Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can result from conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defect law firm defects. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for birth defects, so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be used in a variety of settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed in 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 who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes that their child's birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.