Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard 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 birth defects lawsuits can help determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or birth defect lawyers labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy however, Birth Defect Lawyers they may also occur as a result of medications. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the risks that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defect lawsuit defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are also caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects as well.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.