Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Attorney

The joy of parenting can turn into a nightmare event when you learn that your child was born with a birth defect. Most birth defects require lifelong medical treatment, which could result in a staggering cost for the family.

A New York birth defect attorneys defects attorney can determine if the child's condition is caused by medical malpractice or harmful chemicals or pharmaceuticals.

Causes of Birth Defects

If your child is suffering from an anomaly in their birth that could have been avoided by a medical professional, you should speak with an Long Island birth defects attorney immediately. A reputable lawyer can handle the preceding steps quickly and efficiently, ensuring you have time to grieve for your family member.

Birth defects are structural or functional changes to the body of a fetus which can affect virtually any part of the human body. They can lead to physical issues and intellectual and developmental issues such as difficulties learning or communicating or having difficulties with tasks such as walking, or caring for oneself.

Some birth defects can be diagnosed before the baby is born using special tests, such as analysing cells in a blood sample or examining samples from amniotic fluid or the placenta. Increasingly, doctors can also diagnose birth defects through fetal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.

Some birth defects are caused by genetic factors that cause abnormalities in a fetus's chromosomes or genes. These defects can be passed down from the parents, or they can be caused by mutations in the fetus's DNA that were discovered during the conception. A few of the more common genetic birth defects include spina bifida, trisomy 21 and Tay-Sachs's disease. Many other genetic birth defects are not known to have a cause in any way.

Medical Malpractice

If you or your child sustained an injury to their body due to a mistake by a doctor or other health medical professional, you could have a claim for medical malpractice. This could be due to a failure to treat/diagnose, including doctors not taking your symptoms seriously or making a wrong diagnosis and failing to initiate the correct treatment or failing to follow-up on test results or medication errors (e.g. anesthesia errors such as giving excessive or the wrong kind of medication) and surgical mistakes (e.g. for example, a surgeon leaving a surgical retractor blade in the patient during surgery).

Finding an attorney who is experienced in malpractice suits is difficult. However you can get recommendations from family members and acquaintances and attorneys in other fields. In addition, you can contact your state bar association. Bar associations generally have search and referral tools that can help you locate a qualified medical malpractice attorney.

Chemical Exposure

Sometimes birth defects are caused by exposure to harmful chemicals that affect the mother or the fetus. Many of these chemicals can be used in the workplace, where they are used in the making of products such as paint ceramic glazes, batteries and plastics. These chemicals can be ingested or inhaled or absorbed through the skin of the body. Some of these toxins are known to increase the risk for children developing birth defects, such as spina-bifida, as well as other psychological and physical disorders.

These teratogen chemical agents can be found in medicines that have been erroneously prescribed by doctors, in chemicals used in the workplace such as those found in semiconductor "clean room" environments, or in toxic substances that can pollute the air and water of communities. The Thornton Law Firm has represented many parents whose children have been born with serious birth defects after the mothers were exposed to glycol ethers, coal ash and pesticides at the place of work.

Contact an experienced New York birth injury lawyer for a free consultation today If you believe that your child's birth defects were caused due to medical negligence, a dangerous drug or toxic exposure during pregnancy. These claims are highly time sensitive and there are strict deadlines for filing. An experienced attorney can assist you to determine whether your child has the right to file a claim, and if it is appropriate to file the claim in court or through a settlement agreement.

Product Liability

Many birth defects can be the result of a wrong prescription or exposure to chemicals. Parents are advised to speak with an attorney for birth defects immediately if they believe that their child's condition was the result of medical negligence or dangerous drugs. These cases can be extremely complicated and time-sensitive.

Medical malpractice claims are usually caused by the environmental factors that lead to birth defects, for example, inadequately prescribed drugs or defects medications or inadequate medical care during pregnancy. It is important for families to seek legal advice as soon as they can, because the time-limit for a medical negligence case is set at one year.

Birth defect lawsuits against medications can also be brought in instances where the doctor acted negligently when prescribing medications to the mother, for example not understanding how a particular drug would interact with other medications she may be taking or by not adequately advising her of the side effects. A Maryland lawyer for birth defects in medication can help clients recover damages when a physician is negligent and causes a birth injury or birth defect.

A newborn family who has a serious birth defect could be required to pay for extensive surgical, medical, and therapy throughout the child's lifetime. A birth defect lawyer who is well-informed and experienced can assist parents determine if the medical condition of their child was caused by negligence in the medical field, a dangerous drug or toxic exposure.