Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects can help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's illness could be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail in diagnosing or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both of them can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation in order to look over your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are due to the genetics of a mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur as a result of medication. A variety of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for birth defect lawyer women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks that come with their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

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

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can interfere with the normal development of a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth problems, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have obtained significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from various birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at their workplace or home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.