Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects can help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or birth defect lawsuits properly respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is 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 bills. A Washington, birth defect lawsuits DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth 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 have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb deformities and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawsuits defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations exposing pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes their child's birth defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture 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 behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits typically require an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.