Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

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

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects may be able to help you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail to recognize or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can cause many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in hefty medical costs. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root cause of a child's birth defect. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have a negative impact on the fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These medications have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This can include hospital, doctor's, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities resulting from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that can cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water as well as cadmium derived from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.