Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for current and future medical expenses related to the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the root of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were 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 conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.