Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could assist to file a claim for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and result in an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can cause a number of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, 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 an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defect law firms defects. They are trained to determine what caused the birth defect, so they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

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

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.