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. Most birth defects require lifetime medical care. This can result in huge financial burdens.

A New York birth defect attorney will determine if your child's condition was caused by negligence in the medical field or hazardous chemicals or drugs.

Causes of Birth Defects

It is recommended to contact a Long Island birth defect attorney immediately should your child suffer from a birth deformity that could have been prevented by a medical professional. An experienced attorney can take care of the previous step quickly and efficiently so you can grieve the loss of a loved one.

Birth defects are structural or functional changes in the fetus's body that can affect every part of the human body. They can lead to physical problems or developmental disabilities, intellectual and physical, such as trouble learning or communicating or difficulty with activities like walking or taking care of oneself.

Certain birth defects can be identified before the baby is delivered with the help of special tests. This includes analyzing the cells in a sample of blood or looking at amniotic fluid or the placenta. Increasingly, doctors can also detect birth defects using ultrasound of the fetus or magnetic resonance imaging.

Some birth problems are caused by genetic factors like abnormalities in the fetus's genes or chromosomes. These abnormalities can be inherited from parents or by mutations that take place in the DNA of the fetus at conception. Trisomy 21, Spina Bifida, and Tay-Sachs are two of the most common genetic birth defects. Other birth defects that are genetic have no known cause.

Medical Malpractice

If you or your child suffered an injury from a mistake by a doctor, or other health care professional, you could have a claim for medical malpractice. This includes inability to diagnose, such as the doctor does not take the symptoms seriously, gives an incorrect diagnosis, does not begin the appropriate treatment or fails to follow up with the results of tests. It could also involve mistakes with medication, like a mistaken anesthesia diagnosis or giving too much medication or the wrong type of medication, or surgical errors.

Finding a lawyer who has experience in malpractice cases can be a challenge. But you can get recommendations from family members and acquaintances and attorneys in other fields. In addition, you can contact your state bar association. The majority of bar associations have search/referral tools that will help you find a qualified medical malpractice attorney.

Chemical Exposure

Birth problems can be caused by hazardous chemicals that can harm the fetus or mother. A lot of these chemicals can be found in the workplace where they are used to manufacture products such as plastics, paint, batteries and ceramic glazes. These chemicals can be ingested or inhaled, or absorbed through the body's skin. Certain of these toxins have been proven to increase the risk of having a birth defect in a child such as spina bifida, or birth defect other mental and physical ailments.

These teratogens are present in drugs that doctors have not properly prescribed, in the use of chemicals at work, for example, in semiconductor "clean rooms" or in toxic substances which contaminate the air and water. The Thornton Law Firm has represented many parents whose children have been born with birth defects that were serious after the mothers were exposed to glycol ethers, coal ash and pesticides at their place of employment.

Contact an experienced New York birth injury lawyer to set up a free consultation if you believe that the birth defects of your child were caused by medical negligence, toxic exposure or dangerous drug during pregnancy. These claims are extremely dependent on time and there are strict deadlines for filing. An experienced attorney can assist you to determine whether your child is able to make a claim and if it is necessary to file it through a court proceeding or a settlement agreement.

Product Liability

Many birth defects can be the result of a wrong prescription or exposure to chemicals. If parents suspect that the condition of their child is the result of medical negligence or a dangerous drug they should consult a birth defects attorney immediately. These cases can be extremely complicated and extremely time-sensitive.

Medical malpractice claims often involve the cause of a birth defect lawyer defect that is caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to environmental chemicals as well as improperly prescribed medications or drugs, or inadequate prenatal care. Families should seek legal assistance immediately as the statute of limitation for medical malpractice claims is only one year.

Birth defect lawsuits against medications may also be brought in instances where the doctor was negligent when prescribing medication to the mother, for example, in not understanding how a particular drug would interact with other medications she may be taking or by not adequately advising the mother of the potential side effects. A Maryland medication birth defects attorney can assist clients in recovering damages if a doctor causes a birth defect or injury by acting negligently.

A family that has a newborn with a serious birth defect could face huge expenses, which include surgery, therapy and ongoing treatment for the rest of their child's life. A knowledgeable and experienced birth defect attorney can assist parents determine if the child's medical condition was a result of medical malpractice or a hazardous drug or toxic exposure.