Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could cause a lot of grief for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist to file a claim for reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects birth defects are complicated and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition may have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the reason behind the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to consider these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses associated with the disability or injury and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the reason for the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they are at work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf 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 an unintended medical error and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment and then develop birth defects (http://www.softjoin.co.kr). These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For example, arsenic in drinking water and cadmium in contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

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