Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it could cause a lot of grief for your family as well as you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville lawyer who specializes in birth defects can help you seek compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to an appropriate standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor can be held liable for damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who has experience in birth defects lawsuits can determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor could also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or properly respond to distress of the fetus. This can result in numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in that they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. Injuries can result from ailments like Erb's palsy which develops when the nerves that energize and control an infant's arms are stretched or torn during birth, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can provide a no-cost consultation to analyze your case and determine the best course of action for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer may be able help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially evident in the initial three months of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy drugs, certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been linked to an increased risk of limb deformities and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostosis.

It is the professional responsibility of doctors to be aware of the potential risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers about the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer could sue families of children who suffer from congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and medications that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or at home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are just a few of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to their impact on the healthy development of the fetus producing chemical changes that block normal cell function or cause malformed organs. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defect attorneys defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against several firms that were responsible for 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 that had children born with severe birth defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family believes the birth defect of their child may result from medical malpractice, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the issue.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature if they are ingested or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. Over 4 million chemicals exist in our food, air and water and a few could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used to make semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

The experienced lawyers at LK for birth defects have filed numerous lawsuits in behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects as a result of wrongful toxic or chemical exposure at their workplace or home. These lawsuits typically require complex scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.