic fluid or the placenta. Doctors can diagnose birth defects by using ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging.
Some birth problems result from genetic factors, such as abnormalities in the fetus's chromosomes, or genes. These defects can be passed down by the parents or caused by mutations that occur in the DNA of the fetus during conception. A few of the more commonly occurring genetic birth defects are trisomy 21, spina bifida, and Tay-Sachs disease. Numerous other genetic birth defects have no explanation at all.
Medical Malpractice
If you or your child has suffered an injury from a mistake by a doctor or health care professional, you could have a claim for medical malpractice. This can include failure to diagnose or treat, such as the doctor not taking your symptoms seriously or making a wrong diagnosis and not starting the appropriate treatment or failing to follow up on the results of tests as well as medication mistakes (e.g. anesthesia mistakes like giving excessive or the wrong medication) and surgical errors (e.g., a surgeon removing a retractor blade inside a patient during surgery).
Finding an attorney who is experienced in malpractice suits is difficult. You can ask family members, friends as well as lawyers from other areas for recommendations. You can also contact the state bar. Most bar associations have search/referral tools that will help you find an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.
Chemical Exposure
birth Defect lawsuit problems can be caused by dangerous chemicals that harm the mother or fetus. A lot of these chemicals can be found in the workplace where they are used to manufacture products like plastics paint, batteries and ceramic glazes. These chemicals can be consumed through inhalation, ingestion or simply absorbed through the skin. Certain of these toxins are known to increase the likelihood of children developing an abnormal birth defect like spina-bifida, as well as other mental and physical ailments.
The teratogen chemical compounds can be found in medicines that have been erroneously prescribed by doctors, in chemical substances used in the workplace like those found in semiconductor "clean room" environments, or in toxic substances that contaminate the air and water of communities. The Thornton Law Firm has represented many parents whose children have been born with serious birth defects because the mothers were exposed to glycol ethers, coal ash and pesticides at their work.
If you think your child's birth defect was caused by medical negligence, a dangerous drug or exposure to toxic substances during pregnancy, call an experienced New York birth injury attorney for a free consultation about your case today. These claims are very sensitive to time and have strict deadlines for filing. An experienced attorney can determine whether a child is eligible to make a claim, and whether it should be filed through the court system or through a settlement agreement.
Product Liability
Many birth defects could be the result of an improper prescription or exposure to chemicals. If parents suspect that the child's health condition is the result of negligence on the part of a doctor or dangerous drugs and medications, they should speak with an attorney who deals with birth defects immediately. These cases can be extremely difficult and time-sensitive.
Medical malpractice cases usually involve the underlying cause of a birth defect due to environmental factors like exposure to environmental chemicals prescriptions that are not properly followed or drugs or care for prenatal issues that are inadequate. Families should seek legal advice as soon as they can since the statute of limitations for a medical malpractice claim is only one year.
Medication birth defect lawsuits can also be filed in cases where a doctor was negligent when prescribing medication to the mother, such as not understanding the way in which a certain drug could interact with other medications that the mother may be taking, or by not adequately informing her of the potential side effects. A Maryland lawyer for birth defects in medication can assist clients in recovering damages when a doctor acts negligently and causes a birth injury or birth defect.
A family with a newborn who has a serious birth defect may need to pay for extensive medical treatment, surgery and therapy throughout the life of the child. A
birth defect lawyer who is well-informed and experienced can assist parents determine whether the medical condition of the child was caused by medical negligence, a hazardous drug or toxic exposure.