Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you seek compensation to cover the costs of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and result in a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine whether your child's condition may be the result of an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to recognize or adequately respond to fetal distress. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy, or birth. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC omaha birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur due to medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs, certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked to a higher chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to take into consideration these 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 birth defect medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For example, 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 pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with 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 because due to the negligence of corporations who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in a variety of situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. 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 against a variety of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could 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 contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.