Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on the entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of caring for your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and cause birth defect or injury or Birth defect Attorneys injury, they could be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This can result in various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves that energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will 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 identify the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and other factors that occur during a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused due to medications. A variety of common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is particularly relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's job is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for failing to adequately warn mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting 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 the birth defect, so they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens while they are at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals are used in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and birth defect attorneys paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defect lawyers defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect law firm defect lawyers have won significant settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects that the birth defect in their child could be due to medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water, and some of them can be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are linked to industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers, used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the chance of having birth defects too.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.