Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for Vimeo birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be accountable for an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to 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 and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers of their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for current and future medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the root of the birth defect in order to sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are at work or vimeo in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result 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 that the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated may cause various birth defects and health issues. Certain birth defects are also linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.