Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file claim for reimbursement for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, and you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of a child's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked to a higher chance of limb deformities, brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well 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 which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the root of the birth defect, so they can sue companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus through producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are present in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry 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 lawsuits against various firms that 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 for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. 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 or chemical substances, they should speak with an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for birth defect lawsuits these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, Birth Defect Lawsuits silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced birth defect lawsuit defect attorneys at LK have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects caused by improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.