Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions fall below this standard and cause a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may also be the cause of birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can result in a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries, such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, a swelling on the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and other factors that occur during the mother's pregnancy however, they may also occur due to medications. Certain commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to take into consideration the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet the standards of care required, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medication. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for current and future medical expenses resulting from the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital expenses, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, Birth Defect Attorneys and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects, so that they can bring a suit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety settings, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with severe defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a baby could be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women consume or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the name for these substances. Over 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and a few can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water as well as cadmium derived from 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), toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth Defect attorneys (http://shinhwaspodium.com/Bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_Id=1731987) have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.