Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects may be able to help you seek reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition could be due to a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control an infant's arms are stretched or damaged during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these could result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to help parents determine the cause of the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur as a result of medication. Many common medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy drugs are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their products. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses that result from the disability or injury in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. They are trained to find out the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens since they influence the healthy development of a fetus through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or birth defect Attorneys exposure to harmful chemicals or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water, and some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defect law firm defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the chances of having birth defects.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects due to the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.