Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can assist you in filing a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a set of guidelines when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held liable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect attorney defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's health condition may be the result of an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of an infant are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to assist parents in determining the cause for an infant's birth injury. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, birth defect law firm 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.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. 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 not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, as well as loss of earnings and quality of life. This can include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect Lawsuit defect lawyer may sue parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the cause of the birth defect to file a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens when they work or at their home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or create organs to be malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects are hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment and then develop birth defects. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water, and some of them can be harmful when they come into contact with pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects caused by unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.