Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held liable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

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

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or during delivery. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy, where the nerves controlling the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent 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 look over your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents determine the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and birth defect law firms brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their products. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for current and Birth Defect Law Firms future medical expenses that result from the disability or injury in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defect law firms - linked website, defect so that they can sue companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defect lawsuit defects. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or lead to organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in various settings, including semiconductor manufacturing, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals could be dangerous to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. 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, which are utilized in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are well-known to increase the risk of birth defects too.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in the name of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve an extensive scientific analysis as well as expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.