Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity this can be devastating for your family as well as you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville hermitage birth defect lawsuit defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive compensation for the cost of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits will help you determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, nowlinks.net or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the cause of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen as a result of medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked to an increase in risk of limb deformities and el Campo birth defect attorney heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not properly warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can help a family get compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may sue parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. They are referred to as Teratogens as they interfere with the growth of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or lead to organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in many different settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are the aliphatic hydrocarbons like trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of firms that were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who had children born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water, and some of them could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects, as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.