Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it could be devastating for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help you file for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup and injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the best option for you and birth defect lawsuits your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur as a result of medication. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostosis.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be held liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, and also loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital fees medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out what caused the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects include herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens because they affect the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defect attorneys defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.