Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect, it can have a devastating effect on your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held accountable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor firm could also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

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 are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in a variety of locations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for 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 of medical negligence and environmental factors. 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 chemical, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defect lawsuit defects among 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 many lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.