Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can help determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for an injury to the fetus if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as 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. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to examine your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This could include hospital expenses medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other costs, along with assistive devices and birth defect attorney therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to discover what caused the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are present in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various 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 whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defect law firms defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child may result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various 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, used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.