Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on you and your entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or delivery. These injuries can be caused by ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medications. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the healthy development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence, 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 serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause a variety of birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, 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 myriad of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.