Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and cause birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held accountable for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or properly respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is the caput succedaneum, an inflammation of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to examine your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might help parents determine the cause for a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to a higher chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's job is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney for birth defects can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue families of children who have congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations that expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in a variety of environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defect lawsuits problems, including cardiac disorders in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, birth defect to harmful chemicals. Some of the Birth Defect (Http://Envtox.Snu.Ac.Kr/Bbs/Board.Php?Bo_Table=Sub5_4&Wr_Id=928076) lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to 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 substances are referred to as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase a woman's risk of birth defects.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at their workplace or home. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.