Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other expenses can add up quickly.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could assist you in filing a claim to recover reimbursement for the costs of taking care of your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects could be complicated, which is why you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor do not meet the standards and result in a birth defect or injury the doctor could be held accountable for the damages sustained by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits involving birth defects will help you determine if your child's health condition may be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be responsible for birth injuries if they fail in diagnosing or respond adequately to distress of the fetus. This can result in many serious problems like hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy as well as brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which occurs when the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum which is swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause permanent disability, and continued treatment will cost a great deal of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to analyze your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer could be able to assist parents identify the cause of a child's birth injury or defect. Many birth defects are caused by birth defect lawsuits defects or genetics. However, medications can also cause birth defects. A number of commonly used medications have a significant effect on fetuses especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most commonly used. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of developing limb and brain defects, heart defects, and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors fail to adhere to this standard of care, they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies can be held liable as well for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for current and future medical expenses related to the disability or injury, and also loss of income and quality of life. This can include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, in addition to assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can bring an action on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defect law firms defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the cause of the birth defects so that they can bring a suit against companies who expose pregnant women to teratogens at workplace or at home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects include metals, fungicides, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens due to the fact that they influence the healthy development of a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in diverse settings like the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that may cause birth defects include the aliphatic hydrocarbons like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals have been proven to cause birth defects, including cardiac defects, in babies born to mothers who were exposed to them 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 defect lawyers have gotten significant settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe birth defects because of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical or chemical substances, they should speak with a DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb pollutants from the environment They could cause serious birth defects. These chemicals are called Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water and some could be harmful if they come into contact with a woman who is pregnant.

Arsenic in drinking waters or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated for instance, could cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Industrial solvents such as benzene toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors display devices, silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have brought many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits involve complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.