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. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects could help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. If the actions of a doctor are in violation of this standard and cause an injury or birth defect law firms defect, they can be held responsible for damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits will help you determine if your child's condition could have been caused by an error made by the medical professional during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held responsible for birth injuries if they fail diagnose 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 distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or birth. Injuries can include ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during birth and the caput succedaneum is a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence the mother's pregnancy, they can also occur due to medications. Many common medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly applicable in the early months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers about the risks of their medication. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancy.

An attorney who specializes in birth defects can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, loss of income and the quality of life. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because due to the negligence of corporations which expose pregnant women and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for birth defects so they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or in their home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus by making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or create malformed organs. These chemicals can be found in a variety of locations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won substantial settlements on behalf families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family suspects that the birth defect of their child may be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should contact a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defect lawsuit defects if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. 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 instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from coal that has been contaminated can trigger various birth defects and health problems. Certain birth defects can also be associated with industrial solvents like benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defect lawsuit defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.