Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth defect Lawsuit if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

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

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.