Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on the entire family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could assist you claim reimbursement for the expenses of taking care of your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and it is essential to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and cause an injury or birth defect, they can be held liable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine whether your child's health issue was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of an injury to the fetus if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, such as hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are triggered by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's swelling of the scalp. Both of these could lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical expenses. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and many more. These medications have been linked to an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers about the dangers associated with their medications. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for future and current medical expenses that result from the disability or injury, and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the root of birth defects so that they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as teratogens because they affect the development of the fetus by creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are present in a variety environments, including metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

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

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies that were involved in exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some Birth Defect Law Firms defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

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

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects, as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol ethers that are used in the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the chances of having birth defects as well.

LK's experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from various birth defects as a result of an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at their workplace or home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.