Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating impact on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defect or injury, they can be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or fail to respond appropriately. This can lead to a range of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able to help parents determine the reason behind an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies can also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medication. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown 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 resulting from the injury or disability, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the reason for the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they are working or in their homes.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they interfere with the development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals can be found in a variety of settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been shown to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects due to the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family is concerned that their child's birth defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

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

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

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits usually involve a an extensive scientific analysis as well as experts as witnesses, like toxicologists as well as epidemiologists, geneticists embryologists and occupational medicine experts.