Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on your family and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits will help you determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to identify or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the cause of the child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the risks of their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the reason for the birth defect, so they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who had children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, Birth Defect attorneys or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb pollutants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated can cause numerous birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (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 to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.