Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it can have a devastating effect on you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defect lawsuit defects can help you file for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held accountable for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defect law firm defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. They are trained to discover what caused the birth defect, so they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working 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 healthy development of the fetus through making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in a variety of environments, including metal cleaning and birth Defect lawsuit semiconductor manufacturing.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or birth defect lawsuit at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.