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 add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complex and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can cause numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly inform mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals are found in a variety of situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water Some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.