Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects may be able to help you file for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. Doctors can be held responsible for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be due to an error in medical care during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and do not respond appropriately. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect law firm defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best way to proceed for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not properly informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. 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 a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families get compensation for the future and present medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, and Birth Defect Lawyers also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defect attorney defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects can also be caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.