Why You Should Hire a
Birth Defect Attorney
Knowing that your child is suffering from a birth defect can make the joy of parenting into a painful experience. Most birth defects require lifelong medical treatment, which can result in a staggering cost for the family.
A New York birth defects attorney can determine if the child's condition is due to medical malpractice or harmful chemicals or drugs.
Causes of Birth Defects
If your child is suffering from an abnormality in the birth process which could have been prevented by a medical professional, then you should consult a Long Island birth defects attorney immediately. A reputable lawyer can take care of the preceding steps quickly and efficiently, ensuring that you can have the time to grieve for your injured family member.
Birth defects are functional or structural changes to the body of a fetus that can affect almost every body part. They may cause physical problems or developmental and intellectual disabilities for example, difficulty in communicating or learning or in activities such as walking or taking care of oneself.
Certain birth defects can be identified before the baby is born through special tests. This includes analyzing the cells in a blood sample or looking at amniotic fluid or the placenta. Doctors can identify birth defects with ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging.
Certain birth problems result from genetic factors that cause abnormalities in the fetus's genes or chromosomes. These abnormalities can be inherited from parents or by mutations that occur in the DNA of the fetus before conception. Trisomy 21, Spina Bifida and Tay-Sachs are two of the most common genetic birth defects. Many other birth defects that are genetic are not known to have a cause at all.
Medical Malpractice
If you or your child sustained an injury to their body due to an error by a doctor, or other health healthcare professional, you may be able to sue for medical malpractice. This could be due to a failure to treat/diagnose, including doctors who do not take your symptoms seriously, or making a mistake in diagnosis and not initiating the correct treatment or failing to follow-up on the results of tests as well as medication errors (e.g., anesthesia mistakes like giving excessive or the wrong medication) and surgical errors (e.g. for example, a surgeon removing a surgical retractor blade in the patient during surgery).
Finding a lawyer who has expertise in malpractice cases could be challenging. You can ask your family members, friends and lawyers in other fields for suggestions. You can also reach out to the state bar. Most bar associations have search/referral tools that will help you find an experienced medical malpractice attorney.
Chemical Exposure
Birth problems may be caused by harmful chemicals that can harm the mother or fetus. A lot of these chemicals can be discovered at work, where they are used in the production of products like paint ceramic glazes, batteries, and other plastics. These chemicals can be consumed or inhaled, or absorbed by the skin of the body. Some of these toxins have been proven to increase the risk of having a birth defect in a baby such as spina bifida, or other mental and physical ailments.
These chemical agents known as teratogens can be found in drugs that are not prescribed by doctors, in chemical substances employed in the workplace like those in semiconductor "clean room" environments, or in toxic chemicals that can contaminate the air and water of communities. The Thornton Law Firm has represented parents whose children were born with serious birth defects after the mothers were exposed to glycol ethers as well as coal ash and pesticides at their place of employment.
Contact an experienced New York birth injury lawyer for a free consultation now If you believe that your child's birth defects were caused through medical negligence, toxic exposure or dangerous drug during pregnancy. These claims are dependent on time and there are strict time limits. An experienced attorney can determine if a child is able to file an claim, and if it is appropriate to file the claim through the court system or through a settlement agreement.
Product Liability
Many birth defects are the result of an unsuitable prescription or exposure chemicals. Parents are advised to contact a birth defect attorney immediately if they believe that the child's condition is due to medical negligence or dangerous drugs. These cases can be extremely complicated and urgent.
Medical malpractice claims are usually due to external factors that cause birth defects, like prescriptions that are not followed or care that is inadequate during pregnancy. It is important for families to seek legal help as soon as they can, because the time-limit for a medical negligence case is limited to one year.
A lawsuit for a medication birth defect could also be filed if the doctor was negligent in prescribing medication to a mother. For instance the doctor was not aware of the interaction of a drug with other medications that the woman could be taking, or failed to inform her of its side effects. A Maryland lawyer for birth defects in medication can assist clients in recovering damages when a doctor has caused a birth defect or injury due to being negligent.
A family who has newborns with a major birth defect can be faced with huge expenses, which include therapies, surgeries and treatment for the rest of their child's life. A
birth defect lawyer who is well-informed and experienced can help parents determine whether the medical condition of the child was caused by negligence at the hands of a doctor, a hazardous drug or toxic exposure.