Failure to Diagnose Down's Syndrome in Los Angeles - Lawyers

What is Down's Syndrome?

Down's syndrome is a genetic disease which may be tested for prior to birth in which the child has an extra twenty-first (21st) chromosome.  With the addition of this extra chromosome, the child's facial features are affected, and the Down's Syndrome generally results in some level of mental retardation.  For those parents who are concerned about having children who are born with Down's Syndrome, their medical providers may conduct certain tests which will determine the presence or absence of the extra chromosome.  These children who are diagnosed with Down's Syndrome may also have heart problems, hearing loss as well as an increased risk of having pneumonia, leukemia, or seizures.

For those families which are in the high-risk category of having a child with Down's Syndrome, a standard prenatal screen can discover Down's Syndrome.  While it is generally recommended that all women have non-invasive screening and invasive screening, some insurance companies will only reimburse some categories of women, especially if they are high-risk.  Therefore, some parents are not getting tested because their insurance companies will not reimburse them for tests which could easily identify Down's Syndrome.  For those parents who do elect to have the Down's Syndrome conducted, the detection rate is about 95%, so there is still a chance that the child may have Down's Syndrome, even if the test comes back negative.

Since the introduction of these Down's Syndrome prenatal tests, about ninety-percent (90%) of the women have elected to terminate the pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis of their child's Down Syndrome.  For those parents who are not given these prenatal tests, or where your doctors incorrectly interpret these Down Syndrome tests - where you were unable to make an informed decision about terminating the pregnancy, you may be able to seek emotional distress damages as well as economic damages as a direct result of the injuries and complications the child will suffer through the age of minority, or until the age of eighteen (18).  The child may then bring a separate economic damages claim seeking monetary damages for the cost of treatment once he has reached the age of majority.

Contact our Los Angeles Down's Syndrome Attorneys

If your doctor or medical professional failed to properly diagnose your child as having Down's Syndrome, then please contact one of our Los Angeles Failure to Diagnose Down's Syndrome Attorneys for a free confidential consultation to discuss the specific events of your pregnancy.

Please call our Los Angeles Lawyers toll-free at (800) 715-4489.