Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth this can have a devastating effect on you and morristown birth defect lawyer your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in a birth defect or injury, they can be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could be liable for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can cause various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are working or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawsuit defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced liberal birth defect attorney defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a myriad of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.