Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and result in a birth defect or injury, they can be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This can cause many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy, where the nerves controlling the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents determine the reason for the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, birth defects chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major 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 can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven 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 firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe defects as a result 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 suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth defect lawsuit injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

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

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.