What obligations does a doctor have to screen for genetic disorders like Tay-Sachs disease?

Medical providers must meet the professional standard of care in providing care and genetic screenings for their patients who are prospective or expectant parents. It’s possible to hold these practitioners accountable for the harm that results from failures to recommend, perform, or accurately interpret the results of genetic carrier screening tests and prenatal tests.

What do families need to prove when seeking compensation for infantile Tay-Sachs disease?

Generally, proving medical malpractice means establishing a patient-provider relationship through which a duty of care exists, as well as the conduct that constituted a breach of this duty by deviating from the standard of care. This negligent conduct must be proven to have caused the harm—specifically, the birth of a child with a poor quality of life and life expectancy as a result of having Tay-Sachs disease—as well as resulting damages, such as medical expenses and pain and suffering.

How can families prove the negligence of a doctor whose conduct led to the wrongful birth of a child with Tay-Sachs disease?

Our New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers take a comprehensive approach to proving a healthcare practitioner’s liability. We analyze medical records in full to establish providers’ failures to order, perform, or interpret the results of genetic screening tests. We work closely with medical experts to strengthen claims of medical negligence.

What compensation can families receive for a healthcare provider’s negligence that leads to wrongful birth and Tay-Sachs disease?

By taking legal action on behalf of our clients, our Tay-Sachs attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, can secure compensation for the following damages: Current and future medical expenses, including testing, medications, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, nutritional care, and palliative care Compensation for lost wages that arise from caring for a child with a serious, progressive genetic disorder The child’s poor quality of life and pain and suffering, as well as the emotional distress the family experiences as a result of having and ultimately losing a child with this severe medical condition As knowledgeable New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers, we advocate for the full amount of compensation families are entitled to, working to secure the compensation your child will need for their extraordinary medical and care costs. We handle the legal process to ensure you can focus on your child, not the demands of your claim.

Andres Berger Tran/

Birth Injury Claims/

Tay Sachs Disease

New Jersey Tay-Sachs Disease Lawyers

Tay-Sachs Attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ Offering Representation for Genetic Disorder Cases in Camden County, Burlington County, Gloucester County, and Throughout South Jersey

When a baby is born with Tay-Sachs disease, the tragic situation leaves families with little room for hope. This incurable, progressive genetic condition imposes heavy burdens on a baby born with such a bleak prognosis and their family. Although nothing now can spare your family this heartbreak, it’s possible to hold accountable a healthcare practitioner whose negligence during the pregnancy or even prior to conception is the reason your child is now facing a short, difficult life full of impairments. Our compassionate New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers are here to guide your family through the legal process and pursue compensation for your child.

Let The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran take charge of securing your family compensation while you focus on your child's health and well-being. Contact us today for help understanding your legal rights and how you can move forward with a claim at no upfront cost.

Legal Support for Children Born With Tay-Sachs Disease and Their Families

Children born with Tay-Sachs disease have a short but challenging life ahead of them. The condition is incurable and fatal. Infantile Tay-Sachs disease generally claims a child’s life before age five.

As the disease that is caused by a mutation of the HEXA gene damages nerve cells in a baby’s brain and spinal cord, it causes increasingly severe impairments. All the family can do is put in place supportive treatment to make their child as comfortable as possible while they prepare for the inevitable loss.

For families already bearing the emotional burdens and physical challenges of having a child with Tay-Sachs disease, the financial hardships involved in affording this care can bring about even more stress. Our Tay-Sachs attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, can help families pursue the financial complication their child needs through a wrongful birth claim against a negligent healthcare provider.

Holding Medical Professionals Accountable in New Jersey

This tragic situation didn’t have to happen. It could have been prevented with proper screening. The negligent healthcare providers and facilities that contribute to a child being born with Tay-Sachs disease deserve to face the consequences in the form of legal action.

Infantile Tay-Sachs disease develops when a baby inherits a mutated HEXA gene from both of their parents. Parents may not know they’re carriers of this gene mutation because the mutation generally causes no issues as long as the individual has a working HEXA gene from one of their parents. There are both known risk factors that doctors should be aware of and genetic screening methods that can identify the risk before conception or early on in pregnancy. Children born to parents who are French-Canadian, Eastern European, or Ashkenazi Jewish have the greatest risk of developing this condition, but carriers of the mutated HEXA gene are also found in other populations, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Even before conception occurs, prospective parents can undergo genetic screening through PRC tests on blood samples that can detect genetic markers indicating whether they are carriers of the mutated HEXA gene. By working with a genetic counselor to understand the results of carrier testing, prospective parents can assess their specific risks of having a child with Tay-Sachs disease. This knowledge allows them to decide whether they’re comfortable moving forward with having a biological child or whether other methods of having a family, such as through adoption or pregnancy using donor egg or sperm, could be a better option.

During pregnancy, doctors can test for Tay-Sachs disease through a couple of different procedures, including:

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS), which provides a sample of placenta tissue
Amniocentesis, which allows doctors to gather a specimen of amniotic fluid

By measuring the levels of the enzyme hexosaminidase A in these samples, doctors can determine if the developing fetus displays the below-average level of this enzyme that occurs with infantile Tay-Sachs disease.

Our New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers help families hold healthcare providers accountable for negligence like the following:

Failing to recommend or conduct carrier testing prior to conception where appropriate
Failing to take a complete genetic history from expectant parents
Failing to prescribe or recommend appropriate screening tests in accordance with the standard of care
Failing to explain the screening tests available, including the risks and benefits of each test
Failing to conduct testing correctly
Failing to interpret genetic screening test results accurately
Failing to provide full information about the risks of Tay-Sachs disease and at-risk parents’ options
Failing to provide the genetic counseling support that informs patient decision-making

In New Jersey, prospective and expectant parents have the right to make informed decisions about the future of a pregnancy with a fetus that has been diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease. Any form of medical negligence that prevents families from being able to make informed decisions could potentially constitute a deviation from the standard of care that a healthcare provider or genetic counselor owes to patients.

How The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran Can Help

Proving wrongful birth claims, including those that arise out of Tay-Sachs disease, is a challenging endeavor. You need experienced Tay-Sachs attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, to help you establish liability and claim compensation for the full scope of your family’s damages. At The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran, we review the full facts of parents’ medical care and identify any medical negligence in regard to genetic carrier screening or prenatal testing for Tay-Sachs disease. We work with expert witnesses in areas like genetic counseling and obstetrics. Our goal is to identify all potential defendants and document any ways in which a healthcare provider or facility failed to meet the standard of care.

Why Choose The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran?

Families turn to The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran for New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers who approach claims with genuine care for their well-being, a commitment to making legal help accessible and affordable, and a record of experience and results.

The Care and Compassion Your Family Deserves

Wrongful birth claims are sensitive matters. You’re seeking compensation because of the love and care you have for your child. You never wanted your child to go through the short, difficult life full of suffering and impairments that occurs when infantile Tay-Sachs disease develops. Because medical negligence prevented you from being able to avoid this outcome for your child, you need considerable compensation for your child’s care needs, their loss of quality of life, and the rest of your family’s damages. Our team brings compassion and genuine concern to our clients’ cases, standing up for families when they’re going through circumstances no parents should have to face.

Accommodating Families’ Needs Through Home and Hospital Visits and Representation at No Upfront Cost

All families impacted by the birth of a child with Tay-Sachs disease deserve a chance to understand their legal rights and options. To make legal help accessible and affordable, our team provides contingency-based representation and offers home and hospital visits. You don’t have to worry about the upfront costs of getting legal help or about overcoming other obstacles, like finding childcare or traveling to an attorney’s office with a child with mobility problems.

A Reputation for Experience and Successful Results

With more than 70 years of combined experience representing thousands of clients and a proven record of getting our clients high-value payouts, we’re known throughout New Jersey for providing skilled legal services. Our attorneys have secured dozens of settlements and awards in the multimillion-dollar range.

Contact the New Jersey Tay-Sachs Disease Lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran Today for a Free Case Review

Don’t face the challenges of having a baby with Tay-Sachs disease on your own. With skilled legal support, you can secure the resources needed to provide your sick child with the best quality of life possible.

For help from Tay-Sachs attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, contact The Law Offices of Andres, Berger & Tran online or call 856-317-6558 today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tay-Sachs Disease Wrongful Birth Claims in New Jersey

Medical providers must meet the professional standard of care in providing care and genetic screenings for their patients who are prospective or expectant parents. It’s possible to hold these practitioners accountable for the harm that results from failures to recommend, perform, or accurately interpret the results of genetic carrier screening tests and prenatal tests.
Generally, proving medical malpractice means establishing a patient-provider relationship through which a duty of care exists, as well as the conduct that constituted a breach of this duty by deviating from the standard of care. This negligent conduct must be proven to have caused the harm—specifically, the birth of a child with a poor quality of life and life expectancy as a result of having Tay-Sachs disease—as well as resulting damages, such as medical expenses and pain and suffering.
By taking legal action on behalf of our clients, our Tay-Sachs attorneys in Haddonfield, NJ, can secure compensation for the following damages:
Current and future medical expenses, including testing, medications, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, nutritional care, and palliative care
Compensation for lost wages that arise from caring for a child with a serious, progressive genetic disorder
The child’s poor quality of life and pain and suffering, as well as the emotional distress the family experiences as a result of having and ultimately losing a child with this severe medical condition
As knowledgeable New Jersey Tay-Sachs disease lawyers, we advocate for the full amount of compensation families are entitled to, working to secure the compensation your child will need for their extraordinary medical and care costs. We handle the legal process to ensure you can focus on your child, not the demands of your claim.