New Jersey Birth Defect Lawyer

Birth Defect

Organizations such as the March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists track trends and compile information with regard to birth defects. According to these sources, nearly one out of every 33 babies born in the US has some type of birth defect. Defects may be mild or severe. If severe enough, certain conditions can be fatal or may shorten a person’s lifespan significantly (e.g. ventricular heart defects, and holoprosencephaly). While chronic, many defects can be survivable; requiring a lifelong expensive medical and other treatment.

Babies born with conditions, such as Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, Down Syndrome, or one of the other forms of trissomies, must undergo lifelong care, and both they, and their families suffer very significantly from their ailments and the economic and emotional stresses associated with those conditions and their treatment.

FAILURE TO PERFORM ADEQUATE PRENATAL SCREENINGS

Healthcare providers including obstetricians who fail to perform adequate prenatal screenings, or who misinterpret the results of prenatal testing, can be held liable for damages. If a condition was diagnosable prenatally, and healthcare providers failed to properly and/or timely diagnose that condition, parents may be deprived of the opportunity to manage the pregnancy, and make informed decisions with regard to the potential for termination of the pregnancy, or to continue through to birth.

If a child is born with ailments, parents can make claims for the costs of the medical care required by their child, for pain and suffering, for the parents’ future wages lost, and even for punitive damages in cases in which malpractice has been particularly egregious.

If you or a loved one has a child with a birth defect please contact the law firm of Blume Forte to investigate your rights and your potential claim. Call one of our four offices today to schedule an appointment for a no-cost consultation regarding your potential birth defect case.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Birth Defect Blogs
• The Zika Virus – What It Could Mean For Pregnant Workers
• Common Birth Injuries Associated with Medical Negligence
• Women Warned about Risks of Birth Defects from Opioid Painkillers