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. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held liable for the injuries 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 due to an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy 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, while injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or the birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case 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 root of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses resulting from the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect law firm defect lawyer may bring an action 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. They are trained to discover the root of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defect attorney defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and 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 chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and birth defect lawyers water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and Birth Defect Lawyers benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.