Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. 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 adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and cause a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can include issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses related to the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals 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 a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.