Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an action to collect compensation for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held responsible for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's health condition may have been caused by an error made by a doctor during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This can result in numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like 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 caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. These injuries can be caused by issues like Erb's syndrome that occurs when the nerves that power and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth defect settlement process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can result in permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who is skilled in birth defects can offer a free consultation to review your case, and Birth defect attorneys determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root cause of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. These include anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been linked to an increased risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not meet this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in the first trimester of pregnancies.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies which expose pregnant women and other drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to determine the root of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides and herbicides as well as pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens as they interfere with the healthy development of the fetus creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or cause organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals are found in diverse settings like manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families who have children who were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defect legal defects can be caused by the combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects 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 defect claim injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects if they are ingested or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the name for these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water Some of them are harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal, for example, can cause birth defects and 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 manufacture semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits typically involve complicated scientific analysis and expert witnesses, including toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.