Why It Is Important to Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

The discovery that your child is suffering from a birth defect could turn what should have been an exciting time into an uneasy and uncertain experience. Contact a medical malpractice lawyer and a birth defect lawyer as soon as possible.

You'll need bills as well as receipts, credit cards payments, and other evidence of your losses to get full compensation for your losses. We have represented family members in claims against large electronic firms, agricultural pesticide producers and commercial growers.

Medical Malpractice

Many birth defects are the result of medical mistakes or malpractice that occurred during pregnancy. Some of these problems are more serious than others but they can be all devastating for the child as well as loved ones. A medical malpractice lawyer can help determine if the doctor committed an error that caused the defect or injury.

Doctors can identify birth defects by conducting screening tests during pregnancy. When these tests are performed and interpreted correctly, the parents can be informed of the possibility of their child developing a birth defect. This information will enable them to decide to end the pregnancy or at the very least prepare for the child's birth and treatment. If the doctor is unable to conduct or interpret these tests, or if they fail to notify the parents of the results, this may be deemed medical negligence.

Medical treatments for birth defects are often expensive. They may require surgery, specialists, medications for speech and physical therapy, as well as assistive devices. A wrongful birth lawsuit could help ease the financial burden of these costs. This will allow families to provide the support their child requires. Medical malpractice lawsuits are extremely complicated and time-sensitive, which is why it's important to hire an experienced attorney as quickly as possible.

Prescription Drugs

Despite recent advances in medicine and the advancement of technology, birth injuries and birth defects are possible. Birth injuries and birth defects could be serious or minor and require life-long medical care. In some cases they can even lead to death. A Boston dangerous drug lawyer can assist parents receive compensation for their child's present and future medical expenses, which include hospital procedures and doctor's appointments rehabilitation services, assistive devices, and many more.

If a physician prescribes medication to a pregnant mother that increases the chances of her child developing a birth defect, they could be guilty for medical malpractice. They must know which medications could negatively affect the growth of the fetus and to not prescribe harmful drugs to the baby's fetus.

Prescription drugs that increase the risk of a birth defect are referred to as Teratogens. These include anti-seizure medicines such as Dilantin and Tegretol. The FDA has issued a warning against the use of these medicines in pregnancy. These medications can increase the risk of Cleft lips, cleft palates and heart, lung and other brain disorders. These drugs also carry a possibility of miscarriage among women who are breastfeeding or pregnant. Parents can sue their doctors, the producers of the drugs, and the pharmacists who sold them for not warning them of the risks.

Toxic Chemicals

Parents often ask the reason their child was born with a birth defect. The truth is that several factors can cause birth defects, from medication side effects or exposure to toxic chemicals in the uterus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 1 out of 33 babies are born with a birth defect. These problems could be minor or serious, and sometimes even life-threatening. A lot of the time birth defects are an unfortunate genetic anomaly that occurs without fault of the mother. Birth defects are often caused by environmental or chemical exposure during pregnancy. These chemicals are referred as Teratogens and increase the risk of functional or structural abnormalities that are not reverseable in offspring.

Many people in the United States are exposed to industrial chemicals on a daily basis. From technology and semiconductor factories with clean rooms to pesticides used in nurseries and farms as well as automobile, plastics and paint manufacturing facilities the list of harmful chemicals is extensive.

It's not typical for companies not to inform their customers of the dangers that could be posed by these chemicals. The birth defect lawyers at LK can assist families fight big corporations that put profits over the safety and health of their employees and children.

Environmental Exposure

Parents can be extremely upset due to a birth defect lawsuit defect in a child as they have to provide medical attention for the entire life of their child. Based on the severity of the condition, certain birth defects can cause life-long physical and mental disabilities for the infant.

While certain birth defects are inevitable due to genetics, others can be triggered by exposure to chemicals or environmental elements during pregnancy. This could be due to prescription drugs or toxic chemicals which could be consumed by the mother, or even from chemical substances that have been able to pollute the air or groundwater in the community.

Birth defect lawsuits are not limited to medical malpractice. They are also filed against individuals or companies who are responsible for the injury of the child. If a doctor prescribes a medication that increases your child's chance of having a birth defect they could be held accountable.

This is also true for those or companies that expose employees to hazardous chemicals and other substances. Numerous studies have demonstrated that exposure to fungicides, pesticides and lead, as well as metals and paints may increase the risk of having a child suffering from certain birth defects. In order to solve this issue the courts have filed lawsuits against beauty salons and cleaning companies as well as semiconductor manufacturing facilities and painting factories. Web-based Integrated Birth Defects Surveillance in New York State. Wang, Y., Tao, Z., Steen, P.M., Cross, P.K., Druschel, C.M. and Hwang, S-A. Journal of Public Health Management & Practice. 14(6): E1-E10. 2008.