Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or the birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the root of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused due to medications. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. 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 a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children with 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 identify the root of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause dayton birth defect attorney defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were 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 exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes that their child's birth defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects due to improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.