Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complex, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defect attorneys defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of an injury that occurs during birth if they fail to diagnose or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious problems, 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. Injuries can result from issues like Erb's syndrome, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size 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 specializes in birth defects can provide a free consultation to review 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 determine the cause of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers that come with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for future and current medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. They are trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, birth defect attorneys and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus by producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with serious defects as a result of the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water, birth Defect attorneys and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause numerous birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defects too.

The experienced birth defect attorneys at LK have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a range of birth defects caused by the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.