Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth deformity it could cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you file for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. Doctors can be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's illness could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail diagnose fetal distress or fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves which energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and birth defect Attorney 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 course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the reason behind a child's birth defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found 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 risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to the standards of care required, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for Birth defect attorney not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of congenital defects that are major in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to find out what caused the birth defect so that they can file a lawsuit against companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus through making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements for families that had children born with severe birth defects due to the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. These substances are known as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a wide range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.