Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A washington birth defect attorney, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and washington birth defect attorney quality of living. This could include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defect to sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defect law firm defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase a woman's risk of birth defects.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.