Birth Injury

Published on: May 2, 2018

Wrongful Birth Cases in Syracuse

baby Wrongful birth actions can be extremely emotional and legally challenging. If you believe you have a wrongful birth case, you need to contact a seasoned Syracuse birth injury attorney who can investigate your situation. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, our team is dedicated to protecting your rights at every step of the way. With years of experience, we know how to navigate these claims in a compassionate and diligent manner.

A wrongful birth case is an actionable tort in New York. This claim may arise if you have a child born with a birth defect that could have been detected early in the pregnancy, or that was a condition for which you should have been tested and of which you should have been informed before conception. Put another way, in a wrongful birth claim, parents claim that they would have avoided conception or terminated a pregnancy but for a medical professional’s negligence in prenatal testing, genetic prognosticating, or counseling on the chances of giving birth to a child with a birth defect.

Physicians are expected to provide competent care in both prenatal testing and during pregnancy. There are a number of circumstances that can lead to a wrongful birth. Types of diseases or conditions that are detectible include but are not limited to:

Published on: January 23, 2018

Delayed C-Section Malpractice in Syracuse and Throughout New York

by DeFrancisco & Falgiatano

pregnant The birth of a baby is supposed to be one of the happiest days in a parent’s life, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare if things don’t go well. If a doctor fails to perform a C-section in a timely manner, the baby can suffer a wide range of adverse health consequences, including brain damage. If you suspect that your child suffered a birth injury because a doctor failed to perform a timely C-section, you may be entitled to compensation for your harm. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, our Syracuse birth injury attorneys can analyze the facts of your case and determine whether malpractice took place.

Doctors perform a Cesarean delivery, also known as a C-section, when it would be safer for either the mother or the baby than a vaginal birth. The procedure is performed by making an incision in the mother’s abdomen, and the baby is delivered. Obstetricians are trained to recognize the signs of fetal distress but may often have to perform C-sections in a number of situations. A failure to perform a timely C-section is often caused by a failure to recognize that the baby is in fetal distress, a failure to closely monitor the mother and child during late pregnancy and labor or a failure of the hospital or physician to book an operating room and perform the procedure quickly enough.

A delayed C-section can result in a wide range of birth injuries, including brain damage, cerebral palsy, shoulder dystocia, development disabilities, or transfer of diseases. In addition, a delayed C-section can deprive the baby’s brain of oxygen, leading to serious conditions such as Erb’s Palsy. In the most serious cases, a delayed C-section can lead to the death of a baby.

Published on: January 2, 2018

Cerebral Palsy in Syracuse and New York

by DeFrancisco & Falgiatano

baby If you believe your child is suffering from cerebral palsy due to a medical professional’s negligence, you need to reach out to a seasoned Syracuse cerebral palsy attorney who can handle your case. At DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers, we can meticulously analyze the facts of your case and advise of you of your rights and options.

Approximately 764,000 children and adults have cerebral palsy in the United States. About 10,000 babies born each year will develop the condition. Cerebral palsy is a broad term that refers to a number of neurological disorders that can affect the development of the part of a child’s brain that controls motor skills and movement. ‘Cerebral’ means having to do with the brain, whereas ‘palsy’ means weakness or problems related to the muscles. As a result, cerebral palsy can lead to serious physical disabilities stemming from tremors, joint and bone deformities, and balance problems. In some cases, the condition can cause cognitive problems and seizures as well.

In a lot of cases, cerebral palsy is a direct result of medical mistakes. Cerebral palsy can result from a number of acts or omissions by a medical professional, including:

Published on: September 29, 2017

Syracuse Fertility Clinic Liable for Medical Malpractice in $7.5 Million Verdict

by DeFrancisco & Falgiatano

Pregnant Woman

Many couples deciding that they would like to start a family realize that they need medical professional help to do so. Fertility clinics have grown in number, leading to what some news outlets have called a “fertility boom.” One advantage of using a fertility clinic is that medical professionals can conduct genetic testing to determine the presence of certain diseases and disorders. However, a recent lawsuit against a Syracuse fertility clinic shows that a failure to conduct certain genetic testing, requested by the patients, could be medical malpractice in New York State.

The jury in the New York Supreme Court of Schenectady County recently awarded a $7.5 million verdict in a New York medical malpractice lawsuit against a Syracuse fertility clinic. The couple alleged that the fertility clinic acted negligently when it failed to perform a crucial genetic test. The couple’s daughter was born in 2011 with cystic fibrosis, a disease that is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs.

The services contract with the fertility clinic included a cystic fibrosis genetic marker test, and it required the fertility clinic to inform the couple of the results before implantation. The plaintiffs alleged that the fertility clinic never performed the test and sought damages to support their daughter’s care.