Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should seek legal advice as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and cause birth defect attorneys defects or injuries or injury, they could be held responsible for harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can assist you in determining whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

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

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or during delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy that occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both can result in a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will offer a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A number of common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider the potential risks when prescribing medications for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive 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 that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are present in a variety situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured 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

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or 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.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment they could develop serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complicated scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.