Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect 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 birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated, so it is important to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can result in a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A forney birth defect lawyer defect attorney may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be used in a variety of situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.