Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and cause a birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or the birth defect attorneys.

A doctor may also be responsible for an injury to the fetus if they fail to identify or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is caput succedaneum - an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the cause for an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are due to genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. A number of commonly used medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, birth defect lawyers has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine what caused the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who 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 who have children who were born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defect law firm defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.