Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child was born with a birth defect it could cause a huge impact on you and your family. The cost of therapy, medical bills and other losses can quickly mount up.

A Hyattsville lawyer with a specialization in birth defects can help to file a claim for compensation to cover the costs of caring for your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects can be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel immediately.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their infants. If a doctor's actions fall below this standard and result in birth defects or injuries the doctor could be held liable for the harms suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who has expertise in lawsuits for birth defects can assist you in determining the cause of your child's illness. caused by a medical mistake during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor can also be held liable for birth injuries if they fail identify fetal distress, or don't respond appropriately. This can result in a variety of serious problems, including hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) and brain injuries such as cerebral palsy.

The distinction between a birth defect and a birth defect lawsuit injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic make-up however, injuries are caused by an event that occurs during labor, pregnancy or delivery. Injury can include Erb's Palsy which is a condition where the nerves that control the infant's arms and legs are stretched or torn. Another form of injury is the caput succedaneum, an increase in the size of the scalp. Both can lead to a permanent disability and ongoing treatment can cost a significant amount of money. A Washington, DC lawyer who specializes in birth defects can offer a free consultation to review your case, and determine the most appropriate course for you and your baby.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect attorney may help parents determine the root of an infant's birth injury. Many birth defects result from the genetics of the baby or other factors during pregnancy. However, certain medications can also cause birth defects. Many common medications can have negative effects on fetuses. This is especially relevant in the first three months of pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most common. These medications have been proven to increase the risk of limb and brain deformities, heart defects and craniosynostois.

A doctor's duty is to be aware of the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. If doctors do not follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for negligence. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately informing mothers of the dangers associated with their products. Zofran is a medication used to treat nausea among cancer patients, has been shown to increase the risk of major defects in first-trimester pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist a family to obtain compensation for medical expenses, income loss and quality of living. This could include hospital expenses as well as doctor's fees, pharmaceutical costs, and other expenses, as well as assistive devices and therapy.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can file a lawsuit on behalf of the families of children suffering from congenital disabilities that result from the negligence of companies that expose pregnant women to chemicals or drugs that cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify the reason for the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against the companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they work or in their home.

Metals, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides are a few chemicals that can cause birth defects. These chemicals are known as Teratogens since they affect the healthy development a embryo through chemical changes that lead to abnormal organs or block normal cell function. These chemicals are found in many different environments, including processing of semiconductors and metal cleaning.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects include hydrocarbons with aliphatic properties, like dichloroethane or trichloroethylene perchloroethylene. These chemicals are known to cause birth defects in the heart in babies born to mothers who were exposed while they were in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits in order to hold companies accountable for the families of soldiers who live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina exposed to harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawsuit defect lawyers have secured substantial settlements for families whose children were born with severe defects resulting from the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Some birth defects are caused by a combination between medical negligence and environmental factors. If a family suspects a child's birth defects 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.

Chemicals and other toxins in the environment can cause serious birth defects when they are consumed or absorbed by pregnant women. Teratogens are the term used to describe these chemicals. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Certain of these chemicals may be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic in drinking water or cadmium from coal that is contaminated for instance, may cause birth defects as well as other health issues. Certain birth defects are related to industrial solvents, such as benzene (a metal degreaser) and toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers, which are utilized in the production of semiconductors, silicon chips and video displays, are known to increase the chances of having birth defects as well.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on the name of children who suffered from various birth defects due to an unintentional exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits require complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.