Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth defect attorney injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the root cause of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, birth defect medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses related to the disability or injury, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause westminster birth defect lawsuit defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers can increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or birth defect home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.