Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or birth. The causes of injuries include issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to review your case, and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into account the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for birth defect not adequately informing mothers of the dangers that come with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well 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 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 bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

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

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

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC thornton birth defect attorney injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, birth defect and some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects as well.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.