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 your family and you. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to 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 infants. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and 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 is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong 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 to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the requirements of this standard of care, they could be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital or k-special.com pharmaceutical expenses, as well assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these denton birth defect lawyer defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, Vimeo.Com are known to increase the risk of birth defects.

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