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 and you. Medical bills, therapy costs and other losses can quickly become a burden.

A Hyattsville birth defect lawyer can help you file an appeal to receive compensation for the costs of caring for your disabled child. A legal claim for birth defects may be complicated, so you should consult with a legal professional whenever you can.

Medical Malpractice

Medical professionals must follow the highest standards of care when treating pregnant women and their babies. A doctor can be held accountable for damages when their actions cause birth defects or injuries. A DC lawyer with expertise in lawsuits involving birth defects can assist you in determining if your child's condition was caused by a medical error during pregnancy or during delivery.

A doctor may also be the cause of a birth injury when they fail to diagnose or adequately respond to distress in the fetus. This can lead to a range of serious issues, such as hypoxic ischemic brain injury (HIE) 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 however, injuries are caused by something that happens during labor, pregnancy or delivery. A possible injury is Erb's spalsy where the nerves that control the infant's limbs and arms are stretched or torn. Another injury is caput succedaneum - a swelling on the scalp. Both can lead to a lifelong disability, and ongoing treatment will cost a lot of money. A Washington, DC birth defect lawyer can offer a no-cost initial consultation to review your case and determine the best option for you and your child.

Prescription Drugs

An attorney for birth defects may be able to assist parents in determining the cause for a child's birth defect. While many birth defects are the result of the genetics of the mother's pregnancy however, they can also be caused as a result of medications. Many common medications have a significant impact on fetuses, particularly in the first trimester of a pregnancy. Anti-nausea drugs, NSAIDs, and chemotherapy medications are among the most frequently used. These medications have been linked with an increased chance of limb deformities, heart defects, brain deformities and Vimeo.com craniosynostois.

It is the duty of a doctor to take into consideration the risks when prescribing medication for women who are pregnant. If doctors fail to follow this standard of care, then they may be held liable for malpractice. Pharmaceutical companies could be held accountable for not adequately warning mothers of the dangers associated with their products. For example, Zofran, a medication used to treat nausea in cancer patients, has been proven to significantly increase the risk of major congenital defects in the first trimester of a pregnancy.

A birth defect lawyer can help family members receive reimbursement for future and ongoing medical expenses associated with the disability or injury as well as loss of income and quality of life. This can include hospital, doctor's pharmaceutical, and other expenses, as well as aidive devices and therapies.

Chemical Exposure

A birth defect lawyer can sue parents of children with congenital disabilities as a result due to the negligence of corporations who expose pregnant women to chemicals and drugs that cause birth defects. They are trained to identify the root of the birth defect to bring a lawsuit against companies who expose mothers to teratogens while they work or at their homes.

Metals, fungicides herbicides and pesticides are among the chemicals that can cause birth defects. They are referred to as Teratogens since they interfere with the healthy growth of the fetus causing chemical changes that prevent normal cell function, or can cause organs that are malformed. These chemicals are used in a variety of situations, such as the manufacturing of semiconductors and cleaning of metals.

Other chemicals that can cause birth defects are aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as trichloroethylene perchloroethylene or dichloroethane. These chemicals are known to cause cardiac birth defects in babies born to mothers who were exposed in the womb.

Parents have filed lawsuits against various companies who were responsible for the exposure of families of soldiers at Camp Lejeune to these harmful chemicals. Some of these birth defect lawyers have secured significant settlements for families that had children born with severe defects due to the exposure to toxic chemicals on the base.

Environmental Exposure

Certain birth defects can be caused by a combination of medical negligence as well as environmental conditions or chemicals. If a family is concerned that their child's birth defect may result from medical negligence, prescription drug overdose or exposure to harmful chemicals, they should consult a DC birth injury lawyer to discuss the matter.

If pregnant women inhale or absorb contaminants from the surrounding environment and then develop birth defects. These substances are known as Teratogens. More than 4 million chemicals are found in our air, food and water. Certain of these chemicals could be harmful to pregnant women.

Arsenic found in drinking water or cadmium in contaminated coal for instance, can cause birth defects and other health issues. Certain birth defects are caused by industrial solvents such as benzene (a metal degreaser) as well as toluene (a solvent for plastics) and trichloroethylene. Glycol-ethers are also known to increase the risk of birth defects among women. These chemicals are used for the manufacture of semiconductors, silicon chip displays and video displays.

Our experienced attorneys for birth defects have filed a variety of lawsuits on behalf of children who suffered from many birth defects due to accidental exposure to toxic chemicals or chemicals at work or at home. These lawsuits are based on complex scientific analyses and expert witnesses such as toxicologists and saju1004.net epidemiologists.