Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it can cause a lot of grief for your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or birth defect attorneys injuries. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to recognize or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the root cause of a child's birth defect. While many birth defect law firms defects are caused by genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother, they can also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers associated with their medications. 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 a pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of living. This can include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the growth of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs to be malformed. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers 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 secured significant settlements for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that 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 an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, Birth Defect Attorneys for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.