Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can result in numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may offer a free consultation to analyze your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the cause for an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain commonly used medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines, certain antibiotics, and many more. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital expenses as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function, or can cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child may be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defect law firms defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers (more info) have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and Birth defect lawyers occupational medicine experts.