Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you file for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are triggered by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or birth defect during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and birth defect require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the reason behind a child's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been linked to an increase in chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities 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 adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to discover the cause of the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some fort payne birth defect law firm defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. 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 chemical, they should consult a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

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

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a wide range of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.