Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with an anomaly in the birth, it can have a devastating effect on you and your family. Therapy costs, medical bills and other losses can quickly accumulate.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of taking care of your child with disabilities. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should consult with a legal professional as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and cause a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for damage suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer with experience in birth defects lawsuits can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor could also be held accountable for birth injuries if they fail to detect fetal distress or are unable to respond in a timely manner. This could lead to a variety of serious issues, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or birth. The most common injuries are Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is caput succedaneum - swelling of the scalp. Both can result in permanent disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to look over your case and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect law firms defect lawyer may be able to help parents identify the cause of the birth injury or birth defect lawyer defect. While many birth defects are due to genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medication. A number of commonly used medications have a significant impact on fetuses, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most popular. These drugs have been linked to a higher risk of limb defects and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

It is a doctor's professional duty to be aware of the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they could be held accountable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not properly warning mothers about the risks associated with their drugs. Zofran is a medication that is used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been found to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancies.

A birth defect lawyer can help a family receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses related to the disability or injury in addition to loss of earnings and the quality of life. This can 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 of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of businesses which expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to discover the root of the birth defect in order to bring a lawsuit against the companies who expose mothers to teratogens as they work or in their homes.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are referred to as teratogens due to the fact that they interfere with the normal development of a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals can be found in a variety of situations, such as metal cleaning and semiconductor manufacturing.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene and dichloroethane. These chemicals have been proven to cause heart defects in babies born to mothers exposed during their time in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against a variety of companies that were involved in the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have gotten substantial settlements on behalf of families whose children were born with severe defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects could be caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects the birth defects of a child could be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical such as benzene, they should seek out an 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 consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals are harmful to pregnant women.

For instance, arsenic in drinking water, and cadmium from contaminated coal can cause numerous birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (a metal degreaser) are also associated with certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, used in the production of silicon chips, semiconductors and video displays, are known to increase the risk of birth defects too.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a variety of birth defects caused by wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at workplaces or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require sophisticated scientific analysis and experts as witnesses, like toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, embryologists and occupational medicine experts.