Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor could be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or do not respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries 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 due to something happening during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able help parents determine the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and factors during the pregnancy of a mother however, they may also occur as a result of medications. A variety of common medications can have a negative impact on fetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most popular. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to consider these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the risks associated with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defect in order to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function, or can cause malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for birth Defect attorneys the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to 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

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

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some can be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are well-known to increase the risk of developing birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complicated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.