Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity, it can have a devastating effect on the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help you file for compensation for the cost of caring for your children with disabilities. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for any damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with experience in lawsuits involving birth defects can help you determine if your child's condition could have been caused by a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This could lead to a variety of serious complications, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include conditions such as Erb's palsy which is caused when the nerves that energize and control the infant's arms are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is an expert in birth defects may provide a free consultation to look over your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents determine the reason for a child's birth injury, or defect. Many birth defects result from genetics or factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is particularly evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and heart defects, brain defects and craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies may also be held responsible for not adequately informing mothers about the risks associated with their medications. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was found to increase the risk of major defects during the first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for the future and present medical expenses that result from the injury or disability, as well as loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include hospital fees, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, along with assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring a lawsuit on behalf of families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities as a result of the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that can lead to birth defects include the use of fungicides and metals as well as herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they interfere with the normal development of a embryo through chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be present in a variety settings, including the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

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

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defects of a baby could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug overdose, or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are consumed by or taken in by pregnant women. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our air, food and water and some can be harmful when they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated can cause various birth defects, birth defect lawyers as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents, such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are recognized to increase a woman's risk of developing birth defects too.

The experienced birth defect attorney defect attorneys at LK have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who have suffered from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.