Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause san francisco birth defect law firm defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a free consultation to analyze your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur because of medications. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

The duty of a doctor is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately inform mothers of the risks of their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of situations, Nevada birth defect lawyer such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes the birth defect of their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of nevada birth Defect Lawyer defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.