Why You Should Hire a Birth Defect Lawyer

If your child is born with a birth defect it can have a devastating effect on your family as well as you. Medical bills, therapy expenses and other losses can quickly add up.

A Hyattsville lawyer that specializes in birth defects could assist you file for compensation for the cost of taking care of your disabled children. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, which is why you should seek legal counsel as soon as you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals are required to adhere to a certain standard when treating pregnant women or their babies. If the actions of a doctor are not in line with this standard and cause birth defects or injuries or injury, they could be held accountable for the injuries suffered by their patient. A DC lawyer who is experienced in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining whether your child's illness could have been caused by an error made by a doctor during pregnancy or delivery.

A doctor may also be accountable for a birth injury when they fail in diagnosing or appropriately respond to fetal distress. This can result in a number serious problems including hypoxic-ischemic neuropathy and brain injuries like cerebral palsy.

The difference between a birth defect and a birth injury is that defects are part of a person's genetic makeup, while injuries are caused by something that happens during pregnancy, labor, or the birth. These injuries can be caused by conditions like Erb's Palsy, which occurs when the nerves that stimulate and control the arms of a newborn are stretched or torn during the birth process, and caput succedaneum, a swelling of the scalp. Both of these conditions can lead to lifelong disability and require ongoing treatment, which can result in large medical bills. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer will provide a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the most appropriate course of action for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

A birth defect lawyer might be able to assist parents identify the root of a child's birth injury, or defect. While many birth defects are caused by the genetics of the mother's pregnancy but they can also happen because of medications. Many commonly used medications can have negative effects on the fetuses. This is especially true in the first three months of pregnancy. This includes anti-nausea medication and NSAIDs as well as chemotherapy medications, certain antibiotics, and more. These drugs have been found to increase the risk of limb and heart defects, brain deformities and craniosynostois.

A doctor's responsibility is to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medications for pregnant women. When doctors fail to meet this standard of care they may be liable for medical malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held liable as well for not adequately warning mothers of the risks associated with their drugs. For example, 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 pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can assist families get compensation for future and current medical expenses associated with the disability or injury, as well as loss of income and quality of life. This could include hospital, doctor's or pharmaceutical costs, in addition to aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer may bring a lawsuit for families of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that can cause birth defects. These lawyers are specially trained to identify what caused the birth defect, so they can bring a lawsuit against companies that expose mothers to teratogens when they are working or in their homes.

Some of the chemical exposures that contribute to birth defects are herbicides, fungicides, metals and other pesticides. These chemicals are called teratogens, because they can affect the healthy development a the fetus via chemical changes that cause abnormal organs or prevent normal cell function. These chemicals are used in a variety of settings, including semiconductor manufacturing and metal cleaning.

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

Parents have filed lawsuits against several companies who were responsible for exposing the families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of the birth defect lawyers have won significant settlements for families who had their children born with severe birth defects because of the toxic chemical exposures at the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects are caused by the combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family believes the birth defect law Firms defect of their child may be due to medical negligence, prescription drug abuse or exposure to toxic chemicals, they should talk to a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the situation.

If pregnant women ingest or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment they could develop serious birth defects. These substances are referred to as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals can be found in our food, air and water. Some of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic from drinking water or cadmium found in coal that has been contaminated, for example, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Industrial solvents like benzene, toluene and trichloroethylene (a metal degreaser) are also linked with certain birth defects. Glycol-ethers, which are used in the manufacture of silicon chips, Birth defect Law firms semiconductors and video displays are known to increase the risk of birth defect law firm defects too.

The experienced attorneys at LK's firm for birth defects have filed many lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from a variety of birth defects as a result of the wrongful exposure to chemicals or toxic substances at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses, such as toxicologists and epidemiologists.