Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and birth Defect Attorneys other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you claim compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and do not respond appropriately. This can cause numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defect lawsuit problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children 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 of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defect attorneys defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.