Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects may be able to help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the cause for a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks of their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defect law firm defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects and health problems. 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 risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects caused by improper exposure to chemicals and birth defects toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.