Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complex, so it is important to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held liable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for Vimeo birth defects can determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for bay st louis birth defect law firm injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or the birth. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit for families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out what caused the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in a variety of locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are utilized in the production of semiconductors, vimeo silicon chips and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of birth defects as well.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from various birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.