Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can result in a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like 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 caused due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for current and future medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and birth defect lawyer other expenses, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they interfere with the normal development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

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

For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from contaminated coal can cause various birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a myriad of birth defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.