Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can be devastating for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult a lawyer as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and result in an injury or birth defect the doctor could be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth defect law firm injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) 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 and injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury in addition to loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, birth Defect attorney 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 with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at 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 healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety locations, such as semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them during the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are known as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are recognized to increase a woman's chance of having birth defects too.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from various birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or birth defect attorney at home. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.