Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects can help you seek compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. 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 certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and result in an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held liable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The most common injuries are 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 the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the reason behind an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and birth defect lawyers the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medications. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive compensation for current and future medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical expenses, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include hydrocarbons that are aliphatic, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defect attorney defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result 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 defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or Birth defect lawyers absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are 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. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.