Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect this can cause a lot of grief for you and your entire family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects could help you claim compensation for the cost of caring for your child with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is crucial 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 infants. A doctor could be held accountable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be liable for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or adequately respond to distress of the fetus. This could lead to many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves which energize and control the arms of an infant are stretched or torn during the birth process and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can result in a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to examine your case and lawsuits determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents determine the reason for the birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are caused by genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy, they can also occur because of medications. A variety of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

A doctor's responsibility is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers of the dangers that come with their medications. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea among cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury, in addition to loss of earnings and quality of life. This could include hospital costs as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children with congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the reason for birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or hinder 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 proven to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have won substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by an unintended medical error and environmental conditions or chemical. If a family believes that their child's reading birth defect law firm defect may be a result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other substances in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic found in drinking water and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause a variety of birth defects and health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors display panels, silicon chip displays, and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children suffering from a myriad of birth defects resulting from improper exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits usually involve a complicated scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.