Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth it could be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other expenses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file a claim to recover compensation 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 as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If a doctor's actions are not in line with this standard and cause an injury or birth defect, they can be held accountable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's health condition may be the result of a medical error during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor can also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail detect fetal distress or don't respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems 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 however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is an inflammation of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a no-cost consultation to examine your case and determine the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the cause for the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and factors during a mother's pregnancy but they can also happen due to medications. A number of commonly used medications can have negative effects on foetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to meet the standards of care required, they could be held accountable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the risks associated with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, was shown to increase the risk of major Birth Defect Attorney defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancies.

An attorney for birth defects can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of life. This could include hospital costs physician's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other expenses as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to determine the cause of birth defects so that they can file a lawsuit against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens at work or at home.

Metals, Birth Defect attorney fungicides and herbicides as well as 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 by causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals are present in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been known to cause birth defects, such as cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for exposing families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes that the birth defect of their child could be the result of medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should speak with an DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens is the name given to these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals can be harmful to pregnant women.

For example, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from coal that is contaminated may cause a variety of birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known for their ability to increase the chance of birth defects in women. These chemicals are used to manufacture semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defect law firm defects due to unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at work or in their homes. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.