Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause an injury or birth defect and/or death, they may be held accountable for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medication. A number of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the root of the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are well-known to increase the chance of having birth defects.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.