Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may have been caused by an error in medical care during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to identify or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents identify the root of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may 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 shown to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action 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. They are trained to determine the cause of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

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

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects as well.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defect lawsuits defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.