Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can cause a lot of grief for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file claim for reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are complicated and therefore it is vital to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. Doctors can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits for birth defects will help you determine if your child's condition could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or respond adequately to distress in the fetus. This can cause a number of serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and 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 makeup and injuries are triggered due to something happening during labor, pregnancy or the birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an increase in the size of the scalp. Both of these could cause permanent disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in significant medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best method of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the root of the child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A variety of common medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially applicable in the early months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities, and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawsuits defect attorney can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who have congenital disabilities because of the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth deformities. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens as they interfere with the development of the fetus through creating chemical changes that hinder normal cell function or create organs that are not properly formed. These chemicals can be present in a variety environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and Birth defect lawyers dichloroethane. These chemicals have been found to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to expose companies to liability for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf 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 can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that the birth defect in their child could result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the environment, they can cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our food, air and water and a few are harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Certain birth defects are also related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors display panels, 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 myriad of birth defects resulting from the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.