Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity this can have a devastating effect on your family and you. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other expenses can quickly increase.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer could help you file an appeal to receive reimbursement for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, and you should consult a lawyer as soon as possible.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their infants. A doctor could be held accountable for any damages if their actions result in birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer who is experienced in birth defect lawsuits can help you determine if your child's health condition may be due to a medical error during the pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail to identify or respond adequately to fetal distress. This can cause a number of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic disorder (HIE) and cerebral palsy.

The difference between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up, while injuries are caused due to something happening during pregnancy, labor, or delivery. Injuries can result from conditions such as Erb's palsy that occurs when the nerves that power and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth defect law firms process as well as caput succedaneum which is a swelling of the scalp. Both of these can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can provide a free initial consultation to review your situation and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root of the birth injury of a child. Many birth defects are caused by birth defects or genetics. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications have a profound effect on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of a pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications as well as certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of developing limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of these risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to meet this standard of care they could be liable for medical malpractice. Pharma companies could also be held accountable for not properly informing mothers of the risks associated with their medications. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of major congenital problems in first trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the 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 can bring a lawsuit on behalf families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses that expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defect to sue companies that expose mothers to teratogens during the time they 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 affect the growth of the fetus making chemical changes that inhibit normal cell function or lead to organs that are malformed. These chemicals are found in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons with aliphatic chlorinated chemistry such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits to make companies accountable for the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families who had their children born with severe defects as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental conditions. If a family suspects that a child's birth defects may be the result of medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause birth defects of a serious nature when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these substances. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Some of these chemicals are dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health problems. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers also increase the likelihood of birth defects occurring in women. These chemicals are used in the production of semiconductors as well as silicon chip displays and video displays.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a range of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals and toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits often involve sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists and epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine experts and embryologists.