Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect this can be devastating for you and your family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville lawyer who is specialized in birth defects could help you seek compensation for the cost of caring for your disabled children. Legal claims for birth defects can be a little tangled and therefore it is crucial to seek legal advice immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a set of standards when treating pregnant women or their babies. A doctor can 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 will help you determine if your child's condition could be the result of an error in medical care during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may be liable for birth injuries if they fail to identify or properly respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to various serious problems, including hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and hypoxic encephalopathy like cerebral palsy.

The distinction between birth defects and birth injury is that defects are a part of a person's genetic make-up and injuries are caused by something occurring during labor, pregnancy or delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the baby's arms and limbs are stretched or torn. Another type of injury is called caput succedaneum. It's an inflammation of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, resulting in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to examine your situation and determine the best course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may help parents determine the root of a child's birth injury. Many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, medications can also cause birth defects. Certain common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea medications, NSAIDs and chemotherapy drugs are among the most common. These drugs have been linked with an increased risk of deformities in the limbs and brain defects, heart defects and craniosynostois.

It is the responsibility of a doctor to consider these risks when prescribing medicines for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to 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 of the risks associated with their medicines. Zofran, which is used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects occurring in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect attorney can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital prescription, pharmaceutical, and other costs, as well as aidive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may file a lawsuit on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities because from the negligence of companies exposing pregnant women to chemicals and other drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to find out the reason for the birth defect, so they can sue companies which expose mothers to teratogens as they work or at their home.

Some of the chemical exposures that lead to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called Teratogens because they affect the healthy development a foetus by causing chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are found in a variety of settings including the manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other dangerous chemicals that may cause birth defects are aliphatic chlorinated hydrocarbons, 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 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 defects lawyers have secured significant settlements for families who had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects may 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 chemicals such as benzene, they should seek out an DC birth injury attorney to discuss their case.

Chemicals and other pollutants in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are inhaled or taken in by pregnant women. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene, toluene, and benzene (a metal degreaser) are also linked to certain birth defects. Glycol ethers, which are employed in the manufacturing of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays are known to increase the chances of having birth defects too.

LK's skilled birth defect attorneys have brought numerous lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects due to wrongful toxic and chemical exposure at work or in their homes. These lawsuits typically require complex scientific analysis and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.