Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, birth defect attorneys therapy costs and other losses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects can help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complex, so you should seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or do not respond appropriately. This can cause numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, birth, or labor. Injuries can include conditions like Erb's Palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth and the caput succedaneum is 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 lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for current and future medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital costs medical expenses, doctor's fees and pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses exposing pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs or hinder normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane and birth Defect attorneys trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water Some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts, and embryologists.