Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for bbarlock.com compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for the damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may be liable for an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or appropriately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, bbarlock.com such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or birth. Injury can include Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb deformities and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and law medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the root of birth defects, so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defect lawsuit problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals 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 child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

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

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from many birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a sophisticated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.