Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it could cause a lot of grief for the entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. Certain commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are present in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, 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 proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child could be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a range of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.