Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth deformity, it can cause a lot of grief for the entire family. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an action to collect compensation for the expenses of taking care of your disabled child. Legal claims for birth defects are a bit nebulous, so it is important to seek legal advice whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must adhere to a standard of care when treating pregnant women or their infants. If the actions of a doctor fall below this standard and result in a birth defect or injury and/or death, they may be held accountable for injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has experience in lawsuits for birth defects can help you determine whether your child's illness could be due to an error made by the medical professional during pregnancy or the birth.

A doctor could also be accountable for birth injuries if they fail to diagnose or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can lead to a range of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and brain injuries, such as 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 an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy, or delivery. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy which develops when the nerves which energize and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or ruptured during birth and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of them can cause lifelong 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 most appropriate option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to help parents identify the root of a child's birth injury or defect. While many birth defects are the result of genetics and the factors that influence a mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused because of medications. Certain common medications have a significant effect on fetuses and babies, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. They include anti-nausea medicines, NSAIDs, chemotherapy medications including certain antibiotics, and many more. These drugs have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

The duty of a doctor is to consider the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, they may be held liable for negligence. Pharma companies could also be held responsible for not adequately inform mothers of the risks associated with their medication. For instance, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been demonstrated to significantly increase the risk of serious congenital defects during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help families receive compensation for the future and present medical expenses related to the injury or disability, and also loss of earnings and the quality of life. This could include doctor's, hospital or pharmaceutical costs, as well as assistive devices and treatments.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file an action on behalf of families of children with congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies who expose pregnant women chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to determine the reason for the birth defects so that they can bring a case against companies that expose pregnant women to teratogens either at workplace or at home.

Some of the exposures to chemicals that lead to birth defects are the fungicides, metals, herbicides and other pesticides. These chemicals are known as teratogens due to the fact that they influence the healthy development of a embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs, or disrupt normal cell function. These chemicals are used in various settings, including manufacturing of semiconductors, metal cleaning and paint production.

Other harmful chemicals that could cause birth defects include aliphatic cyaninated hydrocarbons such as perchloroethylene (trichloroethylene), trichloroethylene ( dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers exposed 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 won substantial settlements on behalf families who had their children born with serious defects as a result of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence and environmental factors or chemicals. If a family suspects that the birth defect law firms defects of a child may be due to medical negligence or prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemical and/or environmental factors, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss their case.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb pollutants from the environment, they can 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. Some of these chemicals can be dangerous to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects as well as other health problems. Industrial solvents like trichloroethylene, benzene, and toluene (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 recognized to increase a woman's chances of having birth defects.

LK's highly experienced birth defect lawyers have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffer from a myriad of birth defects resulting from unintentional exposure to toxic chemicals and chemicals at workplaces or at home. These lawsuits often involve complex scientific analysis and experts, such as toxicologists, epidemiologists, geneticists, occupational medicine specialists and embryologists.