Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to 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 babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits will help you determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a number 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 circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or ruptured during birth as well as 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 significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and Birth Defect Attorneys determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to a higher chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to take into account these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For instance, 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 pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defect to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they are working or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial 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

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defect law firm defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

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

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of 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, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.