Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects may be able to help you file for reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to follow a standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. A doctor Birth Defect Attorneys could be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can include conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in hefty medical costs. A Washington, Birth Defect Attorneys DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a no-cost consultation to review your case, and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a significant impact on fetuses especially during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs such as NSAIDs, chemotherapy medicines such as certain antibiotics and more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses resulting from the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as 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 which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of locations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include 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 during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by an unintended medical error as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect of their child could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.