Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you seek compensation to cover the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be the cause of birth injuries if they fail to identify or respond adequately to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defect attorney defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and decide on the best 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 injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the root of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they influence the healthy development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies who were responsible for the exposure of 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 serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family is concerned that their child's birth defect may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult a DC birth defect law firms injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects and health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects as well.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.