Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could be devastating for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in Birth defect law firms defects can help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the risks associated with their medicines. For instance, 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.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or birth defect law firms prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and Birth defect law firms video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from many birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.