Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect, it can be devastating for you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects may be able to help to file a claim for compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects could be complex, so you should seek legal advice as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow a standard of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. When a doctor's actions do not meet the standards and result in birth defects or injuries and/or death, they may be held responsible for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can determine whether your child's condition was caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail recognize fetal distress and don't respond appropriately. This could lead to a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

Birth injuries differ from birth defects in the sense that they are caused by events during pregnancy, delivery, or labor. Injuries can be caused by Erb's palsy where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost lots of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who is specialized in birth defects will provide a no-cost consultation to look over your case and decide on the best course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the cause of the birth injury or defect. Many birth defects result from genes or other factors that occur during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of a pregnancy. These include anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications such as certain antibiotics and more. These drugs have been shown to increase the risk of limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostosis.

It is the duty of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet the requirements of this standard of care, they could be held accountable for medical negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers that come with their medicines. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families in getting compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This can include hospital costs, doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs and other costs, in addition to assistive devices, and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

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

Metals, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides are some of the chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, cleaning of metals and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, or perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to ensure that companies are held accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families whose children were born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

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

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from their environment They could cause serious birth defects. Teratogens are the names given to these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic from drinking water and cadmium in coal that has been contaminated can trigger a variety of birth defects, as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents such as benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers that are employed in the manufacturing of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the risk of developing birth defects as well.

LK's experienced birth defect attorneys have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects resulting from wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses like toxicologists and epidemiologists.