Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity it could have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you claim reimbursement for the expenses of caring for your children with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should consult with a legal professional as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. When a doctor's actions are in violation of this standard and result in an injury or birth defect or injury, they could be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can help determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and fail to respond appropriately. This could lead to numerous serious issues, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects because they are caused by circumstances during pregnancy, delivery or labor. The causes of injuries include ailments like Erb's palsy, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the infant's arms are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may be able to help parents determine the root cause of the birth injury of a child. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence the pregnancy of a mother but they can also happen due to medications. Many commonly used medications can have a negative impact on foetuses. This is particularly true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy medications are among the most commonly used. These drugs have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in the first trimester pregnancy.

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

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can sue parents of children with congenital disabilities because of the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially-trained to identify the cause of birth defects so they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens, because they can affect the development of a healthy foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different locations, such as processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other hazardous chemicals that could cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth problems, including cardiac disorders, in babies born to mothers exposed to them while in the womb.

Parents have filed suit against a number of companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who have children who were born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family believes the birth defect in their child could result from medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should contact a DC birth defect lawsuit injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

Chemicals and other contaminants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. These chemicals are called teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are present in our air, food and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for birth defect attorney instance, may cause birth defects and other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers can increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a wide range of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists or epidemiologists, geneticists occupational medicine experts and embryologists.