Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could assist you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to recognize or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a sausalito birth defect Lawyer defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to review your case, and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused because of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and 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 hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, bel air birth defect lawsuit and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children suffering from many birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.