Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it can be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you claim compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defect Lawsuit defects may be able to help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers that come with their drugs. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defect law firms defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.