Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on the entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves that energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth defect Lawsuit process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to review your case, and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the cause for the birth defect law firms injury of a child. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and Birth defect Lawsuit other pesticides. These chemicals are called 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 disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.