Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and cause an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held liable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could be due to a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury to the fetus if they fail to identify or adequately respond to fetal distress. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or birth. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. A number of common medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals are found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these substances. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain smithville birth Defect lawsuit defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of turtle creek birth defect lawsuit defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.