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 add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could assist you seek compensation for the costs of taking care of 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 babies. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defect or injury or injury, they could be held responsible for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's condition may be due to an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor can also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in a variety of serious issues, Birth defect including hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries like 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 injury is caput succedaneum which is a swelling on the scalp. Both can lead to a 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 analyze your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. 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 variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been linked to an increase in risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for failing to adequately warn mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the healthy development a fetus through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in many different settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth defect attorneys injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of birth defects too.

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