Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for your family as well as you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, and you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will 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 also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or properly respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety 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 circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, birth defect attorneys brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and drugs that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the normal development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven 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 lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for birth defect attorneys families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

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

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects are also associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a range of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.