Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you file for compensation to cover the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation in order to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defect attorneys defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the risk of birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.